Nothing to fear from SACS
COMMENTARY
Bonnie Melhart

SSouthern Association? So is that, like, some kind of special club? Are we being initiated or something? Are these people coming to “inspect” TCU? Why, did we do something wrong?

I guess I should be grateful if some members of the TCU family haven’t heard about SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) before, since it means I’m doing my job by letting everyone else keep on with their work and studies. But it’s been at the top of my mind these last several months, so it’s hard for me to remember being at TCU without SACS related issues all over my desk. If you’ve been wondering about any of the above things, read on, and I’ll try to enlighten you about the reasons our campus will soon experience the actual site-visit SACS mandates before the reaffirmation of our accreditation.

SACS is the accrediting body for all educational institutions in our southern region. This includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. All universities accredited by SACS are required to apply to the SACS Commission on Colleges for reaffirmation of their accreditation every 10 years.

As part of the process, TCU engaged in a self study and submitted the TCU Self-Study Report to SACS this year. The university is next required to host a team of visitors from peer institutions within SACS to review the report and to audit our compliance with the SACS criteria for accreditation. (See selfstudy.tcu.edu/visitinginfo.html) for more about the visiting team.) The visitors will arrive Monday and will be on campus Tuesday and Wednesday. They’ll conduct an exit interview with Chancellor Ferrari Thursday.

We haven’t done anything wrong to warrant this visit; it is a part of the regular reaffirmation process.

What does it mean for us to be accredited? Several benefits are derived from accreditation by a regional body. Many federal funds used for research and scholarships require the institution to have such recognition. Data published by SACS enables useful benchmarking with other universities. The Southern Association is made up of other institutions that know the demands and requirements of higher education. Feedback from peer review within such an organization and ideas shared by peers at regional meetings can help us plan for ways to improve our institutional effectiveness. And those considering an association with TCU, whether as a supporter, employee or student, appreciate knowing we have met a certain standard of quality, like a stamp of approval from a trusted agency.

Should we be anxious about having these visitors in our midst next week? Not at all. We have prepared well for them. The real shame is that we have only two days to show them what a great place we have here.

Bonnie Melhart is the self-study/reaffirmation project director for the university.