Reaffirmation of Accreditation

Reaffirmation Timeline & Review Process

• Reaffirmation Timeline

  Timeline of Reaffirmation Standards and Quality Enhancement Plan Activities"

  Year	Month/Day	Reaffirmation Standards/QEP Activities
  2023	November	Approved for Differentiated Review by SACSCOC
  2025	April 18	Reaffirmation Writing Groups formally charged
  2025	May	First campus communication on reaffirmation sent to faculty and staff
  2025-26	March-April	QEP selection process
  2026	Spring	Writing groups complete first drafts of all 40 standards
  2026	Spring	Outside consultant reviews draft reports
  2026	June	Final Compliance Certification Report target completion
  2026	June 29-30	SACSCOC Staff Advisory Visit to College of Charleston
  2026	September 8	Compliance Certification Report submitted to SACSCOC
  2026	October 15	Audit for most recent fiscal year submitted to SACSCOC
  2026	November 3-6	Off-site Review
  2026	Late November- Mid December	Off-Site Reaffirmation Committee Report Debriefing with SACSCOC VP
  2027	January 11	Materials due to On-Site Reaffirmation Committee
  2027	February 22-25	On-Site Reaffirmation Committee Visit to Campus
  2027	Spring	Off-Site/On-Site Report received
  2027	December	SACSCOC Board of Trustees determination

• Differentiated Review

  Differentiated Review is a streamlined reaffirmation process for SACSCOC institutions in good standing.
  
  The following list outlines the forty standards for which the College of Charleston must demonstrate compliance in Differentiated Review. Core Requirements are marked with CR. Standards and Core Requirements with an asterisk (*) must be reviewed both by the Off-Site Review Committee and the On-Site Review Committee. 

  • CR 1.1* (Integrity)
  • CR 2.1 (Institutional mission)
  • CR 4.1 (Governing board characteristics)
  • Standard 4.2.d (Conflict of interest)
  • Standard 4.2.f (External influence)
  • Standard 4.2.g (Board self-evaluation)
  • Standard 4.3 (Multi-level governance)
    [if applicable]
  • CR 5.1 (Chief executive officer)
  • Standard 5.2.a (CEO control)
  • Standard 5.2.b (Control of intercollegiate athletics)
  • Standard 5.2.c (Control of fund-raising activities) 
  • Standard 5.4* (Qualified administrative/academic officers) 
  • CR 6.1* (Full-time faculty) 
  • Standard 6.2.a (Faculty qualifications) 
    [new faculty hired since last reaffirmation] 
  • Standard 6.2.b* (Program faculty) 
  • Standard 6.2.c* (Program coordination) 
  • CR 7.1 (Institutional planning) 
  • Standard 7.2 (Quality Enhancement Plan) 
  • CR 8.1* (Student achievement) 
  • Standard 8.2.a* (Student outcomes: educational programs) 

  • CR 9.1* (Program content)
  • CR 9.2* (Program length)
  • CR 9.3* (General educational requirements)
  • Standard 10.2* (Public information)
  • Standard 10.5* (Admissions policies and practices)
  • Standard 10.6* (Distance and correspondence education)
  • Standard 10.7* (Policies for awarding credit)
  • CR 11.1*(Library and learning/information resources)
  • CR 12.1* (Student support services)
  • Standard 12.4* (Student complaints)
  • Standard 12.6* (Student debt) 
  • CR 13.1* (Financial resources) 
  • CR 13.2 (Financial documents) 
  • Standard 13.3 (Financial responsibility) 
  • Standard 13.6* (Federal and state responsibilities) 
  • Standard 13.7* (Physical resources) 
  • Standard 14.1* (Publication of accreditation status) 
  • Standard 14.3* (Comprehensive institutional reviews) 
  • Standard 14.4* (Representation to other agencies) 
  • Standard 14.5 (Policy compliance) 

  For more information, see SACSCOC's Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement.

• Quality Enhancement Plan: Intentional AI

  The College of Charleston's Intentional AI Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is a strategic initiative designed to equip students with foundational and discipline-specific AI skills, promote ethical understanding, and enhance faculty teaching and professional development. By focusing on student learning outcomes in Knowledge, Ethics, and Skills—assessed through First Year Seminar and AI-focused microcredentials—the QEP supports academic and student success. For more details, visit the QEP webpage.

• College of Charleston Reaffirmation Steering Committee

  • Mark P. Del Mastro, Co-Chair, Office of the Provost, SACSCOC Liaison 
  • Mark Berry, Co-Chair, Office of the President 
  • Calvin Blackwell, School of Business (Economics), QEP Director 
  • Alicia Caudill, Executive Vice President for Student Affairs 
  • Amy Goble, Office of the Provost 
  • Chris Korey, Office of the Provost 
  • Michelle McGrew, Office of the President 
  • Gia Quesada, School of Business (Supply Chain Management), Assistant Provost for Assessment 
  • Jordan Ragusa, School of Humanities and Social Sciences (Political Science), Academic Affairs Fellow 
  • Scott Peeples, School of Humanities and Social Sciences (English), Faculty Secretary 

