1. What is accreditation?
Accreditation is the designation that an institution earns indicating that it functions appropriately with respect to its resources, programs, and services. The accrediting association, often comprised of peers, is recognized as the external monitor. There are four types of officially recognized accrediting agencies in the United States: 1) Regional, 2) National Faith-Related, 3) National Career-Related, and 4) Programmatic. Regional accreditors accredit the entire institution which includes its reported distance education and off campus programs.
2. What is the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)?
SACSCOC is the recognized regional accrediting body in the eleven U.S. Southern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia) and Latin America for those institutions of higher education that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degrees. SACSCOC is one of the seven regional accreditation agencies recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Education (USDE) to accredit colleges and universities at the institutional level.
3. Why is accreditation important?
Accreditation by SACSCOC signifies that a university has:
Maintaining fully accredited status ensures that the university remains in compliance with federal expectations and continues to receive federal Title IV funding.
4. How did Radford University prepare for the SACSCOC reaffirmation?
Radford University prepared a Compliance Certification Report and Quality Enhancement Plan as part of its reaffirmation efforts. The University also responded to any request for additional or clarifying information made by the Off-Site Committee and On-Site Reaffirmation Committee. Radford hosted a group of faculty and staff members from SACSCOC accredited institutions as part of the University’s On-Site Review.
5. How is Radford University evaluated?
The Off-Site and On-Site Reaffirmation Committees, which consist of faculty and staff from other institutions accredited by SACSCOC, evaluate Radford University’s compliance with The Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement, which is the Commission’s primary source document for the reaffirmation process. The Principles of Accreditation contain Core Requirements, Comprehensive Standards, and Federal Requirements with which the institution must comply in order to be reaffirmed. Radford must also abide by SACSCOC’s policies and have an acceptable Quality Enhancement Plan in order to receive accreditation.
6. When did the reaffirmation process take place?
During the 2022-2023 academic year. Radford University's 10-year reaffirmation of accreditation was announced at the SACSCOC annual meetings on Dec. 3, 2023.
7. Who should I contact about Radford University’s SACSCOC Reaffirmation?
Please contact Jessica Stowell, SACSCOC Liaison, Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Quality Improvement at jstowell1@radford.edu