The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) reaffirmed Virginia State University’s (VSU) accreditation for the next 10 years.  SACSCOC made the announcement at its annual meeting in New Orleans today.

The University received the best possible review with the committee finding VSU in compliance and offering no recommendations.

As the major accrediting body for public and private institutions of higher education in the 11 southernmost states, SACSCOC accredits more than 780 universities and colleges in North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia and in Latin America

“Accreditation is a very important confirmation of a university’s academic stature and quality of academic programs and student services,” said VSU President Makola M. Abdullah, Ph.D.  “This affirmation speaks volumes of the dedication of our Board of Visitors, administration, faculty and staff in providing our students with a quality, transformative education. I commend and applaud Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald E. Palm, III, Associate Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Executive Director for Institutional Effectiveness Tia Minnis, Ph.D., their team and the Trojan community for all that they do for Virginia State University.”

Palm shared that the success of the reaffirmation process was due to the level of commitment of the campus community.

“So many Trojans were involved in the process to accomplish this level of positive affirmation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges,” said Provost Palm. “The numerous amount of hours our campus community worked to make this a reality is truly remarkable.”

A significant part of VSU’s 10-year accreditation process was the review and approval of the University’s new Quality Enhancement Project (QEP) plan, BOLT, which means Becoming Outstanding Leaders of Tomorrow. The plan was designed to develop VSU graduates with skills and competence to become engaging, empathic and collaborative leaders with their local, national and global communities. Additionally, the main objective of QEP plan is to equip and provide undergraduates with leadership skills and experiences by infusing leadership competencies throughout the VSU curriculum and establishing a culture where leadership learning manifests into campus activity. The QEP plan will be implemented at the beginning of the 2019 fall semester.