The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) has reaffirmed Southeastern University’s accreditation through 2031 following an extensive review of SEU’s academic and administrative programs.
The decision was announced at the association’s annual meeting this week.
“We are all indebted to the hard work and dedication of our team, who led us through the successful accreditation process,” President Kent Ingle said. “Reaffirmation is the culmination of a comprehensive process involving our entire campus community — faculty, staff, students, and administrators from every academic program and administrative office. It is evidence of our commitment to provide effective academic programs and service. Thank you to everyone who helps us to live up to these expectations and achieve this successful outcome.”
To maintain accreditation, an institution must complete a reaffirmation process every 10 years, including a compliance report, a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) to enhance student learning, and an on-site review. Through this reaffirmation, the institution conducts an internal review to determine its effectiveness in fulfilling its mission, and its compliance with the requirements of the accreditation.
The university’s new Quality Enhancement Plan, or QEP, is Becoming: Whole Person Development for the 21st Century. This program prepares students with the required knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for careers and life after college by focusing not only on career readiness, but also upon students’ psychological, emotional, and spiritual life and health. The intrapersonal/interpersonal focus perfectly reflects SEU’s mission to equip students to discover and develop their divine design.
Reaffirmation signifies that SEU programs meet high standards as the result of a rigorous internal and external review process that evaluates compliance against a common set of standards.
SEU submitted documentation supporting compliance with these standards in September 2020, beginning a multi-stage review process. The process included a thorough internal review, an external team review, and an on-campus review by a group of evaluators from other SACSCOC institutions. The compliance certification process was coordinated by Cody Lloyd, vice president for institutional research and effectiveness and CIO, and Andrew Permenter, accreditation liaison.
“Successfully achieving our decennial reaffirmation is a testament to the quality of our academic programs, faculty, staff, and students. In addition to affirming the quality of our institution, it is also an attestation that innovation and quality are what have fueled SEU to be one of the fastest-growing private institutions in the nation,” said Lloyd.
The next reaffirmation of accreditation will take place in December 2031. SACSCOC also requires that an interim report be submitted in June 2027. This report will include an abbreviated compliance certification and an update on the QEP.
As the major accrediting body for public and private institutions in higher education in the 11 southernmost states, SACSCOC accredits more than 770 universities and colleges in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, and in Latin America and other international sites.
