The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges officially announced that Georgia Northwestern Technical College has earned reaffirmation of their accreditation, an indication of the college’s commitment to academic excellence and continuous improvements in teaching.
The announcement comes after the accrediting body’s Board of Trustees meeting in June. This action was taken following GNTC’s on-site review last fall by a committee of academic professionals from the southeastern region of the country.
“The SACSCOC reaffirmation process began in 2011 and involved representatives of every division of the college, it truly was a team effort,” said Heidi Popham, vice president of Institutional Effectiveness at GNTC. “The successful results of the reaffirmation process reflect the unwavering dedication of our faculty, staff, and administrators in continuing to provide our students with high-quality educational programs.”
Accreditation by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges signifies that the institution (1) has a mission appropriate to higher education, (2) has resources, programs, and services sufficient to accomplish and sustain that mission, and (3) maintains clearly specified educational objectives that are consistent with its mission and appropriate to the degrees it offers, and that indicate whether it is successful in achieving its stated objectives.
Georgia Northwestern must regularly undergo reaffirmation visits to maintain accreditation with SACSCOC. The next reaffirmation will take place in 2023.
As part of the reaffirmation process, Georgia Northwestern developed a Quality Enhancement Plan. This initiative, called ‘Math Matters,’ focused on improving student learning in MATH 0098 and MATH 0099 through a redesign of the existing teaching model. This included computer-assisted instruction, modularization of the curriculum, increased availability of tutoring, dedicated classrooms and labs, a smaller student-to-instructor/tutor ratio, and updated diagnostics to ensure proper placement.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. The mission of SACSCOC is the enhancement of educational quality throughout the region and striving to improve the effectiveness of institutions by ensuring that they meet standards, established by the higher education community, that address the needs of society and students.
Georgia Northwestern Technical College serves Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Murray, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield counties in Georgia with campuses located in Floyd, Gordon, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield counties. Approximately 22,000 people benefit from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs, making it the largest college in Northwest Georgia and the fourth largest technical college in Georgia.