UNCSA's accreditation is reaffirmed

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts has been accredited for the next 10 years by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), it was announced at the Board of Trustees meeting on Dec. 9.

Provost-elect David J. English said UNCSA’s accreditation was reaffirmed Dec. 6 during the SACSCOC annual meeting in Atlanta.

Accreditation by SACS serves as a common denominator of shared values and practices among the institutions approved by the Commission to award associate, baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degrees, with a goal of assuring the educational quality and improving the effectiveness of member institutions. It is required for students to receive federal financial aid.

English oversaw the extensive reaccreditation review process in his current position as Interim Provost and prior to that as Vice Provost and Dean of Academic Affairs. He assumes the role of Provost on Jan. 1, 2017.

“Accreditation affirms that we are financially stable and that we have the resources in place to provide a quality education for our undergraduate and graduate students,” English said. “The accreditation review process was a multi-year endeavor, involving dozens of faculty and staff from across campus. We were able to demonstrate compliance with the nearly 100 standards in a way that honors our unique and very special mission as a forward-leaning, state-supported arts conservatory.”

The next step in the 10-year university accreditation cycle is completion of a five-year interim report, due in 2021, English said.

UNCSA’s high school programs were reaccredited in 2014 by AdvancED, an accrediting agency for Pre-K-12 schools.

UNCSA recorded its largest enrollment to-date this year, with 1,303 students in high school, undergraduate and graduate programs.

by Lauren Whitaker

December 14, 2016