Substantive Change for Accreditation Purposes

Policy 107

Introduction

1.1 Member institutions are required to notify the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC or “Commission”) of changes in accordance with the Commission’s Substantive Change Policy and, when required, seek approval prior to the initiation of changes.

1.2 Member institutions are required to have a policy and procedures to ensure that all substantive changes are reported to the Commission in a timely fashion.

Scope

2.1 This policy applies to all programs and actions relevant to SACS accreditation of Appalachian State University.

Definitions

Distance Education

a formal educational process in which the majority of the instruction (interaction between students and instructors and among students) in a course occurs when students and instructors are not in the same place.

Institutional Accreditation Liaison

the individual appointed by the President of the University to help ensure the University remains in compliance with SACS accreditation requirements and policies.

Off-Campus Site

where site-based, classroom group instruction occurs at a location that is geographically apart from the main campus.

Prospectus

a concisely worded narrative that describes a proposed substantive change according to a format specified by the COC.

Significant Change in Program Length

one with a noticeable impact on the program’s completion time (e.g., increasing a baccalaureate degree from 122 hours to 134 hours).

Significant Departure in Program

one in which the proposed new program has no closely related counterpart among the previously approved programs in the curriculum. To determine whether a new program is a significant departure, the university will consider whether the new program requires:

1. New faculty:
2. Many new courses:
3. New library or other learning resources;
4. New equipment or facilities;
5. A new resource base.

Substantive Change

according to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Substantive Change Policy a significant modification or expansion of the nature and scope of an accredited institution. Under federal regulations, substantive change includes, but is not limited to:

1. Any change in the established mission or objectives of the institution;
2. Any change in legal status, form of control, or ownership of the institution;
3. The addition of courses or programs that represent a significant departure, either in content or method of delivery, from those that were offered when the institution was last evaluated;
4. The addition of courses or programs of study at a degree or credential level different from that which is included in the institution’s current accreditation or reaffirmation;
5. A change from clock hours to credit hours;
6. A substantial increase in the number of clock or credit hours awarded for successful completion of a program;
7. The establishment of an additional location geographically apart from the main campus at which the institution offers at least 50 percent of an educational program;
8. The establishment of a branch campus;
9. Closing a program, off-campus site, branch campus or institution;
10. Entering into a collaborative academic arrangement such as a dual degree program or a joint degree program with another institution;
11. Acquiring another institution or a program or location of another institution;
12. Adding a permanent location at a site where the institution is conducting a teach-out program for a closed institution;
13. Entering into a contract by which an entity not eligible for Title IV funding offers 25% or more of any of the accredited institution’s programs.

Teach-out Plan

a written plan developed by an institution that provides for the equitable treatment of students if an institution, or an institutional location that provides fifty percent or more of at least one program, ceases to operate before all students have completed their programs of study, and may include, if required by the institution's accrediting agency, a teach-out agreement between institutions. Teach-out plans must be approved by SACSCOC in advance of implementation.