Every ten years, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is reviewed by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) for reaffirmation of its status as an accredited institution of higher learning. In September 2016, the University submitted its Compliance Certification report to SACSCOC: a 600-page document affirming the University’s compliance with over 90 SACSCOC principles and with certain requirements under federal law.
The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is a key component of the reaffirmation process. The QEP is a set of new initiatives that a university seeks to implement over a five-year period to address a well-defined and focused topic/issue that: (1) makes a major, measurable contribution to the improvement of student learning; (2) is aligned with and evolves from the university’s mission, strategic priorities, and planning/evaluation efforts; and (3) involves broad-based campus participation.
Over the last two years, Carolina has developed a QEP titled “Creating Scientists: Learning by Connecting, Doing, and Making” to promote a campus mindset focused on experiential learning, particularly for undergraduates at the University. UNC-Chapel Hill’s QEP aims to: (1) connect the arts and humanities with the sciences; (2) increase collaborative experiences that demonstrate the nonlinear process of science; and (3) highlight the novel ideas and objects that arise through the process of “doing” science. To learn more, visit the QEP website or contact the QEP Director, Dr. Kelly Hogan, at: leek@email.unc.edu.
The campus is currently preparing for the visit by the SACCOC On-Site Reaffirmation Committee March 27-30. The ten members of this committee will be on campus to hold interviews with faculty, staff, and students and to conduct a focused evaluation of the issues addressed by the University in its Compliance Certification report. The on-site committee will also thoroughly review the QEP. After completing its on-campus visit, the committee will submit a report to the SACSCOC Board of Trustees for review and action later this year on the reaffirmation of accreditation for UNC-Chapel Hill.
