The Commission on Colleges requires that institutions establish a Leadership Team to manage and validate the internal institutional assessment of compliance with all Core Requirements, Comprehensive Standards, and Federal Requirements. The team should include individuals who have the skills, knowledge, and the authority to lead in this total institutional effort. The team should not be large, but its membership would normally include the chief executive officer, the chief academic officer, the accreditation liaison, and a representative faculty member. The responsibilities of the Leadership Team include, but are not limited to:
- Coordinating and managing the internal review process, including developing the structure and timelines for ensuring the timely completion of all tasks and attending the Orientation Meeting conducted by the Commission on Colleges. The Orientation Meeting is limited to five people from each institution, including the institution's finance officer.
- Coordinating the completion of the Compliance Certification by overseeing the institutional review of the extent of compliance with the Principles of Accreditation and the documentation of evidence supporting the extent of compliance.
- Ensuring that the institutional community is engaged in the review process and is informed of the progress of the review.
- Overseeing the completion and ensuring the accuracy of the Institutional Summary Form submitted at the time of the Orientation Meeting, included with the Compliance Certification, and updated for the On-Site Reaffirmation Committee.
- Developing the Focused Report, if the institution so chooses.
- Overseeing the development and implementation of the Quality Enhancement Plan.
- Overseeing arrangements for the on-site visit.
- Ensuring that the appropriate follow-up activities are in place to address compliance issues cited by the Off-Site Reaffirmation Committee, recommendations written by the On-Site Reaffirmation Committee, and requests for subsequent monitoring reports by the Commission.
Source: SACSCOC Handbook for Institutions Seeking Reaffirmation