TO:         Craven Community College Faculty and Staff

FROM:     Scott Ralls

DATE:     February, 8, 2005

SUBJECT:SACS Reaffirmation of Accreditation

Craven Community 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 for Fall 2006.  I am writing to ask for your valuable support as we begin this process 

As you may know, the SACS Commission recently restructured the criteria for reaffirmation, requiring each member institution to demonstrate commitment to complying with the Core Requirements and Comprehensive Standards and to enhancing the quality of educational programs with a special focus on student learning and measurable outcomes.  Thus, our reaffirmation process has two main goals:  to show compliance and to develop a plan for enhancing student learning, the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP).

We have already established a Leadership Team composed of Cindy Hess, Executive Vice President;  Johnny Peterson,  Vice President of Financial and Administrative Services; Diane Tyndall, Accreditation Liaison and Associate Vice President of  Institutional Advancement;  Kathleen Gallman, Compliance Chair; Amy Copley Tilly, QEP chair; and myself.  Other teams will develop as we progress.  We very much need your ideas and support for both sides of this process and will be calling on your expertise and imagination.

On February 16, a campus-wide meeting will be held in conjunction with the reaffirmation kick-off.   You are invited to "Fall in Love with Learning" and to learn more about the reaffirmation process.  We also invite you to attend one of 18 focus groups scheduled  between 2/21 and 3/18 where you can share ideas with colleagues about ways to improve student learning on our campus.  Come prepared to talk about your best and worst learning experiences.

Thank you for what you do every day to make Craven such a great place to work and learn.  I am convinced that, with your support, the SACS reaffirmation process will go smoothly and lead to an even higher quality working and learning environment for us all.