Radford University Earns 10-Year Reaffirmation of Accreditation from SACSCOC
Radford University has completed a successful accreditation process with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), earning a 10-year reaffirmation from the SACSCOC Board of Trustees during its annual meeting on Dec. 3.
“This important accomplishment proves that people can trust the high quality of a Radford University education,” President Bret Danilowicz said. “We welcome any opportunity to improve the effectiveness of our institution and deliver the best possible experiences for our students. I am proud of the members of our university community who gave the SACSCOC Reaffirmation Committee a candid look into our programs and services, and demonstrated the high standards that made our reaffirmation a success.”
“I am impressed by the excellent collective effort that went into earning this reaffirmation of accreditation,” Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Bethany Usher said. “The reaffirmation leadership team led by Dr. Jessica Stowell, members of the reaffirmation advisory committees, and the individuals who participated in the on-site visit should be commended for their work. Our efforts to enhance equity in educational outcomes will benefit students from all backgrounds who choose our university.”
Stowell, the Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Quality Improvement, led a reaffirmation process which included a year-and-a-half of planning prior to a visit from the SACSCOC Reaffirmation Committee in March of 2023. Over a two-day period on March 26th and 27th, the committee met with over 50 students, faculty, staff, administrators and Board of Visitors members, and reviewed evidence. During the interviews, they investigated policies, finances, faculty qualifications, distance education, general education, evaluation of faculty and administration, assessment, and the Realizing Inclusive Student Excellence (RISE) Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). In addition to spending two full days on the main campus, committee members visited three sites: Radford University Carilion (RUC), the Roanoke Higher Education Center and the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center.
The RISE QEP, approved in March by the reaffirmation committee, was implemented at the start of fall 2023. The topic which inspired the QEP, “Belonging and Student success in required 100 and 200 level courses,” sought to close equity gaps in student performance in foundational courses. RISE will enhance student learning and success through faculty development and fostering student-faculty relationships. Each academic college and RUC will have a RISE Community Action Team (R-CATs) consisting of students, faculty, and staff who will examine college-level data and create outreach events to build community and belonging within their units.
Radford will undergo an interim review and submit a QEP impact report to SACSCOC in September of 2028. The university’s next reaffirmation of accreditation takes place in 2033.
SACSCOC is the recognized regional accrediting body in the eleven U.S. Southern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia) and in Latin America for those institutions of higher education that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degrees. To maintain accreditation with the Commission on Colleges, an institution must comply with the standards and requirements in The Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement and with the policies and procedures of the Commission on Colleges.