Coahoma’s Accreditation Reaffirmed by SACSCOC for Additional 10 Years

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) announced that accreditation for Coahoma Community College is reaffirmed for an additional ten years following a comprehensive review of the institution’s academic and administrative programs.

“Reaffirmation of accreditation is very important because it signifies that Coahoma programs meet high standards as the result of a rigorous external review process that evaluates compliance against a common set of standards,” Coahoma President Dr. Valmadge T. Towner said.

The SACSCOC accreditation standards review institutional integrity, effective governance, financial sustainability, and appropriate student support services.

“This multi-year process began with a thorough internal review, followed by an external team review of the college’s report and finally an on-campus visit, which happened virtually due to the pandemic, by a group of evaluators from other SACSCOC institutions, ” said Towner. “I thank our faculty and staff for their hard work towards this outstanding achievement. We have a dedicated group here at Coahoma.”

The accreditation reaffirmation process also required the college to submit a quality enhancement plan that positively impacts student learning. Coahoma’s QEP – “ROAD to Success: Revitalizing Orientation and Advisement Development” – focuses on improving the orientation process for students as well as implementing new tools and procedures that will increase the effectiveness of academic advising.

Margaret Dixon, director of Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation Liaison, spearheaded the reaffirmation process and noted that a team effort played a critical part in the reaffirmation of the institution.

I appreciate the leadership of Dr. Towner throughout this process. Many of our faculty and staff members played a role in this achievement,” said Dixon. This was absolutely a team effort and would not have been possible without the group we have working here.”

President Towner echoed those sentiments stating, “the review committee was very complimentary of our faculty and staff. That speaks to the great people that we have working here at Coahoma.”

SACSCOC accreditation also determines an institution’s eligibility to receive federal funding for student financial aid and its ability to accept transfer academic credits from other colleges and universities.

Coahoma has been accredited by SACSCOC since 1975. It is the primary accrediting body for nearly 800 public and private universities and colleges in Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Latin America.

This latest success falls in line with Coahoma’s drive toward improving every facet of the student experience. The college has already begun the process to continue and strengthen its efforts in preparation for future reaffirmation processes to occur at the five and ten-year mark.