Message from the President
October 6, 2017
Dear Campus Community:
As shared in my January 19, 2017, letter to the campus community, 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 is for a period of 12 months and will require SACSCOC Board action during its December 2017 meeting. As we previously reported, the specific concerns are related to the complexity of the transition that involved the separation of UTB/TSC, the separate accreditation of TSC, the rename of UTPA, and the closure of UTB once TSC received separate accreditation. It is hard to overstate the complexity of this process.
In January, UTRGV administrators met, 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. Since January, we have worked with faculty, staff, and students to address each of the concerns expressed in the official letter from SACSCOC. Our SACSCOC Vice President has advised us throughout the process. Our goal and that of SACSCOC is to ensure that each concern is addressed fully and to ensure that policies and processes are in place to ensure future compliance with the Commission standards. As stated in the Commission letter, this month SACSCOC will send a visiting team of our peers to review the actions taken and to ensure we have appropriate policies and procedures in place. We have prepared diligently for this visit and deeply appreciate the hard work and support of all of you in preparing for this visit.
As we prepare for the visit, please remember:
First and foremost, UTRGV remains accredited. 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, we have worked with all our program-specific accreditors to ensure 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 fully committed to excellent academic programs and to the success of our students, faculty, and staff.
For more detailed updates, please visit 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.
Sincerely,
Guy Bailey
UTRGV President