SECOND SACS ASSESSMENT CYCLE HELPS ENHANCE STUDENTS' SUCCESS

Instructional Program (IP) and Administrative and Educational Support (AES) Units at the University of Mississippi Medical Center had the opportunity to improve their services while preparing for the first cycle of Institutional Effectiveness Plans (IEP) as mandated by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Now that opportunity presents itself once again.

The second review cycle for SACS, the Medical Center’s accrediting agency, has begun, and Dr. Mitzi Norris, director of accreditation, foresees a much easier process this go-round. 

“We identified instructional programs and support areas that are important in student learning and we asked the unit leaders to provide assessment plans for their areas. We have been looking for ways to enhance student learning and provide better student services.

“Everybody has been very responsive, and although the process was new to many, people have been wonderful about making an effort to get their reports in on time. It’s been a difficult process, but it’s already getting smoother.”

A good thing, considering SACS ramped up its program review from a once-every-10-year assessment to an ongoing process on the campus to document institutional effectiveness. And while the Medical Center is scheduled to submit a compliance certificate to SACS in 2010 and a site visit is scheduled for the following spring, SACS representatives could be on the UMC campus as early as next spring as part of their review of the institution’s offsite locations that provide instruction to students.

The Office of Accreditation was established to lead the campus efforts in all areas of accreditation, according to Dr. Helen Turner, UMC associate vice chancellor for academic affairs.

“SACS is our regional accrediting body,” Turner said. “SACS accreditation is crucial because all of our school accreditations are predicated on SACS accreditation for the Medical Center. Also, the federal government uses the regional accreditation as a means to determine the institution’s suitability to receive financial aid for students.

"In other words, without SACS accreditation, our students would be ineligible for federal financial aid. Many of our students would be unable to attend school at the Medical Center without financial aid. You can see with that single example, that it would be difficult to overestimate the importance of SACS accreditation.”

Norris said the Institutional Assessment Committee has been at the forefront of making sure all identified student service and educational units at the Medical Center are compliant with SACS assessment requirements.

“The committee is really driving this process,” she said. “The committee members have done a phenomenal job. Many of them have had to write their own unit report and then review other units’ reports. They’ve worked hard all summer to get the first cycle completed.”   

Institutional Assessment Committee members include Jeanette Adair, Jessica Bailey and Steve Watson, School of Health Related Professions; March Ard, anatomy; Lora Cox, internal audit; Peggy Davis, School of Medicine; Sheila Davis, Kim Hoover, Sharon Lobert, and Pat Waltman, School of Nursing; Carol Denton, compliance; Scott Gatewood and  Butch Gilbert, School of Dentistry; Greg Chinchar and Joey Granger, School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences; Richard Heard, Associated Student Body; Tena McKenzie, public affairs; Ben Nash, pediatrics; Jamil Ibrahim, Norris, Joanne Olson, Robin Rockhold, and Turner, academic affairs; and John Summer, Division of InformationSystems.

“I am very pleased with the accomplishments of the campus during this first cycle of assessment,” Turner said. “There has been widespread participation from both instructional programs and support services.

“UMC has made excellent strides toward our goal of being able to demonstrate institutional effectiveness as required by SACS.”     

Although Norris said SACS expects the Medical Center to document institutional effectiveness, the process is something all effective organizations do routinely.

“This is the same continuous quality improvement cycle that has driven successful economies and industries over the last 30 years,” she said. “We’re just asking units to look at what they’re doing and find ways to improve. It’s a basic principle that is also a SACS requirement.”

Norris emphasized that the ultimate success of the institution’s efforts to improve its services for students and obtain SACS accreditation rests with Medical Center faculty and staff alone.       

“We will need extensive campus involvement from everyone over the next several years,” she said. “That involvement is critical to the success of any institutional endeavor.

“I really look at this as an opportunity for us to look at ourselves and find ways to provide a better environment for learning for our students. The process directly serves our ultimate goal of providing effective instructional programs and exceptional support services for our students.”

For more information about SACS or the accreditation process, call Norris at 5-4233.

—Bruce Coleman (10-22-07)

2007-10-19 00:00:00 17456