Organization/Administration

• Organization and Administration Procedures (Print Version)

• Organization/Administration
• Procedures
• Policies and Procedures
• Seminole State Homepage

Want more info?

Seminole State College
100 Weldon Boulevard
Sanford, Florida 32773-6199
407.708.4722

General Contact Information

Did you know...

Reporting of Substantive Change (Procedure 1.7000)

Purpose

The purpose of the procedure is to ensure that the College proactively identifies, manages and reports to its accrediting body, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools – Commission on Colleges (SACS–COC), all substantive changes to the institution, in the timeframe and manner as outlined in the Commission’s substantive change policy statement.

Definition

A substantive change is a significant modification or expansion of the nature and scope of an accredited institution as defined by SACS-COC. Current information about SACS-COC substantive change definitions and reporting or approval requirements can be found in Substantive Change for Accredited Institutions of the Commission on Colleges, available on the SACS-COC website at www.sacscoc.org, or by contacting the College’s SACS Accreditation Liaison. There are three procedures for addressing the different types of substantive changes:

• Procedure One (1) for the Review of Substantive Changes Requiring Notification and Approval Prior to Implementation – in some cases, as much as 12 months prior approval is needed before implementation.
• Procedure Two (2) for the Review of Substantive Changes Requiring Only Notification Prior to Implementation – usually in the form of a letter signed by the President.
• Procedure Three (3) for Closing a Program, Site, Branch Campus, or Institution.

Procedure

Compliance with the Commission’s substantive change policy and procedures will require collaboration and cooperation throughout the College. In general, responsibilities fall into these categories:

1. The College President will sign and send to the President of the SACS-COC, as appropriate for the particular type of substantive change,
   1. timely notifications summarizing proposed changes, or
   2. a timely substantive change prospectus or application.
2. The College’s SACS Accreditation Liaison, as appointed by the President as required by SACS-COC, will be responsible for the following:
   1. Ensuring that compliance with substantive change requirements is incorporated into the planning and evaluation process of the institution.
   2. Preparing substantive change notification letters for the signature of the college President in accord with the substantive change policies of the SACS-COC.
   3. Preparing or ensuring preparation of any required substantive change prospectus or application for the signature of the President in accord with the substantive change policies of the SACS-COC.
   4. Educating faculty, staff and cross-functional committees regarding SACS-COC Substantive Change policies and procedures, particularly when such policies or procedures are revised by the Commission.
   5. Maintaining a database of substantive change initiatives, action plans and status.
   6. Presenting reports to the Executive Team – at a minimum quarterly -- on active substantive change issues.
   7. For any initiative that requires substantive change notification or approval, collaborating with the appropriate responsible administrator(s) in initiative planning and implementation so that all SACS requirements are satisfied in a timeline manner.
   8. Serving as a contact person and communication liaison between SACS-COC staff and the College regarding substantive change.
3. College administrators will be responsible for the following:
   1. Learning about and maintaining awareness of current Commission on Colleges Substantive Change policies.
   2. Identifying and ensuring appropriate training for employees and committees in their area who by the nature of their positions and responsibilities should also learn about and maintain awareness of Commission on Colleges Substantive change issues and ensuring that appropriate staff development takes place.
   3. Initiating communication with the College’s SACS-COC Accreditation Liaison whenever any initiative is being considered that might meet the current SACS-COC definition of “substantive change.” The purpose of the communication will be to accomplish the following:
      1. Log the potential substantive change issue into a database.
      2. Determine through dialogue about the proposed initiative whether and what type of substantive change might be entailed.
      3. If it is determined that the initiative meets the criteria for substantive change, develop a collaborative initiative action plan that will ensure compliance with SACS substantive change requirements. d. Managing any approved initiative that requires SACS substantive change notification or approval, keeping the SACS Accreditation Liaison informed of status.
4. Standing Committees as defined in College Procedure 1.0900 and cross-functional teams will be responsible for maintaining awareness of current SACS-COC Substantive Change policies during their deliberations and notifying the College’s SACS-COC Liaison of any initiatives that may have substantive change implications.
5. Because such a broad spectrum of employees are necessarily involved in the substantive change process, the SACS-COC substantive change compliance matrix has been adapted, below, to clarify the types of substantive changes which of which the College must be aware and to delineate responsibilities in identifying, reporting and documenting each type of change. It will be the responsibility of the SACS Accreditation Liaison to maintain this table and to coordinate its implementation throughout the College.

Seminole State College of Florida Substantive Change Matrix

*** See SACS-COC policy, "Mergers, Consolidations and Change of Ownership: Review and Approval"

Notes:

1. A significant departure in program is one in which the proposed new program has no closely related counterpart among the previously approved programs in the curriculum. To determine if a new program is a “significant departure”, it is helpful to ask if the new program requires:
   1. Numbers of new faculty?
   2. Many new courses?
   3. New library or other learning resources?
   4. New equipment or facilities?
   5. A new resource base?
2. Significant changes in mission are those that lead to a fundamental shift in the nature of the institution, such as an institution that had offered only professional programs deciding to add general education offerings, or a technical college transforming itself into a comprehensive community college.
3. Significant changes in program length are those with noticeable impact on the program’s completion time (e.g., increasing a baccalaureate degree from 124 hours to 150 hours).