Longwood University’s accreditation reaffirmed

After a routinely scheduled, multi-year review of the entire institution, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges has formally reaffirmed Longwood University’s accreditation.

The SACSCOC board of trustees took formal action on Dec. 10 at the organization’s annual meeting in Austin, Texas. The organization oversees hundreds of institutions across the South and reviews the operations of each college or university every ten years.

Longwood’s reaffirmation process progressed smoothly over the last several years and included a site visit earlier this Spring from a SACSCOC committee. The announcement today was a moment of deep pride and satisfaction for the many university faculty and staff who were involved in the process.

“We are pleased that Longwood shone so brightly during the reaffirmation process,” said President W. Taylor Reveley IV, who joined Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Larissa Smith and Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. David Shoenthal in Austin for the announcement. “The SACSCOC review dove deeply into the university and reaffirmed what we see each day: quality academics, a focus on our mission of developing citizen leaders, the Civitae Core Curriculum that prepares students for meaningful, successful lives grounded in the liberal arts, and an organization built for success far into the future.”

Longwood was first accredited by SACSCOC in 1927 and most recently reaffirmed in 2014. The accreditation process not only ensures students of a quality higher education but also provides opportunities for institutions’ continued improvement.

As the process unfolded, Longwood developed a “Quality Enhancement Plan,” a standard roadmap for each SACSCOC accredited institution that plans an area of special focus for the university over the coming years. Longwood’s QEP, called “Post-Graduate Success Initiative,” which empowers students to choose and complete curricular and co-curricular experiences that are linked to post-graduate success.

“The reaffirmation of Longwood’s accreditation touched nearly every part of campus,” said Shoenthal, who led the accreditation team. “I can’t thank enough all those, particularly Dr. Sarai Blincoe for her direction of our QEP, whose hard work showcased the institution for the board. They again saw the strength of this institution.”