Auburn prepares for SASCSCOC visit: Putting faculty in focus

Only a few days remain until Auburn University’s accrediting body, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or SACSCOC, arrives for its on-site visit on Feb. 27.

Last week, we shared how students are centered in the accreditation process at Auburn, but now it’s time to put the focus on our faculty. As the accreditation team prepares for the on-site phase of the reaffirmation process, we want to highlight the ways that faculty are so integral in the process and make it all possible.

Almost all the SACSCOC reaffirmation standards are focused on how an institution serves its students, which means that faculty, the ones providing that education, are at the heart of that service. As such, their input in the reaffirmation process has been essential. Moreover, the SACSCOC on-site review committee itself is comprised of faculty and administrators from other SACSCOC member institutions, so they understand the value and importance of faculty in the accreditation process.

Faculty are the focus of Section 6 of SACSCOC’s Principles of Accreditation, which requires both that there are sufficient qualified faculty to support the university’s mission and that faculty are sufficiently protected, as scholars and employees. The standards of Section 6 highlight the important status of faculty in the university mission. Faculty are the driving forces behind the three pillars of Auburn’s mission “through forward-thinking education, life-enhancing research and scholarship and selfless service.” Faculty at Auburn University are directly engaged in all three, an important factor in our compliance with SACSCOC’s Principles.

Given the importance of faculty in the university mission and in our accreditation, faculty have also helped at all stages in the accreditation process. Members of the faculty were directly involved in the preparation and writing of parts of the Compliance Certification Report, or CCR. These contributions included descriptions of example degree programs and their requirements, college-level student support programs and student achievement data.

Insight and evidence were also provided by representatives from University Senate, University Libraries and the AAUP. In addition to being part of the accreditation process leading up to the on-site visit, faculty from across the university will also be involved be meeting with the committee to share their expertise on academic program structure, Auburn’s online degree programs and academic assessment.

An important focus for the on-site reaffirmation committee will also be reviewing Auburn’s Quality Enhancement Plan, or QEP. Championed by the Office of Academic Insight, the development and implementation of Auburn Achieve has included representation from across Auburn’s academic colleges, including an Advisory Council with representatives from all twelve of them.

Auburn Achieve focuses on using data to improve students’ post-graduation outcomes through the Insight Lab and the Auburn Achieve Bright Idea seed grants project. The Bright Idea project is designed to provide units, from any level of the institution, with analytical support and initial funding to implement an intervention that will elevate the Auburn student experience and better prepare students for post-Auburn careers. As the most student-oriented stakeholders on campus, faculty are an integral part of the Bright Ideas program.

More about Auburn’s accreditation efforts.