Introduction

Every ten years, all accredited colleges in the southern states are required to renew their status by demonstrating that they continue to meet the accreditation standards of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 2001, the process leading to reaccreditation (for years referred to as a self study) underwent such a significant change in philosophy and format that it is now called a reaffirmation. Reaffirmation requires completion of two significant projects—the compliance audit and the quality improvement plan—which The Citadel is now engaged in and will complete in 2004.

This site is part of that undertaking and is intended,
   • first, as a resource for Citadel faculty and staff preparing for reaffirmation;
   • second, as a reference point for members of the SACS Staff and the two peer review teams as they guide us through the process; and
   • finally, as a comprehensive picture of The Citadel for other persons who may be interested.

This site is maintained by Professor Robert A. White, Department of English. Please contact him by phone (843-953-2734) or e-mail (whiter@citadel.edu) with questions or comments.

Organization and Overview of this Site

This site is divided into five main sections:

About SACS

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is the accrediting body for more than 12,000 public and private educational institutions, from prekindergarten through university level, in eleven states of the Southeastern U.S. and in Latin America. Member institutions regularly perform comprehensive self-evaluations to assist them in planning for improvement and to assure the public of their overall quality. SACS is one of only six such regional accrediting organizations in the U.S. recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Member institutions are accredited through one of SACS' three commissions:   the Commission on Colleges, the Commission on Secondary and Middle Schools, and the Commission on Elementary and Middle Schools. In preparing for reaffirmation, The Citadel works with and through SACS's Commission on Colleges, the representative body of the College Delegate Assembly, which is charged with carrying out the accreditation process.

Rationale for Reaffirmation

The SACS Reaffirmation Process serves three important purposes. In the first place, the compliance audit gives us the opportunity to check up on ourselves—to pause and ask ourselves "How are we doing?" We are, and always have been, strongly committed to giving our students the best possible education of its kind, and our enviable reputation in this area speaks for itself; but no institution can afford complacency. The fact that we periodically examine the effectiveness of our programs and the use of our resources assures present and future generations of students that they will receive at least as much from The Citadel as did their parents.

In the second place, formulating and implementing a quality improvement plan (QEP) guarantees that The Citadel actively seeks out creative and comprehensive ways to improve student learning, no matter how effective current practices might be. While the compliance audit forces us to ask how effective our present methods are, the QEP raises possibilities for renewal that challenge us to become even better.

Finally, the reaffirmation process, and the SACS reaccreditation that will follow it, demonstrate—to prospective students, parents, legislators, the armed services, and the general public—that The Citadel is indeed fulfilling its mission. It is therefore an absolutely essential feature of our standing within, and our contribution to, the nation's educational system.

The Citadel's Reaffirmation Leadership Team

• Major General John S. Grinalds, President, Chair
• Brigadier General Harrison S. Carter, Provost and Dean of the College, Vice Chair
• Colonel Curtice E. Holland, Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs
• Mrs. Alicia Loeffler, Staff Assistant
• Brigadier General J. Emory Mace, Commandant of Cadets
• Mrs. Patricia P. McArver, Vice President for Communications
• Colonel Isaac S. Metts, Jr., Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
• Colonel Laurence W. Moreland, Professor and Head, Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice, and Chair, Strategic Planning Committee
• Mr. Leslie G. Robinson, Director of Athletics
• Colonel Dudley Saleeby, Jr., Chair, Strategic Planning Committee, Board of Visitors
• Mr. Frank A. Shannon, III, Executive Director, Citadel Foundation
• Colonel Donald M. Tomasik, Vice President for Facilities and Engineering
• Colonel Robert A. White, Professor, Department of English
• Lieutenant Colonel George T. Williams, Professor, School of Education, and Chair, Faculty Council

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