Livingstone College’s accreditation reaffirmed through 2031
By Kimberly Harrington
SALISBURY – The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) has reaffirmed Livingstone College’s accreditation through 2031.
The SACSCOC Board of Trustees made the announcement at its June 17 meeting.
SACSCOC is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. To maintain SACSCOC accreditation, an institution must comply with the standards contained in the “Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement,” and with the policies and procedures of the Commission on Colleges.
“Reaffirmation validates that Livingstone College has the resources, programs and services sufficient to accomplish and sustain our mission,” said Livingstone President Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr. “We remain on task with setting clear educational objectives and successfully assessing and achieving them.”
“Livingstone’s Compliance Certification Report was submitted 15 months in advance of the College’s scheduled reaffirmation,” said Dr. Kelli V. Randall, Livingstone’s vice president for Academic Affairs and SACSCOC accreditation liaison. The report demonstrated the institution’s judgment of the extent of its compliance with each of the SACSCOC core requirements and standards.
Following the Compliance Certification Report, Livingstone completed a Focused Report in advance of the virtual On-Site Reaffirmation Committee visit, which was conducted Oct. 19-22, 2020.
The next step included completion of the Response Report of the Reaffirmation Committee and final Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) document, which were submitted for the highest level of review by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees at its June 17 meeting, Randall said. Livingstone’s QEP is “Write for Life: Improving Student Writing through Writing in the Disciplines” with a focus on clarity, coherence and context.
The Committees on Compliance and Reports (C&R), standing committees of the SACSCOC Board of Trustees, review reports prepared by evaluation committees and the institutional responses to those reports. A C&R Committee’s recommendation regarding Livingstone’s reaffirmation of accreditation was forwarded to the Executive Council for review. The Executive Council recommended action to the full Board of Trustees, which made the final decision to reaffirm Livingstone College’s accreditation with SACSCOC, Randall explained.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed the landscape of higher education, and HBCUs in particular, have faced major challenges in the wake of a global pandemic,” Randall said. “Therefore, I am super excited about the fact that Livingstone College has come through a clean and flawless reaffirmation process. Livingstone College’s reaffirmation of accreditation gives the institution the green light to expand the purview of its curriculum offerings, degree programs, and formats of teaching, delivery and instruction.”
Robert McInnis, director of Institutional Effectiveness & Research, and Laverne Macon-Jamison, assistant director of Institutional Effectiveness & Research, assisted Randall on the reaffirmation process, along with the college’s Senior Leadership Team.
“Livingstone’s reaffirmation of accreditation is the culmination of the faculty and staff who participated in preparing the compliance report, response report, and virtual on-site visit led by Dr. Kelli Randall, who demonstrated ardent leadership to the team,” Jenkins said.
The SACSCOC philosophy for accreditation is that an institution will engage in ongoing improvement of its programs and services for its students.
“This is a great time to come to Livingstone College,” Jenkins said. “In addition to several incentives the College is offering, reaffirmation of accreditation shows we are committed to quality, integrity and continuous improvements of our programs.”
About Livingstone College
Livingstone College is a private historically black college that is secured by a strong commitment to quality instruction, academic excellence and student success. Through a Christian-based environment suitable for holistic learning, Livingstone provides excellent business, liberal arts, STEAM, teacher education and workforce development programs for students from all ethnic backgrounds designed to promote lifelong learning, and to develop student potential for leadership and service to a global community. For more information, visit www.livingstone.edu.
