The University passed the most recent phase of reaffirming its accreditation this week, after an oncampus review by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, said Jane Cassidy, vice provost for academic affairs.
SACSCOC, the body that grants accreditations to colleges and universities in the South, sent 10 members to the University on Tuesday to review the implementation of undergraduate research and speak with students, administrators and faculty.
The team left Thursday morning with only one recommendation for the University as it heads into the next step in renewing its accreditation, said Gil Reeve, vice provost for academic programs, planning and review.
Reeve said the SACSCOC team’s only recommendation for the University to work on was its process of an annual evaluation of the school’s chancellor, something that has not yet been accomplished because LSU President F. King Alexander has only been at the University since last June.
“It’s like a hurdle race,” Reeve said, and the next hurdle is to submit a report showing how the recommendation was handled. Reeve said the school’s reaffirmation completely occurs in December of this year.
Preparations for reaffirmation of accreditation began in 2011 with a committee working to make sure the University fulfilled all requirements set by the SACSCOC. The University’s funding and students’ ability to obtain grants and financial aid depended partly on the outcome of their visit, said Randy Duran, director of the University Office of Undergraduate
Research.
The 98 requirements, or standards, set by the SACSCOC involved every single thing that makes the school run, from the processes used to make decisions regarding classes and degrees to how administration works, Cassidy said.
The University completed a compliance report of all of the standards set and submitted them to SACSCOC in September. The report was then sent back with 17 recommendations for change, which were reevaluated during their visit this week, Reeve said.
“It’s a really great day for LSU,” Cassidy said, adding the SACSCOC team’s reviews were very positive.
Reeve said he thinks the University is in good standing to receive a full reaffirmation in December.