President's Message    

MEMORANDUM

TO: Rollins Faculty & Staff
FROM: Rita Bornstein
DATE: November 20, 2002
SUBJECT: SACS Reaffirmation of Accreditation

Rollins College's on-site peer review for reaffirmation of accreditation by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is scheduled to occur in Spring 2005. I am writing to provide an overview of our SACS reaffirmation process and to request your support of the work that will be required of the Rollins community in preparation for reaffirmation of accreditation.

As you may know, the SACS Commission recently restructured the criteria for accreditation and adopted accreditation principles requiring each member institution to demonstrate ongoing quality enhancement and effectiveness in achieving its stated mission. Integrity, commitment to student learning, and documented evidence of achieving student-learning outcomes are imperatives emphasized in the Commission's new principles. Additionally, the Commission now requires that each institution appoint an Accreditation Liaison and recommends a team-based leadership approach to overseeing the process, rather than the former appointment of a self-study director.

We are fortunate that our strategic planning activities will provide the necessary framework for our reaffirmation effort. Under the direction of Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Jim Malek and in consultation with the Rollins community, the All-College Planning and Priorities Committee has drafted the vision, mission, and goals that will be essential to our reaffirmation work. The implementation strategies and performance indicators that will be developed this spring will complete the plan, which will be presented to the Board of Trustees for discussion and approval.

Assistant Provost for Planning and Special Projects Sharon Carrier is serving as our Accreditation Liaison and is chairing our Accreditation Leadership Team (ALT). In addition to Jim Malek and myself, members of this team are David Carson, Donna Cohen, Jim Eck, Lorrie Kyle, Carol Lauer, Udeth Lugo, Steve Neilson, and Keith Whittingham. To date, the ALT has developed a timeline and strategies for the two main reports due prior to the on-site visit, the Compliance Certification and the Quality Enhancement Plan. The ALT will keep the Rollins community apprised of the details and progress of the reaffirmation process through a Web site, which will be launched in January, and various information sessions.

In the coming months, you may be called upon to provide the ALT with important information and evidence of compliance in certain key areas for your department, division, program, or unit. Please respond to these requests so the ALT will have accurate, thorough, and timely data in order to meet its deadlines.

Because of your unrelenting dedication to quality, Rollins has made great strides in its quest for excellence. The reaffirmation process is another opportunity for us to focus on how we can bring Rollins to the next level of excellence.