Bevill State Community College will host a team from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) on October 26-29 to conduct a review of BSCC programs and educational goals.

The eight-member team, comprised of educators from across the region, will visit the College as part of the process of reaffirming Bevill State's accreditation with the Commision on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

SACS is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states.  Their mission is the enhancement of educational quality throughout the region and it strives to improve the effectiveness of institutions by ensuring that institutions meet standards established by the higher education community that address the needs of society and students.

  "We are pleased that the SACS on-site committee will be visiting our campuses in a couple of weeks," President Dr. Anne McNutt said. "Preparing for reaffirmation from SACS is a lengthy process for a large number of people that culminates with the on-site visit. Colleges complete this process once every 10 years, so our success is critical to our institution. I feel confident that we will have a great visit."

 During the visit, the College will also unveil its five-year plan for improving the student success rate in developmental mathematics. The plan has been developed as the College's Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), which is part of the SACS process.

 The College's QEP, titled "The Learning Connection: Bridging the Mathematical Gap" will focus on improving student learning in developmental math.

"Many, many people have spent countless hours developing the five-year QEP," Dr. McNutt said. "Our team has identified a critical topic to the success of our students. Right now, only 25 percent of students who enter Bevill State taking developmental math classes are able to successfully finish those classes and enter into college level math courses.

 "This plan aims to make improvements in that number. Every percentage point we can raise that number represents dozens more students who are able to earn an Associate's Degree and transfer onto a four-year college."

Research clearly demonstrates that the more college students become involved in the education process, the more they learn. The QEP design proposes to change teaching methods by using active learning techniques such as working in groups or pairs to solve problems, student generated questions, and computer software that enhances classroom learning.  In addition, the QEP will add supplemental instruction to the courses, using students who have already succeeded in these courses as peer instructors outside the regular class time.

 "As the team reviews our QEP, they will make suggestions for improvement, and once they have approved our plan, we will be ready to begin implementation," McNutt said.

 While at the College, the SACS visitors will interview College employees and students at multiple locations to assess the documentation that the College prepared in advance and to gain any additional information needed for this process.

More information about Bevill State's reaffirmation process can be found at www.bscc.edu/sacs.