Following merger, CGTC accredited

The new Central Georgia Technical College has been continued in accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

This continuation comes following the vote of the SACSCOC College Delegate Assembly Business Meeting in Decatur on June 19.

As a result of the July 2013 merger between Middle Georgia Technical College in Warner Robins and the former Central Georgia Technical College in Macon, the new CGTC was required to seek the continuation of the existing SACSCOC accreditation that each college held as separate entities.

After the successful administrative consolidation of the two colleges, SACSCOC has voted to continue the merged college’s accreditation with no reporting requirements.

“Acquiring SACSCOC accreditation is important to the college’s students and its standing among higher education institutions,” said Deborah Josey Burks, vice president for institutional effectiveness and CGTC SACSCOC liaison. “We are currently preparing for reaffirmation, the next phase of our accreditation, which is usually a 10-year process with a fifth year review. Because of the merger, CGTC is undergoing a two-year process which began in January 2014 for the newly merged college, with an accreditation decision from the commission occurring in 2016.”

SACSCOC is the recognized regional accrediting body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the southern United States.

The agency examines college operations and makes recommendations on how to improve the effectiveness of the institution by ensuring that the college meets standards established by the higher education community that address the needs of society and students.

SACSCOC accreditation serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices among diverse institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Latin America, as well as other international sites approved by the Commission on Colleges that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degrees.

To gain or maintain accreditation with the SACSCOC, an institution must comply with the standards contained in the Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement and with the policies and procedures of the Commission on Colleges.

With this accreditation, CGTC remains as one of the nearly 800 other regionally accredited colleges and universities in the south and southeast. Additionally, this accreditation allows CGTC graduates ease of transfer of credits with partnering institutions, including the University System of Georgia, which accepts 27 core courses from Technical College System of Georgia colleges, including CGTC.

For more information on the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, visit their web site at www.sacscoc.org. For information about CGTC and its programs and services, log on to www.centralgatech.edu.

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