Various Southern University professors and faculty members team up to fix institutional issues reported by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The SACS commission on colleges set forth standards and guidelines for institutions in a range of areas to insure that they represent good practices in higher education and establish a level of accomplishment expected of all members of that institution. Southern University is now in the reaffirmation stage of the accreditation process for 2009-2010 after completing their compliance report, which shows the university fulfillment to all of SACS rules and regulation.
SACS sent their preliminary response to Southern University’s report which states their non-compliancy with the SACS guidelines in areas that challenge the university mission statement, various support programs, and learning resources for students.
”The big issue that the university is not compliant on is the lack of evidence that it shows on having establish institutional effectiveness,” said Jacqueline Howard-Matthews, an associate provost of the office of planning, assessment and institutional research.
In response to their non-compliance the university reorganizes their leadership committee which consist a “task force” of 13 teams with faculty and professors in which they are assigned different section in the university responsibility checklist for focus reports submitted to SACS.
Each “task force” is given the checklist that states a well-defined notion on what has to be done to correct the problems in many areas around Southern University.
”That financial aid doesn’t have a large amount to do with the accreditation process for SACS, but the department has to make sure that they are doing well developed audits on time so that the university isn’t in any possibilities of losing its financial aid programs,” commented Ursula J. Shorty, a director of the office of student financial aid. “SACS will look at the past goals and objectives of financial aid and verify if the department’s participation in the title IV program is safe which “does not pose a problem,” she added.
According to Ms. Howard-Matthews the budget cuts that affect all universities in the state will not weigh in on the accreditation process. A task force is assigned this issue in which they cover the standard declared by SACS for the university to show if there are physically stable and what they are doing similar to other university to show their institutional stability.
“The university has maintain a review of what is coming from the governor’s office, monitor the mandates from the board of regions and then make changes accordingly, which in those changes we try to assure that students by in large, as best as possible have access to what they need to get in, have a successful experience, and get out in a timely fashion,” Howard-Matthew continued.
The leadership committee is steadfastly working to meet the Mar. 12, 2010 deadline for their focus reports and also they are continually alerting faculty members with the faculty convocation that was held Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010.
