Torch Report

March has been a month of meaningful progress, thoughtful engagement, and continued forward momentum across our work.

I remain deeply encouraged by the way our community continues to lean into both the responsibility and opportunity we share to ensure that accreditation serves students, supports institutions, and strengthens public trust.

Executive Council Highlights

A highlight of the past month was our Executive Council meeting on March 11, during which we engaged in substantive, forward-looking discussions. The Council reviewed key elements of the proposed FY27 budget to ensure alignment with our strategic priorities and long-term sustainability.

We also advanced important policy revisions related to Special Committee Procedures and the Teams Report, reinforcing our commitment to clarity, consistency, and fairness in our processes.

In addition, the Council approved the new Reduced Credit Hour Bachelor’s Degree policy, an important step that reflects our responsiveness to innovation, workforce needs, and the evolving landscape of higher education, while maintaining our unwavering commitment to rigor and quality.

Monitoring Federal Developments

At the national level, we are closely monitoring developments related to Negotiated Rulemaking from the U.S. Department of Education, particularly as they pertain to accreditation.

These discussions have the potential to significantly shape our work. As always, we will remain engaged, informed, and proactive, advocating for an accreditation system grounded in student success, institutional innovation, and mission-centered practice.

Reminder of our National Identity and Scope

I also want to clarify an important point in how members describe our work. SACSCOC is a national accreditor.

While we have deep roots and a strong identity within the Southern region, our scope and recognition are national.

Our institutions should reflect this accurately in their materials and avoid references to “regional accreditation.” This is more than a semantic distinction; it speaks to who we are, how we are recognized, and how we position ourselves in the higher education landscape.

Making Progress on Our Standards Review

I am pleased to share a progress update on our ongoing review of the SACSCOC accreditation standards.

This work reflects our collective commitment to maintaining rigorous, relevant, and responsive standards for the institutions we serve.

Throughout this process, our team has been guided by seven core principles, our “guiding stars,” that anchor every decision we make. These principles ensure that our review is not simply an exercise in revision but a purposeful effort to strengthen the value and integrity of accreditation.

The committee is meeting monthly to review standards across all major areas.

Our guiding questions:

• Does this decision promote student achievement?
• Does it advance institutional quality, continuous improvement, and transparency?
• Are we focused on outputs rather than processes, trusting institutions to determine how best to achieve results?
• Does this decision preserve and reinforce SACSCOC as the gold standard in accreditation?
• Have we reduced unnecessary burden on institutions while maintaining rigor?
• Have we allowed for appropriate differentiation based on each institution’s mission, recognizing the diversity of our member institutions?
• Have we created greater opportunities for institutional innovation?

These questions have proven to be powerful filters. In several instances, they have prompted us to reconsider initial drafts, sharpen our language, or take a more outcomes-focused approach.

Several themes are emerging consistently across workgroups.

• First, there is a strong consensus around shifting emphasis from compliance-driven processes to demonstrated outcomes, particularly as they relate to student learning and success.
• Second, reviewers have identified opportunities to remove any duplication, consolidate, and clarify standards that have grown in complexity over time. We hope this process will reduce ambiguity for institutions navigating the requirements.
• Third, there is meaningful dialogue about how standards can better accommodate institutional mission diversity without compromising the consistency and credibility that define our accreditation.

The Committee will meet again in April, after which we hope to be at a point where we can share a draft of standards framed by the committee so far in late April or early May and seek feedback from our member institutions and the public.

The committee will work through the summer and provide a full account of the polished standards well in advance of the December Board meeting.

We are grateful for the thoughtful participation of all involved, including our member institutions, who responded to the survey last fall. The survey results have been extremely helpful in guiding the work of the Principles Review Committee. We remain confident that this review will yield standards that are not only stronger but also more clearly aligned with what matters most: the success of students and the continued excellence of our institutions.

Across all of this work, I continue to be inspired by the professionalism, dedication, and shared sense of purpose that define this community. The progress we are making is a direct result of your engagement, your expertise, and your commitment to doing this work well.

Thank you for all that you do and for the support you provide to your students, one another, and to SACSCOC.

Be Bold; Stay Gold.

As we move further into 2026, I want to share several important updates that reflect both our progress and our growing commitment to supporting institutions as they prepare students for meaningful careers. 

Over the past month, our conversations with campuses, state leaders, and national partners have continued to reinforce a shared truth: every institution contributes to the workforce, and those contributions look different depending on institutional mission, student populations, and community needs. Honoring that diversity while strengthening clarity, transparency, and alignment remains central to the work ahead.

This month’s update focuses on how we are advancing that commitment, including through our new Lumina Foundation grant and significant activity in our Substantive Change process.

Workforce Alignment: A Shared Priority

I am pleased to share that SACSCOC has been awarded a new grant from the Lumina Foundation to support an ambitious two-year effort to strengthen how institutions across our membership understand, articulate, and demonstrate their contribution to workforce as part of their mission and accreditation narrative. This initiative will help institutions better leverage workforce and labor-market information in program planning, credential development, and mission-driven pathways for students. This work is anchored in several core truths.

