Aug 2nd, 2016
The regional accrediting body that sets academic standards for colleges and universities in 11 Southern states reaffirmed Jackson State Community College's accredited status after a lengthy certification process and review.
Jackson State has been an accredited institution since it was founded in 1967. Its last reaffirmation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSOC) was in 2006.
The accreditation process is designed to ensure that programs offered by colleges and universities meet the standards of the SACSOC, said Dr. Larry Bailey, vice president of academic affairs, who led the effort. It also ensures that programs are comparable to others throughout the country. And an institution must be regionally accredited to be able to provide federal funding for financial aid and to receive reimbursement from the state.
"Accreditation is important to the institution because it ensures to all constituencies of the college that the programs and courses meet the high levels of quality and rigor that are expected in higher education," Bailey said.
"Maintaining an accredited status through a nationally recognized organization means the degrees students earn carry weight. It also means Jackson State is an honorable institution using best practices with competent faculty and staff and adheres to the same standards as four-year universities," said Dr. Liz Mayo, an associate professor of English who helped coordinate Jackson State's reaffirmation efforts.
"We are proud to serve Jackson's residents and the surrounding 14 counties from which our students travel," Mayo said. "This reaffirmation not only affirms our commitment to best educational practices but also solidifies the fact that we intend to have a strong presence in this community for many decades to come."
Accredited colleges go through a review process every 10 years to ensure that the institution is in compliance with more than 90 standards within the principles of accreditation set by the regional accrediting body. The process has two parts: the documentation of compliance with the principles of accreditation and the development of a Quality Enhancement Plan.
The compliance certification report was reviewed by an off-site team of peer evaluators to determine if there were any standards that Jackson State was not in compliance with. An on-site team also visited the campus to work with the college to refine the Quality Enhancement Plan.
Jackson State's Quality Enhancement Plan included the development of an advising program known as the ANCHOR Model and focuses on student retention and success. ANCHOR is an acronym for advise, navigate, coach, help, orient and relate.
The reaffirmation effort was led by an institutional leadership team that consisted of administrators, faculty, and staff from across the campus. Team members served as chairs for various subcommittees for the accreditation process.
The compliance certification committee worked for more than two years to research, document and prepare the compliance certification report. Another committee of faculty and staff, known as the QEP Team, developed the topic for the Quality Enhancement Plan and the plan that was submitted to the on-site team. Yet another committee prepared the campus for all of the details necessary to host the on-site team during its three-day visit.
"The preparation for the reaffirmation process was very comprehensive and involved every aspect of the campus," Bailey said. "The announcement by the SACSCOC of the reaffirmation of accreditation of Jackson State shows how the college strives to provide high quality instructional programs and courses and services to the people in the institution's 14-county service area."