B-CU Reaffirmation Overview

Bethune-Cookman University was originally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) in 1947 and was last reaffirmed in 2010. Accreditation by SACSCOC allows our students to have access to federally subsidized financial aid and ensures that B-CU courses and degrees will be recognized regionally and nationally. A successful reaffirmation is essential to our ability to function as an institution of higher education, and it is also an opportunity to engage in a campus-wide self-assessment. 

Changes since the last Reaffirmation

The reaffirmation process has changed significantly since our 2010 SACSCOC visit. The 2018 Edition of the Principles of Accreditation: Foundation for Quality Enhancement (adopted December 2017 and effective January 1, 2018), requires institutions to demonstrate compliance with fewer and less prescriptive standards that focus on goals and outcomes as measures of effectiveness. The Principles are based on four key elements:

1. Peer review
2. Institutional integrity
3. Continuous improvement
4. Focus on student learning

For our next decennial reaffirmation, we will prepare and submit a Compliance Certification Report (CCR) addressing all of the 90+ standards as well as a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) based on the latest edition of the Principles of Accreditation: Foundation for Quality Enhancement. The CCR will be reviewed mainly by an off-site committee in fall 2021 and the spring 2022 on-site visit will focus mainly on the QEP, and a Focused Report if necessary. 

Compliance Certification Report (CCR)

In the Compliance Certification Report, we will present a clear and compelling case for compliance with each of the standards based on analysis of reliable, relevant and representative supporting data. Members of the Compliance Certification Report Team will gather documentation from each administrative and academic unit of the University. This collaborative effort will need everyone's help and assistance to assure our success. 

The CCR follows a standard format that includes a narrative statement with links to supporting document evidence, but it's up to us to "make the case" for compliance based on B-CU's mission, vision and strategic plan. We will prepare and submit our report in electronic format.

Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)

The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) will describe a focused, well-defined activity to be undertaken by Bethune-Cookman University over a five-year period that reflects and affirms a commitment to enhance overall institutional quality and effectiveness by focusing on our Strategic Plan priority goal that B-CU considers important to improving student learning outcomes and/or student success. The identification and selection of a topic for the QEP is derived from our ongoing comprehensive planning and evaluation processes. The topic, based on our strategic plan and institutional program reviews, will be chosen after soliciting from constituents across the University.

Our new QEP will be a forward-looking document the University will implement to improve student learning and/or student success in a particular area. After the reaffirmation process, B-CU will oversee the implementation of the QEP and will report its full impact on the University in the next Fifth-Year Interim Report to SACSCOC.