SACS 5th Year Interim Report

Glossary and FAQs:

1. Integrity and Commitment to Quality Enhancement

2. Core Requirements

3. Comprehensive Standards

4. Federal Requirements

General SACS FAQ

1. Integrity and Commitment to Quality Enhancement

1.1 Integrity
Integrity, essential to the purpose of higher education, functions as the basic contract defining the relationship between the Commission and each of its member institutions. It is a relationship in which all parties agree to deal honestly and openly with their constituencies and with one another. Without this commitment, no relationship can exist or be sustained between the Commission and its member institutions. The Commission's requirements, policies, processes, procedures, and decisions are predicated on integrity. The Commission on Colleges expects integrity to govern the operation of institutions. Therefore, evidence of intentionally withholding information, deliberately providing inaccurate information to the public, or failing to provide timely and accurate information to the Commission will be seen as the lack of a full commitment to integrity and may result in the loss of membership in the Commission on Colleges. (See Commission policy "Integrity and Accuracy in Institutional Representation.")

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2. Core Requirements

2.8 Number of Faculty
The number of full-time faculty members is adequate to support the mission of the institution. The institution has adequate faculty resources to ensure the quality and integrity of its academic programs. In addition, upon application for candidacy, an applicant institution demonstrates that it meets Comprehensive Standard 3.7.1 for faculty qualifications.

2.10 Student support programs and service
The institution provides student support programs, services, and activities consistent with its mission that promote student learning and enhance the development of its students.

2.12 Quality Enhancement Plan
The institution has developed an acceptable Quality Enhancement Plan and demonstrates that the plan is part of an ongoing planning and evaluation process.

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3. Comprehensive Standards

3.2.8 Institution, qualified administration
The institution has qualified administrative and academic officers with the experience, competence, and capacity to lead the institution.

3.3.1 Outcomes assessment, analyses for improvement
The institution identifies expected outcomes for its educational programs and its administrative and educational support services; assesses whether it achieves these outcomes; and provides evidence of improvement based on analysis of those results.

3.4.3 Admissions policies
The institution publishes admissions policies consistent with its mission.

3.4.11 Security of student academic records
The institution protects the security, confidentiality, and integrity of its student academic records and maintains special security measures to protect and back up data.

3.10.3 Audits of funds for financial aid
The institution audits financial aid programs as required by federal and state regulations.

3.11.3 Physical facilities
The institution operates and maintains physical facilities, both on and off campus, that are adequate to serve the needs of the institution's educational programs, support services, and other mission-related activities.

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4. Federal Requirements

4.1 Evaluation of student achievement
When evaluating success with respect to student achievement in relation to the institution's mission, the institution includes, as appropriate, consideration of course completion, state licensing examinations, and job placement rates.

4.2 Curriculum appropriate to degrees awarded
The institution maintains a curriculum that is directly related and appropriate to its purpose and goals and to diplomas, certificates, or degrees awarded.

4.3 Availability of calendars, grading and refund policies
The institution makes available to students and the public current academic calendars, grading policies, and refund policies.

4.4 Program length appropriate to degrees
The institution demonstrates that program length is appropriate for each of the degrees offered.

4.5 Procedures for written student complaints
The institution has adequate procedures for addressing written student complaints and is responsible for demonstrating that it follows those procedures when resolving student complaints. (See Commission policy "Complaint Procedures for the Commission or its Accredited Institutions.")

4.6 Recruitment materials represent practice and policy
Recruitment materials and presentations accurately represent the institution's practices and policies.

4.7 Title IV Compliance
The institution is in compliance with its program responsibilities under Title IV of the 1998 Higher Education Amendments. (In reviewing the institution's compliance with these program responsibilities, the Commission relies on documentation forwarded to it by the U.S. Secretary of Education.)

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General SACS FAQ

What is SACS?
The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools 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 is the representative body of the College Delegate Assembly and is charged with carrying out the accreditation process.

What is the "5th Year Interim Report?"
Reaffirmation of accreditation is the process by which USF, like schools all over the nation and the world, continues to be qualified, recognized, certified, etc. by an outside body who's whole job is to make sure Universities are meeting specific standards in order to function with integrity, stability, and growth. Full reaffirmation is required every 10 years.

The 5th Year Interim Report is an abbreviated process required at the mid-point between reaffirmation. The Fifth-Year Interim Report consists of several parts: (1) a signature page; (2) an abbreviated summary of institutional characteristics; (3) an abbreviated compliance report that addresses 14 standards of the Principles of Accreditation; (4) an additional report on standard(s) identified during an institution’s previous monitoring that require an update for ensuring continued compliance (not applicable to all institutions); and (5) a QEP Impact Report (for institutions that were reviewed under the Principles during their previous reaffirmation). If an institution has expanded its off-campus sites since its last reaffirmation or has experienced rapid growth in its off-site offerings, an institution may also be required to host an off-campus fifth-year committee to conduct a review of a sample of sites.

What are the SACS requirements?
The SACS requirements are called the Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement. They are a list of 73 principles and standards that we need to meet in order to be in full compliance with SACS and receive our reaffirmation of accreditation.

Who's involved in the process at USF?
Many people from all around the University are actively involved in preparing the 5th Year Interim Report. A Leadership Team was appointed by the Provost. The Leadership Team will organize workgroups for each of the requirements and oversee the development of the report. If your area falls within one of the SACS requirements being addressed, you may be asked to serve on one of these workgroups.

What does USF have to do for SACS?
USF must prepare a report that shows that the University is in compliance with the sections of the SACS Principles of Accreditation that are addressed in the 5th Year Interim Report. This report is due in March of 2006.

How does the submission process work?
The report will be submitted electronically (DVD). It will be studied by the SACS review team. The SACS team will make a determination whether or not USF is in compliance with each requirement, and will report those findings to SACS.

What are other Universities SACS reports like?
Every university under the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation is required to meet the same principles and standards. In addition to this basic set of responses, USF must also present a Special Report on Governance that details the operation of USF system. We must also include an QEP Impact Report.

While the requirements are the same, the ways universities meet the requirements are unique to the resources and creativity of each school. You can find details on the process from the Commission on Colleges Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

I've still got questions. How do I ask questions about USF and SACS?
We have a website that is very informative and located at www.usf.edu/assessment. You will also find our contact information on the site.

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