The
Commission on Colleges (COC) of the Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools (SACS) is the recognized regional
accrediting body in the eleven-state Southern region comprising Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia (as well as Latin America). SACS,
founded in 1895 in Atlanta, is one of six private, non-profit, regional
accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and
established for the purpose of improving education in colleges and schools
through a process of evaluating institutions against a set of criteria.
The COC accredits institutions of higher education that award associate,
baccalaureate, masters, or doctoral degrees; thus each of the approximately
800 institutions in the Southern region, including public and private colleges
and universities as well as community colleges are under its jurisdiction.
It
is generally agreed that the Southern Association has been the leader in
defining and implementing the concept of "institutional effectiveness."
SACS is also known as the regional body with the most requirements and
the most stringent reporting standards.
Accreditation
of an institution by the Commission on Colleges signifies that an institution
has a purpose appropriate to higher education and has resources, programs
and services sufficient to accomplish its purpose on a continuing basis.
The U.S. Secretary of Education recognizes accreditation by the COC in
establishing the eligibility of higher education institutions to participate
in federal programs. Without accreditation, for example, students cannot
receive federal funding.
In order to retain
its accreditation, each college and university in the SACS region must
conduct a "self-study" once every ten years. UNCW has just embarked on
a required two-and-a-half year self-study process extending from Fall 1999
through Spring 2002.
In
one oversimplified sentence, the Self-Study is a thorough examination of
everything we do at UNCW, guided by the standards of accreditation of SACS,
with special emphasis on planning and evaluation, identification of strengths
and weaknesses, and formulation of recommendations for improvement. The
Self-Study is subjected to peer review by a visiting committee, and final
evaluation by the Commission on Colleges. The ultimate purpose of the Self-Study
is to improve the institution.