“I am supremely confident that we’re in compliance with the standards set by SACS.”

— William Koehler
Provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs

University self-study to be reaffirmed in SACS visit
Accreditation committee set to visit campus
By Crystal Forester
Staff Reporter

TCU has received final approval for a three-day site visit by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools even though a group of site visitors has yet to be appointed, said Bonnie Melhart, director of the SACS self-study.

A preliminary visit by Thomas Corts, president of Samford University, was made Jan. 17 to ensure that the university is ready for the site visit, Melhart said. The visiting group, which will consist of 17 to 18 volunteers from universities in the southern region of the United States, will tour the campus from Feb. 24 to 27, Melhart said.

“The campus was evaluated for institutional effectiveness, achievement of goals and the contributions to the university mission,” Melhart said.

The site visitors are usually picked and have the self-study report a month in advance so they have plenty of time to prepare, said Melhart, associate dean for the College of Science and Engineering.

Melhart said it is the responsibility of Gerald D. Lord, an associate executive director for SACS, to appoint volunteers to do site visits. SACS will be coming out with new criteria next semester, making it harder for Lord to get volunteers for this semester, she said.

The site visitors will be divided into groups according to the self-study report and they will tour the campus, checking to ensure that the self-study report was accurate, said William Koehler, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

“The team will be let loose and given free rein on campus mainly concentrating on verifying the report,” Koehler said.

The report took more than 150 people and several drafts to complete and was submitted to the SACS committee for their review in December, said Denise Bennett, a project staff member.

The report is submitted in order to have accreditation for the university reaffirmed and to be eligible for federal assistance, grants and other significant funding, Koehler said.

“The devil is in the detail,” Koehler said. “I am supremely confident that we’re in compliance with the standards set by SACS.”

The group will conduct interviews, scheduled by the TCU self-study office, with students, faculty, staff and possibly alumni, Melhart said.

“We will schedule the interviews so all the visitors will be able to talk to everyone that they requested although they could request to talk with more people once they arrive,” Melhart said.

The areas where the visiting team does not feel that TCU has met the standards set by SACS will have to be fixed before the university will receive reaffirmation of accreditation, Melhart said.

“The decision will probably happen in December of this year,” Melhart said. “I am confident that we are ready for the visit and look forward to the decision.”

Crystal Forester
c.m.forester@tcu.edu

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