Sam Houston State University (SHSU) ensures that all substantive changes are reported in accordance with the relevant Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) policy. Substantive changes at SHSU are guided by Academic Policy Statement 081212, Substantive Change Notification [1]. To ensure timely and appropriate substantive change reporting, SHSU has also implemented campus education and training, notification processes, and a substantive change informational website.
Academic Policy Statement 081212, Substantive Change Notification [1], was last reviewed and approved through the University’s Academic Policy Review Process [2] in the spring of 2018 and is published within the Academic Policy Manual on the institution’s website [3]. The policy assigns the coordination of efforts to identify the need for and to create substantive change notification letters, applications, and prospectus documents to the University’s SACSCOC Liaison. Further, the policy defines substantive change as stipulated by SACSCOC and delineates training and notification requirements.
Campus Education and Training
A substantive change website is published on the University’s Academic Planning and Assessment website [4]. As a resource on the substantive change website, a substantive change presentation [5] is available. Substantive change information and training is also provided at least annually to members of the Council of Academic Deans [6] and the President’s Cabinet [7] to educate administrators on the substantive change reporting requirements. All new deans and vice presidents also receive a copy of the SHSU Substantive Change Notification Policy [1] and training materials.
Notification and Review of Changes
At least once each academic year, the SACSCOC Liaison prompts each academic dean and vice president within the University to identify upcoming changes in their respective units and report potential substantive changes for review and action [6] [7]. Outside of this annual reporting timeline, each academic dean and vice president within the University is responsible for promptly notifying the SACSCOC Liaison when an upcoming substantive change is identified.
Each September, as part of the University’s annual curriculum cycle, the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs provides the SACSCOC Liaison with a list of newly proposed degree programs and courses [8]. The SACSCOC Liaison reviews this list to determine whether the curricular changes meet the substantive change definition as set by the SACSCOC.
On a regular basis, the SACSCOC Liaison reviews all meeting minutes of the Council of Academic Deans, President’s Cabinet, and Academic Affairs Council to determine if upcoming institutional changes meet the substantive change definition and require SACSCOC notification and/or approval. The SACSCOC Liaison, at the time of this report, is also the Associate Vice President for Academic Planning and Assessment [9]. The Associate Vice President for Academic Planning and Assessment attends meetings of the Council of Academic Deans [10] and receives all meeting minutes, receives copies of all President’s Cabinet meeting minutes [11], and is a member of the Academic Affairs Council [12]. The Associate Vice President for Academic Planning and Assessment also oversees the University’s curriculum and catalog processes [13], ensuring knowledge of all planned, pending, and implemented curricular changes.
Substantive Change Notifications Reported
The table below contains the substantive changes submitted by SHSU in the past five years. Substantive change notifications and SACSCOC confirmation and/or approval letters are provided.
| Substantive Change | Date of Notification |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Harvey University Closure (notification) [14] [15] | 10/18/17 |
| Institutional Level Change (notification) [16] [17] | 10/18/17 |
| Counseling MEd Hours Increase (SCH change from 48 to 60) [18] | 7/15/16 |
| Computer Software Engineering Technology, BS (dual degree) [19] [20] | 4/27/15 |
| Forensic Science, PhD (new degree) [21] [22] | 7/10/14 |
| University Park (off-site location) [23] [24] | 6/17/14 |
| Nursing, BSN (new degree) [23] [25] | 6/17/14 |
| Criminal Justice, BS (dual degree) [23] [26] | 6/17/14 |