Institutional Effectiveness Team

Overview

The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools requires that institutions establish a Leadership Team to manage and validate the internal institutional assessment of compliance with all Core Requirements and Comprehensive Standards. In its Handbook for Reaffirmation of Accreditation the Commission recommends that the team include individuals who have the skills, knowledge and authority to lead in this institutional effort. It is suggested that the team not be too large, but its membership should include at least the chief executive officer, the chief academic officer, the accreditation liaison, and a representative faculty member.

The Institutional Effectiveness Team will serve as the core group for our SACS Leadership Team. The responsibilities* of the Institutional Effectiveness Team will include, but are not limited to:

• Coordinating and managing the internal review process including developing the structure and timelines for ensuring the timely completion of all tasks;
• Overseeing the institutional review of the extent of compliance with the Principles of Accreditation (Core Requirements, Comprehensive Standards and Federal Requirements) and the documentation of evidence supporting the extent of compliance with the criteria;
• Overseeing the development of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP); and
• Ensuring that the institutional community is engaged in the review process and is kept informed of the progress of the review.

This Institutional Effectiveness Team will ultimately be subsumed under the SACS Leadership Team to be constituted during the 2008-09 academic year. The SACS Leadership Team will include the President as well as others named by the President. The responsibilities* of the team will be expanded to include:

• Developing the Focused Report, if the institution so chooses;
• Overseeing arrangement for the on-site visit; and
• Ensuring that the appropriate follow-up activities are in place to address compliance issues and to monitor progress of the QEP

* These responsibilities are those recommended by the Commission in the Handbook for Reaffirmation of Accreditation