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Substantive Change Policy

Approved by: President's Cabinet

Original Date Effective: 2011-09-01

Last Modified: 2022-10-24

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that Jackson State Community College is in continual compliance with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Standard 14.2. This standard states, “The institution has a policy and procedure to ensure that all substantive changes are reported in accordance with SACSCOC policy.” 

The Principles of Accreditation states: “The Commission on Colleges accredits the entire institution and its programs and services, wherever they are located and however they are delivered. Accreditation, specific to an institution, is based on conditions existing at the time of the most recent evaluation and is not transferable. When an accredited institution significantly modifies or expands its scope, or changes the nature of its affiliation or its ownership, a substantive change review is required.” 

Responsibilities

  • The President is responsible for ensuring conformance to this policy. 
  • The Director of Institutional Research and Accountability and SACSCOC Liaison is responsible for ensuring conformance to this policy. 
  • The Vice-President for Academic Affairs is responsible for ensuring conformance to this policy. 

Policy Procedures

The following procedures apply to this policy: 

  1. The aforementioned individuals ultimately responsible for compliance with this policy, along with the Academic Deans, will review SACSCOC policy regarding substantive changes at the beginning of each fall and spring semester to ensure the Institution is in compliance with Standard 14.2. This procedure is mandatory and will be enforced by the Director of Institutional Research and Accountability and SACSCOC Liaison. All participants listed above will sign a document testifying they have reviewed SACSCOC policy and procedures regarding substantive changes. 
  2. In addition to the individuals listed thus far, all current direct reports to the Vice President of Academic Affairs will participate in a discussion on SACSCOC and substantive changes at the beginning of each semester. Before the meeting, these direct reports will be asked to review SACSCOC’s substantive change policy located within the Commission on Colleges Website (www.sacscoc.org). All current direct reports will sign a document confirming they have reviewed said policy. This procedure is mandatory. 
  3. When determining if a change within the institution constitutes a substantive change, the proposed change will be brought forth to the Vice President of Academic Affairs’ and presented to the Academic Deans and Direct Reports. The Vice President of Academic Affairs will immediately notify the Office of the President and the Office of Institutional Research and Accountability regarding the proposed change. The Offices of the Vice President of Academic Affairs, President, and Institutional Research and Accountability will utilize the SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy and Procedures to determine if the change constitutes a substantive change and, if deemed so, will follow the exact protocol outlined by the Commission on Colleges. 
  4. If a determination cannot be confidently made by Jackson State Community College regarding whether the proposed change constitutes a substantive change, the SACSCOC Liaison will notify our SACSCOC representative for clarification and instruction around the proposed change. 
  5. All written correspondence to and from the Commission on Colleges will go through the Office of the President and/or the SACSCOC Liaison. Copies of all Commission on Colleges correspondence will be kept on file in the SACSCOC folder of the Institutional Planning SharePoint site. Permissions to this folder will be limited to the Office of the President, the SACSCOC Liaison, and the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs. 
  6. Although all of the individuals listed above have received copies of this policy, all institutional constituents will be able to access this policy via the Institution’s internal website, JWEB, located in the “policy” section. 
  7. If one of the Institution’s employees fails to follow these mandatory procedures for this policy, the employee will be dealt with in a manner consistent with the JSCC disciplinary policy with a minimal consequence of a verbal warning from their supervisor along with a letter documenting their failure to follow this procedure which will be placed in their personnel file. 
  8. At the beginning of each academic year, all individuals under the direct purview of the Office of the President, Office of Institutional Research and Accountability, and the Office of the Vice President of Academic affairs will meet to discuss this policy and make changes if deemed appropriate by these three Offices. 
  9. These procedures for this policy have been developed and approved based on the acknowledged necessity of remaining in continual compliance with all SACSCOC requirements and standards and with the understanding that Jackson State Community College must follow the required protocol for substantive changes. All of the procedures described in this document are mandatory for this Institution.