SACS seeks to improve education throughout the South by means of accreditation. Photo provided by Google Images.
Milligan College is in the process of regaining accreditation under S.A.C.S., the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Milligan has was first accredited in 1960 and has maintained accreditation ever since.
“The reaffirmation process occurs every 10 years, with a smaller 5-year review. It was previously completed in 2012. When Emmanuel Christian Seminary was merged into Milligan in 2015 our timeline was reset, requiring reaffirmation five years later,” said Carolyn Carter, Professor of Computer Science.
Professor Carter is heading the accreditation process. “I serve as Chair of the team of faculty, staff, and administrators who comprise the six committees. I see my job as the overseer and facilitator for both the project timeline and communication between all those involved in the process,” said Carter. She is also assisted in the process by Brenda Bourn and Dr. Heather Hoover.
Brenda Bourn, Milligan’s SACSCOC Accreditation Liaison, has been instrumental in documenting and editing the timeline, being the initial reader of the written documents and managing the file structure of the documents and evidence submitted by each committee, according to Carter. Once this document has been drafted and reviewed, it gets sent to Hoover, Professor of English and Composition, who does the final edit. The document is then uploaded to a software package called Compliance Assist. This creates hyperlinks to each piece of evidence documenting our compliance.
Along with the direct help of Hoover and Bourn, there are other Milligan staff involved in the process. Mary Page, Assistant for Seminary Development, and Heather Vaccaro, Assistant Professor of Business Administration, are managing the logistics such as lodging, transportation, and meals for the On-Site Reaffirmation Committee members’ visit in March 2020.
What does S.A.C.S look into?
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) looks at the policies and procedures of the entire Milligan institution. They review such things as adherence to the Mission of the College, quality and staffing of academic programs, student achievement, qualifications of faculty, physical and financial resources, student services, governance, administrative organization, library resources, institutional strategic planning, and a host of other items, according to Carter.
What Does it Mean to be Accredited?
According to the SACSCOC Mission Statement, The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. The Commission’s mission is the enhancement of education quality throughout the region and the improvement of the effectiveness of institutions by ensuring that they meet standards established by the higher education community that address the needs of society and students. It serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices among the diverse institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Latin America and other international sites approved by SACSCOC that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degrees. SACSCOC also accepts applications from other international institutions of higher education.
Accreditation by SACSCOC signifies that the institution (1) has a mission appropriate to higher education, (2) has resources, programs and services sufficient to accomplish and sustain that mission and (3) maintains clearly specified educational objectives that are consistent with its mission and appropriate to the degrees it offers and that indicate whether it is successful in achieving its stated objectives.
Should We Be Afraid?
Milligan is set to reaffirm accreditation. The process is well underway, and the school has no anticipation of not meeting the requirements.