LC Receives Clean Bill of Health from SACS
February 7th, 2007Louisiana College has received a “clean bill of health†from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges. The SACS commission met in December of 2006 to review Louisiana College’s Third Monitoring Report on governance and first monitoring report following the fifth year follow-up report. On both items the commission recommended that no additional report was needed.
After Louisiana College was placed on probation from SACS in December of 2004 Louisiana College was given three recommendations to work on, which included necessary input from faculty, staff and the LC Board of Trustees. Louisiana College was removed from probation in December of 2005. The original recommendations were:
- Demonstrate that the governing Board is free from undue influence from political, religious, or other external bodies, and that it protects the institution from such influence. An institution cannot operate responsibly when other entities control its operations or activities.
- Provide evidence that there is a clear and appropriate distinction in writing and practice between the policy-making functions of the governing Board and the responsibility of the administration and faculty to administer and to implement policy.
- Demonstrate that adequate procedures are in place and have been put into practice that safeguard and protect academic freedom.
Since December of 2004, LC has implemented new policies or modified current policies and procedures to put the school in compliance with all SACS recommendations. The December 2006 decision by the Commission on Colleges fully approved a modified academic freedom policy, as well as other new policies and their implementation.
“In my opinion, one of the greatest implications of the approval of the academic freedom policy and its implementation is that it refutes the lawsuit by four faculty members who claim the institution violated their academic freedom,†said Dr. Joe Aguillard, President of Louisiana College. “This decision will end any doubt that Louisiana College is not operating in full compliance with SACS requirements,†explained Dr. Aguillard.
Louisiana College has held uninterrupted membership in SACS since 1923, the only other two institutions of higher education, in the state of Louisiana, who have held a longer membership, is Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and Tulane University in New Orleans.