Accreditation Statement

Edison State College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate and baccalaureate degrees.  Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call (404) 679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Edison State College. 

The three-fold purpose for publishing the Commission’s address and contact number is to enable interested constituents:

1. to learn about the accreditation status of Edison State College;
2. to file a third-party comment at the time of Edison State College’s decennial review; or
3. to file a complaint against Edison State College if there is evidence to support the institution’s significant non-compliance with a requirement or standard.

Normal inquiries about Edison State College, such as admission requirements, financial aid, educational programs, etc., should be addressed directly to Edison State College and not to the Commission's office.

Preparing for Reaffirmation of Accreditation in 2012

This site is designed to keep all constituencies informed of Edison State College’s progress in achieving reaffirmation in 2012 by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). It includes timelines, committee listings and reports, key dates, newsletters, and helpful links. A most important link is The Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement which outlines the accreditation process and lists all Core Requirements and Comprehensive Standards. Page 1 of the document describes SACSCOC accreditation as follows:

“Accreditation by the Commission on Colleges signifies that the institution (1) has a mission appropriate to higher education, (2) has resources, programs, and services sufficient to accomplish and sustain that mission, and (3) maintains clearly specified educational objectives that are consistent with its mission and appropriate to the degrees it offers, and that indicate whether it is successful in achieving its stated objectives.”

Section 1, the Principle of Integrity, establishes the foundation for the relationship between the Commission and its member institutions:

“Integrity, essential to the purpose of higher education, functions as the basic contract defining the relationship between the Commission and each of its member and candidate institutions…The Commission’s requirements, policies, processes, procedures, and decisions are predicated on integrity…The Commission on Colleges expects integrity to govern the operation of institutions and for institutions to make reasonable and responsible decisions consistent with the spirit of integrity in all matters.”

SACSCOC member institutions must reaffirm their accreditation every ten years. Although this College completed its last decennial reaffirmation in 2001, it is now part of the class of 2012. This is due in part to its successful transition to a Level II institution (baccalaureate degree-granting) in 2007, following submission of a detailed prospectus and subsequent on-site visit.

Central to reaffirmation of accreditation is the concept of continuous quality improvement, i.e. ongoing, integrated, and institution-wide research-based planning and evaluation processes. Edison State College’s Strategic Plan establishes goals, objectives, and activities; its academic, student services and administrative departments carry out these initiatives, and ongoing assessments determine their effectiveness. Based on results, the strategic plan is updated with the goal of improving institutional quality and demonstrating that it is effectively carrying out its mission. Thus the cycle begins again. Using assessment results to inform planning is frequently referred to as closing the loop”, a concept at the core of SACSCOC accreditation.

Six documents are key elements of the reaffirmation process. The Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement provides the Commission’s formal Statement of its accreditation process and standards. The other five documents are completed by the institution; four (Compliance Certification, Institutional Summary Form, Quality Enhancement Plan, and Focused Report) are prepared specifically for the reaffirmation process, and the institutional profiles are completed on an annual basis. An excerpt from The Principles of Accreditation describes two of the required documents which are currently under development at Edison State College: 1) Compliance Certification and 2) Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). Information on Edison State College’s QEP may be accessed here.