Duke University Accreditation Process
Duke University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award baccalaureate, masters, doctorate, and professional degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Duke University.
Reaffirmation of accreditation occurs every ten years. The process has two components: a Compliance Certification (demonstration of compliance with 88 core requirements, comprehensive standards, and federal regulations) and a Quality Enhancement Plan (self-study on a topic pertaining to the enhancement of student learning). General information on these components and the overall process may be found in the SACS Handbook for Reaffirmation of Accreditation. Duke-specific details on committees and process are available in this presentation from January 2007, when the process was rolled out to various Duke constituencies.
A leadership team headed by President Richard Brodhead has overall responsibility for oversight of the reaffirmation process and products.
Compliance Certification
For more than 1.5 years, from February 2007 through early September 2008, two teams from around the University worked collaboratively to develop Duke’s University’s compliance certification report: primary responsibility rested with the Compliance Certification Team; an Assessment Working Group assisted with the assessment components of the report. On September 8, 2008, Duke submitted its report to the ten external reviewers from around the region, as well as to SACS: a Web site with 3,000 links; a DVD; and a print version. The external reviewers asked for more information in several areas and Duke provided it in a "focused report" in early February 2009.
A second team of reviewers is coming to campus from March 22-25, 2009, to discuss the Quality Enhancement Plan as well as the focused report.
Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)
Duke’s QEP is entitled “Global Duke: Enhancing Students’ Capacity for World Citizenship.” The three components of the QEP are:
- 1) Winter Forum: a 2.5-day symposium before the start of spring semester, examining a global challenge in interdisciplinary and international perspective;
2) Global Semester Abroad: a study abroad program examining a global issue in comparative perspective in two different locations;
3) Global Advising Program: a cadre of specially trained advisors to assist students in making more intentional use of the many opportunities available for addressing global challenges and building intercultural competencies.
The QEP submitted in February 2009 may be found here; it includes the history of Duke's development of the QEP, a literature review, supporting documents, and other features required by SACS. Some QEP documents are presented only online: case statement June 2007; summary of "blue sky" conversation May 2007; case statement Sept. 2008; Global Semester Abroad budget; and report on fall 2008 focus groups.
For further information on the accreditation process or products, please call Vice Provost Keith Whitfield, Duke University's liaison to SACS, at 660-0330, or email him at keith.whitfield@duke.edu.