HOUSTON (December 18, 2018) – With its accreditation reaffirmation visit from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) more than a year away, Texas Southern University has already begun its preparations.

Several TSU administrators, faculty and staff who will serve on a variety of reaffirmation committees attended the annual SACSCOC conference in New Orleans recently, meeting with accreditation officials and sharing strategies and successes regarding the accreditation process.

“We have been preparing for this for the past several years,” said TSU President Dr. Austin A. Lane. “We look forward to demonstrating our commitment to – and achievement of – the high academic standards that SACSCOC puts forth. We are fortunate that many of our administrators and faculty have significant experience in the accreditation process. Many of them have served as SACSCOC evaluators and reviewers for the accreditation of other institutions.”

TSU’s accreditation committees, led by overall chair Dr. Gregory Maddox, Dean of the Graduate School, will work to document and demonstrate the university’s compliance with regional and national standards of excellence, a process that occurs for an institution every ten years. The committees focus on the various sections of accreditation, including Standards, Institutional Effectiveness, Student Achievement, Educational Programs, Educational Policies, Library, Student Support Services, Resources and Transparency.

An additional component of TSU’s accreditation involves a five-year Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) focused on improving student learning or the learning environment in a specific and measurable way. TSU’s QEP centers on developing the whole student via targeted interventions throughout their journey at the university.

“From application to graduation, TSU’s plan has the potential to directly impact every student along their pathway to success,” said Wendell Williams, special assistant to the President and interim vice president of strategic enrollment management. “Our targeted interventions will give students the right information and resources at the right time to significantly improve their likelihood of success.”

The reaffirmation accreditation includes many milestones over the next 18 months, culminating with an on-site visit from the SACSCOC review team in March 2020. Major timeline milestones include:

• Off-Site Peer Review – Nov. 5-8, 2019

• SACSCOC VP Advisory Visit – Nov. 20-21, 2019

• QEP and Focused Report Due – Jan. 2020

• On-site Visit – March 4-6, 2020

• Response Report and QEP Revision – March-Sept. 2020

• Final Report Due – Sept. 2020

• Review by SACSCOC Board – Dec. 5-8, 2020

Chairs of TSU’s major SACSCOC committees include:

Faculty: Dr. Cary Wintz

Institutional Effectiveness: Dr. Needha Boutte-Queen; Dr. Raijanel Crockem

Academic Policies & Procedures: Dr. Aladdin Sleem

Library: Dr. Janice Peyton; Dr. Joyce Jones

Student Services: Dr. Raphael Moffett; Dr. Carol Lewis

Financial & Physical Requirements: Mr. Kenneth Huewitt; Dr. Sheri Smith

The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Planning Committee includes Dr. C.B. Claiborne, Dr. Kenneth Jackson, Dr. Needha Boutte-Queen, Professor Arbolina Jennings, Dr. Oscar Criner, Dr. Desiree Jackson, Dr. Katie Rich, Dr. Charlene James; Mr. Wendell Williams, and Dr. Gregory Maddox.

“Maintaining the high academic and academic support standards of Texas Southern University is a critical component to our overall success,” said Dr. Lane. “That is why it is crucial to involve as many of our talented faculty, staff and administrators as possible in an inclusive and comprehensive way, which is part of the TSU culture.”