The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is one of six private, voluntary, nonprofit regional accrediting associations in the United States. Recognized by the U. S. Department of Education, SACS is comprised of three commissions: the Commission on Elementary and Middle Schools, the Commission on Middle and Secondary Schools, and the Commission on Colleges (COC). The member institutions of the COC are located in 11 states within the southern region of the U. S. (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia) and in Latin America. Accreditation by a recognized regional accrediting association (such as SACS) is required of higher education institutions in order for them to be eligible to receive federal funding.

SACS, which was established in 1895, has as its mission “the improvement of education in the South through accreditation”; along with the other five regional accrediting organizations, SACS is affiliated with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The Commission on Colleges was created in 1912 to focus on developing standards for quality programs in higher education. The current executive director of the COC is Dr. James Rogers, and the COC offices are located in Decatur, Georgia.

In seeking and retaining accreditation, institutions must demonstrate that they share the values, follow the practices, and meet the standards accepted by the regional higher education community. Of particular importance is the expectation that institutions will meet standards of integrity and commitment to quality enhancement.

The SACS COC requires its member institutions to provide evidence that they meet the requirements adopted at the annual meeting in December, 2001, and published as Principles for Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement. The Principles for Accreditation details 12 core requirements and 61 comprehensive standards; a copy of the Principles may be downloaded from the SACS COC web site at http://www.sacscoc.org/. Candidates for both initial and continued accreditation must certify their compliance with the core requirements and comprehensive standards, submit an acceptable quality enhancement plan, and participate in both off-site and on-site peer review processes.

Accreditation by SACS indicates that the institution “has a purpose appropriate to higher education and has resources, programs, and services sufficient to accomplish that purpose on a continuing basis. Accreditation evaluates whether an institution maintains clearly specified educational objectives that are consistent with its mission and appropriate to the degrees it offers and whether it is successful in achieving its stated objectives” (SACS COC, Principles of Accreditation, 2001, p. 1).

Western Kentucky University, as an applicant for continued accreditation, must submit its compliance certification August 30, 2004; undergo off-site peer review during the second week of November, 2004; submit its Quality Enhancement Plan January 15, 2005; undergo on-site peer review between March 14 and April 29, 2005; and be reviewed by the Commission on Colleges at the SACS annual meeting in December, 2005.

For further information about the SACS Commission on Colleges, consult the following website:
http://www.sacscoc.org/