SECTION BH.1

LOCAL GOVERNANCE
PROCEDURES FOR REPORTING SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

Procedure

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this procedure is to describe the process Navarro College will use to identify, manage, and report substantive changes to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Substantive changes are defined in the Navarro College Substantive Change Policy and the required reporting and notification procedures are described at https://www.navarrocollege.edu/attachments/board-policies/bh1-substantive-change.pdf
 
Navarro College represents itself accurately to all U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agencies with which it holds accreditation and informs those agencies of any change of accreditation status, including the imposition of public sanctions.  The Vice President of Academic Affairs, who also serves as SACSCOC liaison, is responsible for notification of accreditors when a change in accreditation status occurs.

PROCEDURE STATEMENT

Navarro College will maintain compliance through timely reporting on areas of substantive change to SACSCOC. In accordance with the Substantive Change for Accredited Institutions of the Commission on Colleges Policy Statement, the College will formally review all substantive change forms by September 15 for implementation in ugust and February 15 for implementation in January of each year. Changes that are determined to be substantive and require a SACSCOC procedure will be returned to the initiating academic or administrative unit(s) with instructions regarding preparation of a prospectus or documentation for notification. If a Prospectus is required (see chart below), it must be completed and submitted to the SACSCOC Oversight Committee by November 1 for the fall semester of the next academic year and May 1 for the spring or summer semester of the next academic year. Changes that are determined not to be substantive will be returned to the initiating academic and administrative units(s) for continued monitoring, processing, and possible implementation.
Semester
Navarro College
Substantive Change Form
First Draft of
Prospectus
Due to SACSCOC
Fall
September 15
November 1
January 1
Spring/Summer
February 15
May 1
July 1

PROCESS

A. The SACSCOC Liaison is responsible for monitoring all potential substantive change needs and will direct appropriate personnel to initiate a Substantive Change Request Form (available on MyNC) when necessary.
Once completed, Substantive Change Request Forms will be rerouted to the SACSCOC Oversight Committee.
The SACSCOC Oversight Committee is co-chaired by the Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA) and Vice President of Enrollment Management and Institutional Effectiveness (VPEMIE). The SACSCOC Oversight Committee reviews the required form to determine whether a proposed change is substantive in nature and what procedure is necessary. If needed, the VPAA contacts SACSCOC staff for consultation.
 
B. The SACSCOC Oversight Committee advises the initiator regarding preparation of required SACSCOC substantive change notification or prospectus within the required time frame.
 
C. The SACSCOC Oversight Committee reviews and coordinates the preparation of documents.
 
D. The SACSCOC substantive change notification or prospectus is presented to the appropriate internal authority for approval.
 
E. The substantive change notification or prospectus is then submitted to SACSCOC for approval.
 
F. The College will defer implementation on substantive changes requiring approval.
 
G. An inventory of substantive change submissions and outcomes will be maintained by the VPAA office.

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS BY TYPE OF SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

Specific information regarding the procedures for the following types of substantive change are located at https://www.navarrocollege.edu/attachments/board-policies/bh1-substantive-change.pdf
 
Institutional Changes:
  • Change in Measure of Student Progress to Completion
  • Competency-based Education by Course/Credit-based Approach – Institutional-level Approval
  • Distance Education – Institutional-level Approval
  • Governance Change
  • Institution Closure
  • Institution Relocation
  • Institution, Program, or Location Acquisition
  • Institutional Contingency Teach-out Plan
  • Level Change
  • Merger / Consolidation
  • Mission Change
  • Ownership, Means of Control, or Legal Status Change
 
Off-campus Instructional Site / Additional Location Changes:
  • Off-campus Instructional Site Definitions and Guidelines
  • Off-campus Instructional Site Notification
  • Off-campus Instructional Site Approval (including branch campus)
       - Extensive Review
       - Limited Review
       - Committee Visits
  • Off-campus Instructional Site Relocation
       - Non-branch Campus
       - Branch Campus
  • Off-campus Instructional Site Name or Address Change
  • Off-campus Instructional Site Closure
  • Off-campus Instructional Site Re-open

SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE RESTRICTION

Institutions on SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE RESTRICTION are subject to different or additional requirements for certain types of substantive change. An institution is on SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE RESTRICTION if it
  • has been placed on
  • Warning,
  • Probation, or
  • Probation for Good Cause
over the prior three academic years,
—OR—
  • is under provisional certification for participation in federal financial aid programs as defined in defined in 34 C.F.R. § 668.13.
 
Institutions on SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE RESTRICTION are subject to the following requirements:
 
Off-campus instructional site changes —
  • Approval through the extensive review pathway of all new off-campus instructional sites offering 50% or more of a program; i.e., the limited review pathway is not available (versus two sites approved through the extensive pathway then approval through the limited review pathway thereafter for institutions not on restriction).
 
Program changes —
  • Approval of new programs with 25% or more new content (versus 50% for institutions not on restriction),
  • Approval of a change in program length if program credit hours – or an equivalent or comparable measure of progress such as clock hours or demonstrated competencies – increase or decrease by 25% or more (versus the same percentage plus the additional criterion of changing expected time to completion by one term or more for institutions not on restriction),
  • Approval to add a method of delivery to an existing program (versus notification for institutions not on restriction),
  • Approval to initiate a program designed for prior learning (versus notification for institutions not on restriction),
  • Approval of an agreement with an entity (or entities) not certified to participate in U.S. Department of Education title IV programs to deliver less than 25% of a program’s content (versus notification for institutions not on restriction).
 
Additional information regarding the following topics can be found at https://www.navarrocollege.edu/attachments/board-policies/bh1-substantive-change.pdf:
  • committee visits,
  • international off-campus instructional sites,
  • fees and expenses,
  • review procedures,
  • options of the committee on compliance and reports following review of the prospectus or application,
  • preparation for a substantive change committee visit,
  • options of the committee on compliance and reports following review by a substantive change committee
  • teach-outs
  • what to submit for approvals

 

Updated: February 9,2021