News  from  PCC
Contact: (e-mail or call) Thomas Dowling    863-297-1051		PCC's SACS Accreditation Reaffirmed

	Polk Community College's accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) was reaffirmed on Dec. 11 at SACS' annual meeting. This accredits PCC for another 10 years. PCC President J. Larry Durrence called the reaffirmation a "significant institutional achievement" and a tribute to its faculty and staff. This action follows an on site visit by SACS in April and a two-year long self study conducted by many members of the college and headed by Vice President Bill Swinford. He said the success of the self-study and site visit "was the product of hard work and dedication of many staff members too numerous to mention. However, I would be remiss if I did not make special mention of Dr. Sharon Davis for her time, effort and energy expended in our reaffirmation effort," Swinford said. Dr. Durrence was one of 3,000 delegates who attended SACS' 106 Annual meeting held in New Orleans Dec. 8 - 11. On Dec. 11, he sat in a meeting and excitedly waited to hear the word about PCC. In a message to the college Dr. Durrence said, "I just wish all of you, who spent scores of hours working on the SACS review, could have been there in the room to hear those words and share the feelings of relief and joy," he said. "My first action was to call Bill Swinford to share the news and to congratulate him and the committee for a job well done. "I want to thank all of you who served on committees that gathered and analyzed massive amounts of data to make certain we met the SACS criteria. Not only did your efforts provide the evidence to support reaffirmation of accreditation, we learned things that will make us a better institution as we act upon them," the president maintained. "Everyone at PCC shares in the credit for the reaffirmation, because the SACS criteria touch upon every aspect of the college. SACS looked at mission, credentials, structure, policies, and processes across the campus. Those things are important, but an institution is only as good as its people," Dr. Durrence concluded. SACS is one of six regional accrediting bodies in the US. The accreditation process assures not only that an institution meets minimum standards, but also that it demonstrates a commitment to providing quality education programs.
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