Substantive Change Process - ACCJC Standards - page 121 - policy.doc -

Substantive Change Policy
(Adopted October 1972; Revised January 1978, June 1991, June 1996; Edited October 1997; Revised January 2002; Edited June 2002; Edited August 2004)
Background
Accreditation, a voluntary process of peer review dependent on recognized standards of good practice, is in part an affirmation that the institution :

• Has clearly defined objectives appropriate to higher education.
• Has established conditions under which the achievement of these objectives can reasonably be expected.
• Presents evidence that it is in fact accomplishing the objectives substantially.
• Is so organized, staffed, and supported that it can be expected to continue to do so; and demonstrates that it meets Commission standards, Eligibility Requirements, and policies.
• The scope of an institution’s accreditation covers everything done in its name.

Policy
A substantive change is a change which alters: the mission, scope, or name of the institution; the nature of the constituency served; the location or geographical area served; the control of the institution; the content of courses or programs to an extent which represents a significant departure from current curricula or the mode of delivery of a program so that the courses constituting 50% or more of a program are offered at a distance or through electronic delivery; or the credit awarded to courses or programs. Since it is the Commission’s responsibility to determine the effect of a substantive change on the quality, integrity, and effectiveness of the total institution it is the Commission’s policy that such changes must be approved by the Commission prior to implementation. When an institution proposes to make a change which is considered substantive, the change must be approved according to the Substantive Change Approval Process. Upon successful review and approval, the institution’s accreditation will be extended to areas affected by the change. Note that institutions scheduled for a Comprehensive Visit may not employ the substantive change approval process in the six month period preceding the visit. Also, when the Commission defers an action on accredited status or places an institution on a sanction such as Warning, Probation, or Show Cause, the Commission may defer consideration of any substantive change request until the conditions that caused the Commission to defer a decision on accredited status or to impose a sanction have been addressed and the Commission has reaffirmed accreditation.


The following changes are all substantive changes:
1. Change in mission, scope, or name of the institution.
2. A change in the purpose or character of the institution.
3 A change in the degree level from that which was previously offered by the institution.
4. Any change in the official name of the institution.
5. Change in the nature of the constituency served.
6. A change in the intended student clientele.
7. Closure of an institution.
8. Change in the location or geographical area served.
9. Offering courses or programs outside the geographic region currently served.
10. Moving to a new location.
11. Establishing an additional location geographically apart from the main campus, at which students can complete at least 50% of an educational program.
12. Closing a location geographically apart from the main campus at which students can complete at least 50% of an educational program.
13. Change in the control of the institution.
14. Any change in the legal status, form of control, or ownership of the institution.
15. Merging with another institution.
16. Contracting for the delivery of courses or programs in the name of the institution with a non-regionally accredited organization.
17. A change by a parent institution of one of its off-campus sites into a separate institution.
18. Change in courses or programs or their mode of delivery that represents a significant departure from current practice.
19. Addition of a program that represents a significant departure from an institution’s current programs.
20. Addition of courses that represent a significant departure from the current curricula of an institution.
21. Addition of courses that constitute 50% or more of a program or 50% of the college’s courses offered through a mode of distance or electronic delivery.
22. A change in credit awarded.
23. An increase of 50% or more in the number of credit hours awarded for the successful completion of a program.
24. A change from clock hours to credit hours.

Substantive Change Approval Process
Institutions wishing to effect a substantive change should follow these procedures. Note that institutions which have been declared eligible for accreditation but have not yet achieved candidate or accredited status, institutions on sanction, and institutions for whom the action on accredited status has been deferred by the Commission, may not employ the substantive change approval process.
1. Notify the Commission
The institution begins the Substantive Change approval process by notifying the Commission of the proposed change, the need for the Substantive Change Policy
change, and the anticipated effects. Commission staff determine whether or not the proposed change is indeed substantive. Early notification enables the staff to provide information and advice about how the institution might best proceed through the Substantive Change process.
2. Preparing the Substantive Change Proposal
If the Commission staff determines that the proposed change is substantive in nature, the institution is asked to submit a Substantive Change Report for review by the Commission’s Committee on Substantive Change.
The Substantive Change Proposal should include the following:
A. A concise description of the proposed change and the reasons for it.
B. A description of the educational program(s) to be offered and evidence that the educational purposes of the change are clear and appropriate if the substantive change involves a new educational program.
C. A description of the planning process which led to the request for the change, how the change relates to the institution’s stated mission, the assessment of needs and resources which has taken place, and the anticipated effect of the proposed change on the rest of the institution.
D. Evidence that the institution has provided adequate human, management, financial, and physical resources and processes to initiate, maintain, and monitor the change and to assure that the activities undertaken are accomplished with acceptable quality. If the substantive change is to establish a branch campus, private
institutions must include projected revenues and expenditures and cash flow at a branch campus. Public institutions, in keeping with the financial reporting requirements of their district, system, or governmental agency, must include financial information which allows for comparable analysis of the financial planning and management of a branch campus.

If the change involves the formation of a separate institution from an off-campus center or branch campus, the projected financial information must be provided for the parent institution of the proposed split. The new separate institution must begin the process for separate accreditation.
E. Evidence that the institution has received all necessary internal or external
approvals. The report should state clearly what faculty, administrative, governing
board, or regulatory agency approvals are needed and evidence that
any legal requirements have been met.
F. Evidence that each Eligibility Requirement will still be fulfilled after the
change. Any requirements that are particularly impacted by the change
should be addressed in detail.
G. Evidence that each accreditation standard will still be fulfilled after the change and that all relevant Commission policies are addressed. Any standards that
are particularly impacted by the change should be addressed in detail.
H. Other information requested by Commission staff that is pertinent to the specific
nature of the change.
3. Commission Action: Once the Substantive Change Report is received by the Commission, it is reviewed by the Commission’s Committee on Substantive Change, which has full authority to act. The Committee may approve or deny a substantive change request or return it to the institution for additional information. At its discretion, the Committee may refer the decision on the substantive change request to the entire Commission at its next meeting. Commission staff keep the institution informed as to the status of the substantive change request. The institution is notified of the Committee action within two weeks of the Committee meeting. Denial of the request will include reasons for the denial.
4. Appeal: If the institution wishes to appeal the decision of the Commission’s
Committee on Substantive Change, the appeal must be filed in writing and will be deliberated at the next meeting of the Commission. Members of the Committee on Substantive Change may participate in the discussion but will abstain from voting on the appeal.
5. Referral to the Commission
In the event a substantive change request has been referred to the Commission for consideration, the institution will be notified of Commission action within two weeks of the meeting at which action occurred. In the event that the change is judged to be of such magnitude as to potentially affect the candidate or accredited
status of the institution, the review process for the substantive change may be expanded to include a review of the accreditation status of the institution and a visit.
6. Future Visits
Approved Substantive Changes should be addressed in the next comprehensive review of the institution. If the institution is not due for a comprehensive evaluation within two years of the approval of the Substantive Change, an on-site evaluation, or other
measures as the Commission may determine, may be required. Costs for an on-site evaluation will be borne by the institution.

Note:
Off-campus centers, including branch campuses, which offer 50% or more of a program are subject to an on-site inspection within the first six months of establishment. Institutions undergoing changes in ownership, control, and/or legal status will be visited within six months of the implementation of the change. The Commission reserves the right to request a report and visit to assess the effects of any Substantive Change it deems to be a very significant departure from the past, including a requirement to submit periodic prescribed reports and support special visit(s) byrepresentatives of the Commission.

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