Zac Carlisle

Copy Editor

Although the university doesn’t have the final word yet, MUW officials said the on-site visit by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges just before spring break went well.

The university hosted the on- site committee March 11-13 as part of its reaccreditation process. The university goes through this process every 10 years to make sure that it complies with SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation.

“You’ll hear more about the process as we receive official notification from SACSCOC, but I commend everyone who gave their time and energies to undertake the serious work required by self-assessment,” Borsig said.

University areas such as governance and administration, undergraduate programs and faculty were all graded to see if they met SACSCOC requirements.

“We did really, really well,” said Dr. Martin Hatton, associate VPAA and director of graduate studies.

The university will receive the on-site committee’s formal report by the end of the semester.

“Accreditation by SACSCOC is a public statement of the W’s continuing commitment to integrity and its capacity to provide effective programs and services based on agreed-upon accreditation standards,” Hatton said.

The first step to receive accreditation was to conduct a self-review. Once the university documented all compliances, a committee of peer educators reviewed the final document.

The next step was the on- site visit by a team of peer educators. While on campus, they reviewed university data and interviewed individuals to see if the university was in compliance with the standards. The committee presented its findings and completed a draft report.

The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) will play an integral continuing part of the accreditation process. This plan emphasizes the SACSCOC and the university’s commitment to excellence.

“This is our first QEP, one that promises to hold true to the expectations of SACSCOC by transforming our institution. We’ve identified immediate benefits we should expect from QEP, but we anticipate benefits to student learning from this plan for years to come,” Hatton said.