Ferrum College’s Accreditation Renewed for 10 Years

FERRUM – On Thursday, September 24, 2020, after an extensive review, Ferrum College received a glowing approval report from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
“We are assessed according to dozens of standards ranging from academic programs, faculty qualifications, budget and finance, planning and assessment, board governance, administrative leadership, student services, general education, and the list goes on and on,” explained President David Johns in a campus-wide email. “Almost always, an institution is given a few (sometimes many!) ‘recommendations’ that MUST be enacted in order to continue its accreditation.”
Upon completion of this rigorous and extensive review process, the SACSCOC team determined that Ferrum College is 100 percent in compliance with every standard set forth, and made no recommendations. 
“I wish I could convey…just how absolutely rare it is to receive such a final report,” wrote Johns. “We have all worked very hard over the last few years reshaping the College, encouraging leadership, and dreaming big.”
SACSCOC is the regional accrediting body for higher education institutions in eleven southern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia) and Latin America. Once every decade, a SACSCOC team made up of peers from other higher education institutions performs an extensive accreditation evaluation on SACSCOC colleges.
“We have been preparing for our ten year compliance report and the off-site and on-site visits for several years,” explained Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Aimé Sposato. “We brought together various groups of talented and dedicated faculty and staff to analyze the systems, protocols, and program offerings. I am delighted to share in the joy that our faculty, staff, and students feel across the campus. I am proud of our work, our dedication to our students, and our mission.”
“The best part of the process of preparing the report was getting to work with people from all over the College to tell the Ferrum College story,” said Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Kevin Reilly, who spent countless hours preparing for the evaluation. “So many people worked so hard and with such excellence because they love Ferrum.”
“The final SACS report with no recommendations is so gratifying,” continued Reilly. “It means that a team made up of our peers from colleges around the southern United States took a very close look at all aspects of our College and discovered that we are doing outstanding work here at Ferrum.”