Substantive Change

What is substantive change?

A substantive change is a significant modification or expansion of the nature and scope of an accredited institution. Substantive change includes high-impact, high-risk changes and changes that can impact the quality of educational programs and services. A substantive change may be submitted by the institution’s chief executive officer or accreditation liaison only.

• LSUHSC-S Substantive Change Policy
• SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy and Procedures

What are the types of substantive changes?

What is the institution's responsibility to SACSCOC about substantive changes?

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport (LSUHSC‐S) notifies SACSCOC of any substantive change and seeks prior approval of changes as required by the commission in accordance with the SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy and Procedures and SACSCOC Standard 14.2.

What are the deadlines for submitting a substantive change?

To ensure that SACSCOC reporting deadlines are met, questions and requests for review should be directed to the institution’s Accreditation Liaison as early as possible in the planning process. If a change is determined to be substantive, SACSCOC approval must be sought as much as twelve months in advance of implementing the change. If Louisiana Board of Regents and/or LSU Board of Supervisors approvals are also required for the change, those approvals must be obtained prior to SACSCOC notification/approval. 

Deadlines are based on notification/approval requirements for various types of substantive changes as described below:

• Approval by the Board of Trustees -  March 15 for review at the Board’s meeting in June of the same calendar year, and September 1 for review at the Board’s meeting in December of the same calendar year.
• Approval by the Executive Council of the Board of Trustees -  January 1 for changes to be implemented July 1 through December 31 of the same calendar year, and July 1 for changes to be implemented January 1 through June 30 of the subsequent calendar year.
• Notification only -  any time before implementation. Once the institution has submitted notification, it may implement before receiving a response from SACSCOC.

What is an accreditation liaison?

Every SACSCOC member institution has an accreditation liaison whose charge is to ensure compliance with accreditation requirements. The accreditation liaison provides program directors, associate deans for academic affairs, and deans with information about the SACSCOC substantive change policy annually; works with program directors, associate deans for academic affairs, and deans to determine whether a proposed change is substantive; determines what action with respect to SACSCOC is needed when a change is substantive; files the appropriate notification or prospectus with SACSCOC; and coordinates with SACSCOC and program directors, associate deans for academic affairs, and deans about any required follow‐up action.

The current accreditation liaison for LSUHSC‐S is:
Jeffrey Howells, MBA, MS
Director of Institutional Planning, Effectiveness, and Accreditation
B Bldg., Room 1‐201
(318) 675‐8152
Jeffrey.Howells@lsuhs.edu