Workforce is not one size fits all. A technical college, a comprehensive university, and an R1 research institution all contribute to the workforce, but they do so in different, mission-aligned ways.

We must respect that as we move forward.

Our role is to support, not prescribe, those contributions. The goal is not to create uniformity, but to ensure clarity, transparency, and quality assurance that helps institutions tell their story effectively.

Accreditation should help institutions connect learners to opportunity. Especially adult learners and returning students seeking high-skill, high-wage, high-demand careers.

This project supports four major areas: state-level workforce data analysis; cross-state program mapping; development of practical guidance for institutions; and the creation of a sustainable network to support workforce alignment.

Ultimately, this effort builds on our commitment to be an organization that is responsive, forward-leaning, and aligned to the needs of students and states.

Substantive Change & Career Pathways: Celebrating Institutional Progress

As we move toward the implementation of Workforce Pell, we are getting questions asking how we will support institutions. While currently there are not clear requirements for accreditors in that initiative, we feel it’s important to build on our role. Our focus is on pathways that progress to careers. As such, and under our purview of accreditation, we approve certificate training programs that will lead to careers.

This month we also continued to see strong activity in our Substantive Change process, particularly around career-aligned certificates and pathways that lead directly to employment. These programs reflect the responsiveness of our institutions to state workforce needs and the growing demand for credentials that provide immediate value.

Congratulations to the following institutions whose programs were approved this week:

Navarro College

• Level 1 Certificate in Entry Level Manufacturing Technician
• Level 2 Certificate in Advanced Manufacturing Technician

Northeast Texas Community College

• Level I Certificate in Industrial Technology – Air Conditioning Technician

Richard Bland College

• Certificate in Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS)

South Texas College

• Certificate in Artificial Intelligence Specialist
• Associate of Applied Science in Artificial Intelligence Specialist

These programs exemplify what it means to build clear, stackable, career-aligned pathways and demonstrate how institutions across sectors are serving students while strengthening regional and state economies.

Looking Ahead

Our 100-Day Plan continues to guide cross-team alignment and strengthen the way we communicate expectations with our membership. The revision of the Principles of Accreditation is underway, and we remain on track for new standards to be considered by the Board in December 2026. Be on the lookout for a first public draft in the spring. With this work ongoing, we will continue suspending new training on the current standards until the full retraining of peer evaluators in 2027. We are also excited about the new dashboard we will be launching in the spring. More to come on that, but I will tease that it is not your typical dashboard. I believe it will provide a wealth of data useful to institutions and the public alike.

Thank you for your partnership, your candor, and your steadfast commitment to the students and communities you serve. It is an honor to walk this road with you.

Be Bold; Stay Gold.

Dr. Stephen L. Pruitt
SACSCOC President

As we begin a new year together, I want to offer an update on the work that continues to move this Commission forward and to thank you for the steady commitment you bring to your institutions and to the students you serve. Over the past several months, I’ve seen firsthand the determination, creativity, and optimism that define our membership, and I remain honored to serve alongside you.

December was an especially meaningful month for SACSCOC, as the Board of Trustees concluded its work with several actions that strengthen clarity, streamline processes, and reinforce our mission. I want to highlight a few of these important developments.

Highlights from the December Board Meeting

One of the most significant actions taken by the Board was the approval of substantial changes to our Substantive Change policy and procedures. These revisions are grounded in clarity, alignment, and trust to ensure our oversight remains rigorous while removing unnecessary barriers for institutions.

According to the Board’s actions:

• 51% of substantive change categories were removed, reducing complexity and helping institutions more easily determine what is required.
• Seven categories were reassigned for presidential approval, reducing turnaround time to as little as one week after final materials are received.
• The Emergency Temporary Relocation of Instruction policy has been discontinued.
• The Board approved two reduced-hour baccalaureate degrees at the University of Lynchburg, with a new policy framework forthcoming.

These changes represent a strong step toward the “next evolution of SACSCOC”, one grounded in clarity, responsiveness, and the confidence that our institutions are committed to doing the right things.

Law or Lore: January Highlights & What’s Coming Next

I also want to thank the many of you who have followed along with our Law or Lore series. This monthly Torch Report now includes a dedicated reminder of new installments, which continue to address some of the most persistent misunderstandings in accreditation. This month I had installments on Credit for Prior Learning, Hold Harmless for the QEP, and Does SACSCOC Accreditation Stifle Creativity and Innovation. Up next, we will look into topics regarding Institutional Governance, Using Course Grades as Assessment Evidence, and Using Grades as Meaningful Assessment Evidence.

Looking Ahead

Our 100-Day Plan continues to guide our efforts to strengthen service, communication, and cross-team alignment. Work is well underway across multiple initiatives, including the early stages of revising the Principles of Accreditation, a major undertaking that will shape the future of our work and the institutions we serve. With the new standards, expected to be approved in December of 2026, we are suspending all new training on the old standards as we plan to provide training for all new and veteran reviewers beginning in 2027.

Thank you for your continued partnership, your candid feedback, and your commitment to our shared mission. The path ahead is bright, and I’m grateful to walk it with each of you.

Be Bold; Stay Gold.

Dr. Stephen L. Pruitt
SACSCOC President