Date Posted: September 15, 2020
Last week Southern Crescent Technical College (SCTC) received notification from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) that the SACSCOC Board voted to approve, without any recommendations, the reaffirmation of SCTC’s accreditation.
“The official announcement from SACSCOC that Southern Crescent Technical College earned reaffirmation of accreditation is evidence that the College is on solid ground –academically, administratively and financially,” said SCTC President Dr. Alvetta Thomas.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) is the recognized regional accrediting body in the eleven U.S. Southern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia) and in Latin America for those institutions of higher education that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degrees. The Commission on Colleges’ Board of Trustees is the representative body of the College Delegate Assembly and is charged with carrying out the accreditation process.
SACSCOC Accreditation runs on a ten-year cycle with a mid-term review at the 5-year mark. The fifth-year review is comprised of 8 of the 14 Sections in the Principles of Accreditation Resource Manual and more specifically covers 22 standards of accreditation. The process begins with the institution’s self-study to address the standards. Southern Crescent Technical College began this process in June 2018 and submitted the report in September 2019.
The report is reviewed off-site by a committee made up of higher education peers, residing in other states. Any deficiencies noted by the committee are addressed by the college in a response report submitted to the SACSCOC Board of Trustees. SCTC addressed 3 minor deficiencies in the report submitted in March 2020. Also, in conjunction with the fifth-year review, SCTC hosted a SACSCOC visiting team to review three of the off-campus locations approved since the last full reaffirmation in 2014. The sites visited were the Georgia Film Academy, Fayette County Center of Innovation, and the Griffin Regional College and Career Academy. After careful review of college procedures and processes, the committee had no recommendations. The final approval was slightly delayed due to COVID-19, but during the September 2020, SACSCOC Board of Trustees meeting, the Board approved without further reporting both the fifth-year review and the results of the on-site visit and confirmed that SCTC remains in full compliance with all SACSCOC standards.
Dr. Thomas stated, “The positive SACSCOC outcome is the result of a true team effort and I am proud of the hard work and dedication of the SCTC faculty and staff. The accreditation process was a great opportunity for the entire SCTC family to come together to work on a single project where we were able to engage our faculty, staff, and students as well as our business and industry partners.
The SCTC Office of Institutional Effectiveness maintains the College’s compliance and serves as the lead for the accreditation process which included more gathering of information, forming committees, and filing reports. Dr. Chris Daniel, SCTC Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness said, “This process along with the final results exemplifies the talent, knowledge, and professionalism of the faculty and staff at Southern Crescent Technical College. I am so proud of our work as a college and the results are a true display of what we can do when we come together as a team. A big thank you goes out to all who contributed to this stellar performance and equally impressive outcome.”
“This process helps to ensure that SCTC is maintaining the highest in quality and standards,” Thomas continued. “I know that the completion of this review is not an easy task, but these results give assurance to our students and the community that Southern Crescent Technical College is dedicated to building strong students, strong careers, and strong communities.”
The next SACSCOC accreditation review for Southern Crescent Technical College is scheduled for June of 2024 to ensure that the Commission’s standards continue to be upheld.