• College of Charleston Reaffirmation Standards Team

  College of Charleston Accreditation Reaffirmation Standards Team

  Standard	Description	Lead
  CR 2.1	Institutional Mission	Mark Berry
  CR 4.1	Governing board Characteristics	Mark Berry
  Standard 4.2.d; 4.2.f	Conflict of interest; External influence	Chuck Baker
  Standard 4.2.g	Board self-evaluation	Elizabeth Kassebaum
  Standard 4.3	Multi-level governance	Chuck Baker
  CR 5.1	Chief executive officer	Paul Patrick
  Standard 5.2.a	CEO control	Mark Berry
  Standard 5.2.b	Control of intercollegiate athletics Lead	Paul Patrick
  Standard 5.2.c	Control of fund-raising activities	Mark Berry
  Standard 5.4	Qualified administrative/academic officers	Ed Pope
  CR 6.1; Standard 6.2.a, 6.2.b, 6.2.c	Full-time faculty; Faculty qualifications; Program faculty; Program coordination	Bert Schewel
  CR 7.1	Institutional planning	Mark Berry
  Standard 7.2	Quality Enhancement Plan	Gia Quesada & Karen Smail
  CR 8.1	Student achievement	Chris Korey
  Standard 8.2.a	Student outcomes: educational programs	Gia Quesada
  CR 9.1; CR 9.2; CR 9.3	Program content; Program length; General education requirements	Mark Del Mastro
  Standard 10.2	Public information	Ron Menchaca
  Standard 10.5	Admissions policies and practices	Jimmie Foster
  Standard 10.6	Distance and correspondence education	Aimée Pfeifer
  Standard 10.7	Policies for awarding credit	Aimée Pfeifer
  CR 11.1	Library and learning/information resources	John White
  CR 12.1	Student support services	Chris Korey
  Standard 12.4	Student complaints	Mark Del Mastro & Maddox Johnston
  Standard 12.6	Student debt	Jimmie Foster
  CR 13.1	Financial resources	Jimmie Foster
  CR 13.2; Standard 13.3	Financial documents; Financial responsibility	John Loonan
  Standard 13.6	Federal and state responsibilities	John Loonan
  Standard 13.7	Physical resources	Brad Weiland
  Standard 14.1	Publication of accreditation status	Maddox Johnston
  Standard 14.3	Comprehensive institutional reviews	Mark Del Mastro
  Standard 14.4	Representation to other agencies	Kevin Eakes
  Standard 14.5	Policy compliance	Mark Del Mastro

• Past Campus Communications
  • Email 2: March 03, 2026
    
     View Email 2 Online |  Accessible PDF

     

    From Del Mastro, Mark P
    Date Fri 3/13/2026 1:19 PM
    To Administrative Information

    Dear Colleagues:

    This is an update on our 2027 Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) reaffirmation efforts.

    As you may know, the College of Charleston must complete a comprehensive, decennial peer-review process to ensure we are in compliance with SACSCOC accreditation principles and US Department of Education requirements.

    A few key milestones on our work to date:

    • In November 2024, we were approved for a “differentiated” review, reducing our required standards to only 40, or about half from 2017.
    • In April 2025, relevant faculty/staff writing groups were charged with composing draft reports for all 40 requirements.
    • In spring 2026, these writing groups completed their first drafts.
    • Currently, an outside consultant is providing feedback on these drafts, and we are on track to complete the final compliance report by June.

    Looking ahead, we will host a SACSCOC staff advisory visit on June 29-30, 2026, and a visit by an on-site reaffirmation team in February 2027. In preparation, the following colleagues have agreed to serve on our institution’s Reaffirmation Steering Committee:

    Mark P. Del Mastro, Co-Chair, Office of the Provost
    Mark Berry, Co-Chair, Office of the President
    Calvin Blackwell, SB (Economics), QEP Director
    Alicia Caudill, EVP for Student Affairs
    Amy Goble, Office of the Provost
    Chris Korey, Office of the Provost Michelle McGrew, Office of the President
    Gia Quesada, SB (Supply Chain Management), Assistant Provost for Assessment
    Jordan Ragusa, HSS (Political Science), AA Fellow
    Scott Peeples, HSS (English), FAculty Secretary

  • Email 1: May 02, 2025
    
     View Email 1 Online |  Accessible PDF

     

    From Del Mastro, Mark P
    Date Fri 5/2/2025 5:00 PM
    To Administrative Information

    Colleagues:

    The College of Charleston is gearing up for its SACSCOC reaffirmation in 2027. In preparation, this past November we had applied, and were approved for a “Differentiated Review Process,” which means the College will only need to address 40 SACSCOC core requirements and standards, or approximately half the workload from 2017. Our Reaffirmation Writing Groups are already in place as formally charged back on April 18, and their preliminary reports will be completed by mid-August 2025. We are also pleased to announce that we have streamlined the process thanks to the thoughtful collaboration of many, which means less work ahead for those involved. Finally, we want to thank you for your ongoing contributions since our last reaffirmation as we look ahead to a successful outcome in 2027. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

    Sincerely,
    Mark P. Del Mastro, SACSCOC Liaison
    Maddox Johnston, Director of Survey and Accreditation Research