The United States Sports Academy recently hosted the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Onsite Reaffirmation Committee as part of its 2018 10-Year Accreditation Reaffirmation. SACSCOC’s reaffirmation process has two major elements: compliance with the Principles of Accreditation and implementation of a “Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP),” a special project to provide continued enhancement to student learning. The Academy’s QEP will focus on boosting the research skills of degree-seeking students at the bachelor’s level to improve their chances for success at the Academy, in graduate school, and in their careers in sports.
The United States Sports Academy recently hosted the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Onsite Reaffirmation Committee as part of its 2018 10-Year Accreditation Reaffirmation.
As America’s only freestanding accredited sports university, the Academy was first accredited in 1983. The institution’s accreditation was last reaffirmed in 2008.
As part of the reaffirmation process, the Academy in September submitted comprehensive reports on institutional compliance toward a wide range of SACSCOC higher education Principles. These reports were evaluated by peer reviewers for compliance. The Academy then received the onsite visit from a peer review team in March. In December 2018, the SACSCOC Board of Trustees will review the Academy’s efforts toward compliance and vote on reaffirmation.
SACSCOC’s reaffirmation process has two major elements: compliance with the Principles of Accreditation and implementation of a “Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP),” a special project to provide continued enhancement to student learning. The Academy’s QEP will focus on boosting the research skills of degree-seeking students at the bachelor’s level to improve their chances for success at the Academy, in graduate school, and in their careers in sports.
Accreditation by SACSCOC, according to the organization, “signifies that the institution has a mission appropriate to higher education; has resources, programs, and services sufficient to accomplish and sustain that mission; and maintains clearly specified educational objectives that are consistent with its mission and appropriate to the degrees it offers, and that indicate whether it is successful in achieving its stated objectives.”
“The United States Sports Academy continuously evaluates its academic programs and services through its Institutional Effectiveness Committee review process to ensure that they are of the highest quality and that they meet the needs of students and employers in the modern world of sport,” said Academy President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. T.J. Rosandich.
“The accreditation affirmation process provides an important mechanism through which the Academy formally and thoroughly evaluates progress toward achieving its mission, and we look forward to using the process to continue to build on our tradition of academic excellence.
“The Academy is committed to accreditation and the peer review process, and is not only a member of SACSCOC, but is also a member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and CHEA’s International Quality Group (CIQG), which advances understanding of international quality assurance and promotes high quality higher education in today’s competitive and international world.”
SACSCOC is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern United States. It serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices among the diverse institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Latin America and other international sites approved by the Commission.
The mission of SACSCOC is to assure the educational quality and improve the effectiveness of its member institutions. Its vision is to serve as the premier model for shaping and ensuring the quality of higher education throughout the world.
The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and world with programs in instruction, research and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports.
The Academy is based in Daphne, Ala. For more information, call (251) 626-3303 or visit www.ussa.edu.
