Message from the President
January 19, 2017
Dear Campus Community:
As you know, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was notified in December, 2016, that we were being placed on probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The probation will be for a period of 12 months and will require SACSCOC Board action during its December, 2017 meeting. We are confident that the Board action next December will be positive for reasons we point out below.
It is important to re-emphasize that UTRGV remains a accredited institution. Further, the probationary status is not at all related to the quality of the academic programs at UTRGV. Students’ academic programs, courses, and degrees remain completely unaffected.
As a follow up to the December, 2016, Board action, UTRGV administrators met yesterday, in person, with SACSCOC’s President Dr. Belle Wheelan, and several staff members to review the official letter that details the specific concerns that led to the decision by SACSCOC.
Just as we previously reported, the specific concerns are related to the complexity of a transition that involved the separation of UTB/TSC, the separate accreditation of TSC, and the formation of UTRGV. It is hard to overstate the complexity of this process: no one in higher education had ever undertaken a project of this magnitude and complexity, including SACSCOC. Most of the problems we experienced were related to this fact. Dr. Wheelan and her staff were extremely helpful in explaining each of their concerns in greater detail and providing us with recommendations for resolving these issues.
As we emphasized to Dr. Wheelan, we are strongly committed to working directly with SACSCOC staff to resolve the issues that she detailed as expeditiously as possible. Although the transition was complex, we are confident that, with the help of SACSCOC staff and our active engagement in this process, the probation will be lifted at the December meeting.
While we will continue to work to ensure the probation is lifted, please remember:
- First and foremost, UTRGV is accredited and will remain accredited throughout this 12-month process. Current and future students and faculty are not at risk; federal and state funding and student financial aid are not threatened; research grants and eligibility for more grants are not threatened; and the quality of degrees granted in the past and in the future is not affected.
- In addition, all our program-specific accreditations (e.g., School of Medicine, Nursing, Business, Engineering, etc.) remain intact.
- Lastly, there are no issues or concerns with the quality of UTRGV’s academic program offerings or degrees.
We should be proud of the success UTRGV has experienced so far, and we remain committed to continuing to offer excellent academic programs and to the success of our students, faculty, and staff.
In the meantime, we will continue to provide updates regarding this probationary period through email, UTRGV Messenger, and/or our accreditation website, which is available by clicking here. The website currently houses all official documentation, including the official letter, that UTRGV has received from SACSCOC, other communication pieces, and FAQs. Thus, we encourage you not only to visit the page, but also to share it with other students, faculty, staff, and/or other UTRGV stakeholders.
Rest assured that, with your active engagement and support, we will continue to work diligently to meet all SACSCOC’s requests and to ensure that UTRGV continues to provide a first-class education in the Rio Grande Valley.
Sincerely,
Guy Bailey
UTRGV Founding President