October 28, 2020
Dear Colleague,
Old Dominion University has a history of providing rigorous academic programs and high-quality services to our students. The creativity and commitment of our faculty and staff and the spirit of our students creates a community of inclusiveness, support, purpose, and resilience.
As part of our commitment to our community, we continuously engage in thorough examinations of our practices and processes to ensure we are providing a supportive environment for faculty, staff and students. Now it is time to demonstrate our effectiveness to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC), ODU's regional accreditor.
The 2023 SACSCOC reaccreditation process affords our institution the opportunity for a comprehensive review. Old Dominion has evolved from an extension of William and Mary to an independent College to a thriving University. We, as an institution, recognize that the process of accreditation plays a vital role in our mission to meet the challenges of the future.
The reaccreditation process is made up of two key components - the compliance audit (or self-study) and the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). The compliance audit is a review of how we have followed our policies and practices - it is a summary of what we have done. The QEP is a multi-year project that focuses on how we can improve student learning - it is about shaping our future. The 2012 QEP, Improving Disciplinary Writing (IDW), has helped students gain valuable skills in reasoning, research and reflection. Our next QEP will capitalize on the success of the IDW initiative.
To accomplish this task, over 80 faculty and faculty administrators have been selected from across the institution to serve on 14 committees. Those committees will report their progress to the Executive Advisory Council of Accreditation Excellence, a group led by Austin Agho, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Two faculty have also been selected to lead this process. Dr. Orlando Ayala, associate professor in the Batten College of Engineering and Technology, will lead the compliance audit and Dr. Yvette Pearson, professor in the College of Arts and Letters, will lead the QEP. You can view the committees' membership and updates about the SACSCOC process on the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment's website: https://www.odu.edu/sacs/about.
We welcome your feedback on how we can keep the campus more informed about the process. Questions or comments about the website or the process can be directed to Dr. Brian K. Payne, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and SACSCOC liaison, at bpayne@odu.edu.
Thank you for the work you have done to make Old Dominion a great institution and community. Your commitment to ODU will help us demonstrate our continuing capability and capacity to support our faculty, staff and students.
Sincerely,
John R. Broderick
President