Procedural
Manual for the 2001-2002 South Plains College Self-Study
for Reaffirmation of Accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools
1. The Purpose and Philosophy of Self-Study
South Plains College is currently engaged in a periodic examination of itself under the guidance of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Like other members of the Southern Association, South Plains College conducts this kind of examination every 10 years. After the study is confirmed by a visiting committee of educators from throughout the South, the Southern Association is expected to reaffirm South Plains College's accreditation.
The purpose of the institutional self-study program is to maintain and improve institutional effectiveness and to provide the public with reliable professional judgments about the educational quality found at South Plains College. The self-study process, a major part of the program, is intended to assist a member institution in evaluating its attainment of stated goals. The process will result in a document useful both to South Plains College and to the peer review committee in evaluating the institution's success in meeting established criteria.
Broad participation encourages critical self-examination which is essential to maintaining institutional effectiveness. In this respect, the plan of the Self-Study seeks to involve, as much as possible, every aspect of the college community in this critical review.
An institutional self-study is comprehensive in that every significant component of the institution is examined. This method of self-study is valuable in evaluating the total effectiveness of the institution in achieving its stated goals. The emphasis on institutional effectiveness will lead us to continued excellence.
The most obvious benefit of comparing South Plains College with the standards set forth in the Criteria for Accreditation (1998) is that the process will reveal both our strengths and our weaknesses. A consciousness of both must guide our plans for the future. The self-study covers a period of two years which provides some time for instituting creative solutions to the problems we find. The discovery of unexpected strengths and the confirmation of expected ones can be sources of pride and lifted morale. Our conscientious participation in this self-study should lead us to find and meet our own best aspirations.
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