The Compliance Audit and Quality Enhancement Plan are two accreditation activities needed to support Old Dominion University's (ODU) Reaffirmation of Accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
A Compliance Audit is conducted for ODU to gauge its preparedness for completing SACSCOC's Compliance Certification. This audit is submitted 15 months before the university's scheduled reaffirmation.
In order for ODU to complete its Compliance Audit, a Compliance Steering Committee comprises 12 subcommittees with 6 - 12 members from across the institution dedicated to critiquing review areas. Members are selected based on their expertise and are well-informed about SACSCOC standards.
Subcommittee Members & Their Areas of Review
Standard: (12.1 Student Support Services,12.2 Student Support Service Staff, 12.3 Student Rights,12.4 Student Complaints,12.5 Student Records, 12.6 Student Debt)
Academic and Student support services promote student learning and enhance the development of students. A clear and appropriate statement of student rights and responsibilities must be disseminated to the entire campus community, and student records must be kept secure. The University employs qualified student affairs personnel to ensure the effectiveness of its programs.
Standard: (2.1 Institutional Mission,3.1.a Degree-Granting Authority,3.1.b Coursework for Degrees,3.1.c Continuous Operation,5.1 Chief Executive Officer,5.2.a CEO Control,5.2.b Control of Athletics ,5.2.c Control of Fund-raising Activities, 5.3 Institution-related entities)
The University's Mission should drive all its activities. These standards emphasize oversight and control of the University, including the responsibilities of the Board, the President, and the administration.
Standard: (4.1a-e Governing Board Characteristics, 4.2.a Mission Review,4.2. b Board/ administrative Distinction,4.2.c CEO Evaluation/ selection, 4.2.d Conflict of Interest, 4.2.e Board Dismissal, 4.2.f External Influence, 4.2.g Board Evaluation, 4.3 Multi-level governance)
This standard focuses on Board appointment, effectiveness, and the avoidance of conflicts of interest and inappropriate external influences.
Standards
(9.1 Program Content, 9.2 Program Length ,9.3 General Education Requirements, 9.4 Institutional Credits for UG Degree, 9.5 Institutional Credits for GR Degree, 9.6 Post-bac Rigor and Curriculum, 9.7 Program Requirements)
Direct faculty oversight of academic programs and the curriculum is of paramount importance. Comprehensive academic policies (e.g., admissions, awarding credit, transfer) should meet accepted educational practice and their effective dissemination to students, faculty, staff, and the public is critical. These standards require demonstration of effective academic support services and the use of technology to enhance student learning.
Standards
(10.1 Academic Policies, 10.2 Public Information, 10.3 Archived Information, 10.4 Academic Governance, 10.5 Admissions Policies and Practices, 10.6a-c Distance and Correspondence Education, 10.7 Policies for Awarding Credit, 10.8 Evaluating and Awarding Academic Credit, 10.9 Cooperative Academic Arrangement)
Federal government standards require the University to document student achievement, the relationship between mission and the curriculum, publication of policies, the appropriate nature of program length, adequate procedures for addressing written student complaints, the accuracy of recruitment materials.
Standards
(11.1 Library and Learning Resources, 11.2 Library and Learning Staff,11.3 Library and Learning Access)
Students and faculty must have access to adequate library resources to support their academic programs and research. Libraries should have qualified staff members who provide adequate instruction in making the most effective use of all resources to meet these ends.
Standards
(6.1 Full-time Faculty, 6.2.a Faculty Qualifications, 6.2.b Program Faculty, 6.2.c Program Coordination, 6.3 Faculty Appointment and Evaluation, 6.4 Academic Freedom, 6.5 Faculty Development)
Faculty members are the core of the institution and the primary means of accomplishing the mission of the University. They should have an important and ongoing role in institutional governance. Appropriate faculty qualifications ensure quality in educational programs, research, and service. The University must protect academic freedom, provide faculty development, and regularly evaluate the performance of faculty.
Standards
(7.3 Administrative Effectiveness,8.1 Student Achievement)
The University's Institutional Effectiveness (IE) process assesses the accomplishment of this mission and leads to improvements in effectively realizing the mission at all levels of the University on a continuing basis.
Standards
(8.2.a Student outcomes: educational programs, 8.2.b Student outcomes: general education)
Linking an ongoing planning process to resource allocation, measuring student learning outcomes, and demonstrating the success of and improvements in educational and general education programs are essential to an IE process. IE activities should permeate all areas covered by these SACSCOC standards and requirements.
Standards
(13.1 Financial Resources,13.2a-c Financial Documents, 13.3 Financial Responsibility, 13.4 Control of Finances, 13.5 Control of sponsored research/external funds, 13.6 Federal and State Responsibilities, 13.7 Physical Resources, 13.8 Institutional Environment)
The University must demonstrate a sound financial base and stability to ensure adequate accomplishment of its mission. Adequate financial controls must be in place, and audits of all finances and financial aid must be conducted. Along with sound financial stability the University must demonstrate that it has adequate physical resources to support the mission of the institution and that it has sufficient control over those physical resources. Prove that the institution has reasonable steps to provide a safe, healthy, and secure campus environment.
Standards
(5.4 Qualified administrative/academic officers, 5.5 Personnel appointment and evaluation)
The University has appropriate policies and procedures for the appointment and evaluation of personnel and policies must be disseminated to the entire campus community, and records must be kept secure. The University employs qualified academic and administrative officers to ensure the effectiveness of its programs.
Standards
(14.1 Publication of accreditation status,14.2 Substantive change, 14.3 Comprehensive institutional reviews, 14.4 Representation to other agencies,14.5 Policy Compliance, 7.1 Institutional Planning)
The University must remain compliant with all SACSCOC Policies including its Substantive Change policy. Further, it must accurately describe its status with the Commission in all aspects of its public presence, including publications and the University website.