Substantive Change Notification Policy

Central Virginia Community College (CVCC)

SACSCOC Substantive Change Notification Policy

(Revised 5/2014)

Personnel Responsible for Implementation of this Policy: CVCC SACSCOC Liaison

Purpose

Compliance with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Comprehensive Standard 3.12.1.

Policy

All substantive changes will be reported to SACSCOC in accordance with the SACSCOC policy statement “Substantive Change for SACSCOC Accredited Institutions.”

A substantive change is a significant modification or expansion of the nature and scope of an accredited institution. Under federal regulations, substantive change includes:

Any change in the established mission or objectives of the institution
Any change in legal status, form of control, or ownership of the institution
The addition of courses or programs that represent a significant departure, either in content or method of delivery, from those that were offered when the institution was last evaluated
The addition of courses or programs of study at a degree or credential level different from that which is included in the institution’s current accreditation or reaffirmation.
A change from clock hours to credit hours
A substantial increase in the number of clock or credit hours awarded for successful completion of a program
The establishment of an additional location geographically apart from the main campus at which the institution offers at least 50% of an educational program.
The establishment of a branch campus
Closing a program, off-campus site, branch campus or institution
Entering into a collaborative academic arrangement that includes only the initiation of a dual or joint academic program with another institution
Acquiring another institution or a program or location of another institution
Adding a permanent location at a site where the institution is conducting a teach-out program for a closed institution
Entering into a contract by which an entity not eligible for Title IV funding offers 25% or more of one or more of the accredited institution’s programs

Responsibility

It is the responsibility of CVCC to follow SACSCOC substantive change procedures and inform SACSCOC of substantive changes as specified in the policy statement.

Procedure

To ensure compliance, CVCC conducts a formal review of all forms of substantive change in the SACSCOC policy statement “Substantive Change for SACSCOC Accredited Institutions” no later than February 15 and October 15 of each year. In order to ensure all forms of substantive change are captured in each review within the designated time frame, responsibility for initiating the reporting of each form of substantive change is designated to a specific administrator(s) at CVCC (Appendix A). The biannual reviews are initiated by the CVCC SACSCOC Liaison and a response is solicited from each responsible administrator. When a substantive change is warranted, the SACSCOC Liaison and responsible administrator(s) jointly prepare documentation in accordance with the Commission’s policies, and the President’s office sends the information to the Commission.

There are three procedures for addressing substantive changes. They are:

Procedure One (1) for the Review of Substantive Changes Requiring Notification and Approval Prior to Implementation
Procedure Two (2) for the Review of Substantive Changes Requiring Only Notification Prior to Implementation
Procedure Three (3) for Closing a Program, Site, Branch Campus or Institution.

The corresponding procedure type for each kind of substantive change is noted in Appendix A.

A detailed description is available in the “Substantive Change for SACSCOC Accredited Institutions” policy statement which is available on the SACSCOC website.

Reporting the Various Types of Substantive Change

The different types of substantive change, the specific procedure to be used for each, their respective approval/notification requirements, their reporting time frames, and the CVCC staff member responsible for initiation of the process are included in the table below.

