Substantive Change Policies and Procedures at H-SC

H-SC Substantive Change Policy

Hampden-Sydney College shall create detailed procedures for complying with our regional accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), policy for substantive change for accredited institutions. Substantive change is a federal term for any “significant modification of the nature and scope of an accredited institution.” SACSCOC is required by the federal government to monitor its member institutions' compliance with its substantive change policy and to approve any major changes. H-SC’s responsibility is:

• to notify SACSCOC of substantive changes in a timely manner, and
• to seek SACSCOC approval up to six months before implementing the change (when required).

Under federal regulations, substantive change includes:

• any change in the established mission or objectives of the institution
• any change in legal status, form of control, or ownership of the institution<
• the addition of courses or programs that represent a significant departure, either in content or method of delivery, from those that were offered when the institution was last evaluated
• the addition of courses or programs of study at a degree or credential level different from that which is included in the institution’s current accreditation or reaffirmation.
• a change from clock hours to credit hours
• a substantial increase in the number of clock or credit hours awarded for successful completion of a program
• the establishment of an additional location geographically apart from the main campus at which the institution offers at least 50% of an educational program.
• the establishment of a branch campus
• closing a program, off-campus site, branch campus or institution
• entering into a collaborative academic arrangement that includes only the initiation of a dual or joint academic program with another institution
• acquiring another institution or a program or location of another institution
• adding a permanent location at a site where the institution is conducting a teach-out program for a closed institution
• entering into a contract by which an entity not eligible for Title IV funding offers 25% or more of one or more of the accredited institution’s programs

An H-SC department or office that is considering substantive change should contact the College's SACSCOC Institutional Accreditation Liaison (IAL) for information on accreditation compliance. If a prospectus is required, it is generally the responsibility of the department or office requesting the change to prepare the document with assistance from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness/SACSCOC IAL.

To avoid confusion, SACSCOC requests that institutional faculty and staff not contact the Commission directly, but rather, channel all communication regarding accreditation and substantive change through the institution’s IAL. The IAL for H-SC is the Director of Institutional Effectiveness (or some similar title).

Policy Implementation Date: December 21, 2020

Subsequent Revisions: August 15, 2023

H-SC Substantive Change Procedure

Statement of Purpose  

The purpose of the Substantive Change Procedure is to describe the process H-SC will use to identify, manage, and report substantive changes to SACSCOC. Substantive changes are defined in the H-SC Substantive Change Policy and the required reporting and notification procedures are described in the SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy.

H-SC will maintain compliance through timely reporting on areas of substantive change to SACSCOC. In accordance with the Substantive Change for Accredited Institutions of the Commission on Colleges Policy Statement, the College will formally review all substantive change forms by the dates presented in the table below. The internal deadlines and the deadlines for submission to SACSCOC depend on whether the proposed change requires approval from the Full Board of Trustees, which only meets biannually, or Executive Council of the SACSCOC Board of Trustees. 

[1] Meets year-round.

Hampden-Sydney College Substantive Change Procedure

1. Notifications of substantive change should be reported to the IAL in order to determine whether notification alone, or approval/submission of a prospectus to SACSCOC is required. Investigation into a substantive change (i.e., new degree, program, or delivery system) may be initiated by a department or office, or a member of the President’s Cabinet, but there is no requirement specifying point of origin. The substantive change initiator will be charged with investigating to see whether the substantive would be viable. He/She will also be responsible to coordinate with the faculty members responsible for curriculum development. No substantive change may be implemented without confirmation from the IAL that all necessary approvals are in place.
   1. Proposed changes that do not represent a significant departure from the College’s current program do not require a substantive change submission request.
2. IF THE SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES REQUIRES NOTIFICATION ALONE BECAUSE IT IS NOT A SIGNIFICANT DEPARTURE FROM THE COLLEGE’S CURRENT PROGRAM:
   
   1. The SACSCOC IAL will complete the official communication to SACSCOC as defined in Substantive Change Policy and Procedures.
      1. A notification is complete only when accepted by SACSCOC upon satisfactory review by staff.
   2. Such SACSCOC notifications are logged by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness on the Substantive Change Status Report as “notification required changes”.
3. IF THE SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES REQUIRES APPROVAL/SUBMISSION OF A PROSPECTUS BECAUSE IT IS A SIGNIFICANT DEPARTURE FROM THE COLLEGE’S CURRENT PROGRAM:
   
   1. The SACSCOC IAL will direct the initiator to the Substantive Change Prospectus template.
   2. The substantive change initiator will draft a Prospectus proposal that will provide a rationale for the substantive change, how it supports the College mission, as well as all other components as defined in the SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy for said substantive change category. Prior to drafting the prospectus, the substantive change initiator is to consult the SACSCOC website for the current format and requested information.
   3. Upon completion of the Substantive Change Prospectus, the substantive change initiator will forward the proposal to the IAL to determine whether the change has the appropriate authorization (e.g., if it is a curriculum change, has the appropriate curriculum committee been involved?) and for verification that all components of the substantive change form are in compliance with the required documentation Once the IAL verifies the documentation is in compliance, he/she will present it to the President’s Cabinet for approval.
   4. The approved proposal will then be forwarded to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness/IAL. At that point, the Office of Institutional Effectiveness/IAL will contact SACSCOC to inform them of the proposed program.
      1. Notification of a new center or offering of a new program is to be submitted to SACSCOC six months prior to implementation.
   5. The proposal will be presented to the Board of Trustees for their approval.
   6. The IAL is responsible for securing approval of the President who in turn reports the substantive change to the Board of Trustees. In the case of substantive changes that are a significant departure from current practice (e.g., level change), Board approval may be required prior to implementation.
   7. The IAL will submit the final Substantive Change Prospectus (to SACSCOC) before the submission cutoff date. To meet SACSCOC's review schedule, the Office of Institutional Effectiveness must have the completed documentation by the following deadlines:
      

      Executive Council of BOT Approval (Meets Year Round)		Internal Deadline for H-SC Department/Unit
      Implementation between January 1 and June 30	July 1	April 15
      Implementation between July 1 and December 31	January 1	October 15
      Full BOT (Meets in June and December)		Internal Deadline for H-SC Department/Unit
      Review at the Board’s biannual June meeting of same calendar year	March 15	January 15
      Review at Board’s biannual December meeting of same calendar year	September 1	July 1

   8. Having completed these steps, the person designated to oversee the substantive change will then be responsible to implement the proposal once approved by SACSCOC.
4. At the conclusion of each academic year, the Office of Institutional Effectiveness will generate a Substantive Change Status Report detailing all accreditation/substantive changes which were generated during that academic year. This document will be forwarded to the President’s Cabinet. Should any mistakes or oversights be found on that report by any of the recipients, the Office of Institutional Effectiveness is to be notified immediately so that the corrected report can be submitted to the appropriate accreditation agency.
5. The effectiveness of the Substantive Change Policy and its attendant procedure will be reviewed at least every three years.

Questions regarding internal procedures may be directed to the IAL/Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

Review and Implementation Date: December 23, 2020

Subsequent Revisions: April 28, 2022; August 15, 2023