Last week SCAD underwent a standard review by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC).
SACS functions as a regional operative initiated to ensure degree-granting schools meet established standards and requirements for higher education. SACS is a private, non-profit organization formed in 1895 in Atlanta.
According to SACS regulations, an institution must: [have] a mission appropriate to higher education; [have] resources, programs and services sufficient to accomplish and sustain that mission; maintain clearly specified educational objectives that are consistent with its mission and appropriate to the degrees it offers; and indicate whether it is successful in achieving its stated objectives.
“The visiting SACS team had no recommendations for improvement, and everyone at SCAD should be proud of this accomplishment,” professor of writing Dr. Catherine Ramsdell said.
SACS insures the quality and qualification of higher-education institutions in Southern states, and their ability to grant diplomas (at varying levels and implications). Accreditation is the certification process that affirms the credibility, organization and authorization of an establishment’s (i.e. universities, colleges and schools) compliance with recognized or reputable standards and practices. Without accreditation a diploma lacks validity.
The system exists to improve the educational structure, as well as to maintain a widely agreed upon standard of development and orderliness. This external regulation protects the college or university’s integrity, as well the students.
SACS administers the review process to keep previously stated standards intact and to critically analyze an institution’s improvement. This includes an evaluation of courses, environment, material, professors and administration, among other things.
The review and regulation process of SACS often goes unnoticed in students’ day-to-day activities; however, it plays an important role in safeguarding the authenticity of the institution and supports the validation of students’ achievements.