Types of Change	Procedure	Prior Notification Required	Time Frame for Contacting COC	Prior Approval Required	Documentation	CVCC Staff Responsible for Initiation of Process
Initiating coursework or programs at a different level than currently approved	1	NA	NA	Yes	Application for Level Change Due dates: April 15 or September 15	College President
Expanding at current degree level (significant departure from current programs)	1	Yes	6 months	Yes	Prospectus	College President
Initiating a branch campus	1	Yes	6 months	Yes	Prospectus	College President
Initiating a certificate program at employer’s request and on short notice
…using existing approved courses	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
…at a new off-campus site (previously approved program)	1	NA	NA	Yes	Modified prospectus	Division Dean
…that is a significant departure from previously approved programs	1	Yes	Approval required prior to implementation	Yes	Modified prospectus
Initiating other certificate Programs
… using existing approved courses	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
… at a new off-campus site (previously approved program)	1	NA	NA	Yes	Prospectus	Division Dean
…that is a significant departure from previously approved programs	1	Yes	6 months	Yes	Prospectus
Altering significantly the educational mission of the institution	1	NA	NA	Yes	Contact Commission Staff	College President
Initiating joint or dual degrees with another institution
Joint programs …….with another SACSCOC accredited Institution	2	Yes	Prior to Implementation	NA	Copy of signed agreement and contact information for each institution	Vice President Academic Affairs and Student Services
…….with an institution not accredited by SACSCOC	1	Yes	6 months	Yes	Prospectus
Dual programs	2	Yes	Prior to implementation	No	Copy of signed agreement and contact information for each institution
Initiating off-campus sites (including Early College High School and dual enrollment programs offered at the high school)
…Student can obtain 50% or more credits toward program	1	NA	NA	Yes	Prospectus	Vice President Academic Affairs and Student Services and Division Dean
…Student can obtain 25-49% of credit	2	Yes	Prior to Implementation	NA	Letter of Notification
…Student can obtain 24% less	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Expanding program offerings at previously approved off campus sites
…Adding programs that are significantly different from current programs at the site	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	Vice President Academic Affairs and Student Services and Division Dean
…Adding programs that are NOT significantly different from current programs at the site	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Altering significantly the length of a program	1	NA	NA	Yes	Prospectus	Vice President Academic Affairs and Student Services and Division Dean
Initiating distance learning…
…Offering 50% or more of a program for the first time	1	NA	NA	Yes	Prospectus
…Offering 25-49%	2	Yes	Prior to Implementation	No	Letter of Notification	Division Dean
…Offering 24% or less	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Initiating programs or courses offered through contractual agreement or consortium	2	Yes	Prior to implementation	NA	Letter of notification and copy of signed agreement	Vice President Academic Affairs and Student Services
Entering into a contract with an entity not certified to participate in USDOE Title IV Programs
… if the entity provides 25% or more of an educational program offered by the COC accredited institution	1	NA	NA	Yes	Prospectus	Vice President Academic Affairs and Student Services
… if the entity provides less than 25% of an educational program offered by the accredited institution	2	Yes	Prior to implementation	NA	Copy of the signed agreement
Initiating a merger/consolidation with another institution	See SACSCOC Policy “Mergers, Consolidations and Change of Ownership: Review and Approval”	Yes	6 months	Yes	Prospectus Due dates: April 15 or September 15	College President
Changing governance, ownership, control, or legal status of an institution	See SACSCOC policy “Mergers, Consolidations and Change of Ownership: Review and Approval.”	Yes	6 months	Yes	Prospectus Due dates: April 15 or September 15	College President
Relocating a main or branch campus	1	Yes	6 months	Yes	Prospectus	College President
Moving an off-campus instructional site (serving the same geographic area)	2	Yes	Prior to implementation	NA	Letter of notification with new address and starting date	College President
Changing from clock hours to credit hours	1	NA	NA	Yes	Justify reasons for change, indicate calculation of equivalency, and other pertinent information	Vice President Academic Affairs and Student Services
Altering significantly the length of a program	1	NA	NA	Yes	Prospectus	Vice President Academic Affairs and Student Services
Initiating degree completion programs	1	NA	NA	Yes	Prospectus	Vice President Academic Affairs and Student Services
Closing a program, approved off-campus site, branch campus, or institution
…Institution to teach out its own students	3	Yes	Immediately following decision to close	Yes	Description of teach-out plan included with letter of notification	Vice President Academic Affairs and Student Services
…Institution contracts with another institution to teach-out students (Teach-out Agreement)	3	Yes	Immediately following decision to close	Yes	Description of teach-out plan, copy of signed teach-out agreement detailing terms included with notification

Types of Change	Procedure	Prior Notification Required	Time Frame for Contacting COC	Prior Approval Required	Documentation	CVCC Staff Responsible for Initiation of Process
Acquiring any program or site from another institution	See SACSCOC policy “Mergers, Consolidations and Change of Ownership: Review and Approval.”	Yes	6 months	Yes	Prospectus	College President
Adding a permanent location at a site where the institution is conducting a teach-out for students from another institution that is closing	See SACSCOC policy “Mergers, Consolidations and Change of Ownership: Review and Approval”	Yes	6 months	Yes	Prospectus	College President