About USF

A Preeminent Research University and AAU member with campuses across the Tampa Bay region, the University of South Florida is dedicated to empowering students to maximize their potential for lifelong success.

Reaffirmation

Introduction

University of South Florida ’s accreditation is reaffirmed every ten years by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).  

To be accredited and reaffirmed, the University must demonstrate compliance with the SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation and prepare three distinct sets of documents that are as follows:

  1. A Compliance Certification Report (CCR) documenting USF’s compliance with the Principles of Accreditation;
  2. A brief overview/executive summary of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP); and
  3. An Institutional Summary Form (ISF) and Substantive Change history.  

Reaffirmation of accreditation by SACSCOC involves extensive evaluation of compliance by off-site peer review, an onsite review, and review by the Commission’s Board of Trustees.

For further information, please visit USF’s institutional accreditation website.


Timeline

September 2022 President Law established the USF Accreditation Steering Committee (ASC)
September 2022 ASC implemented USF Accreditation Core and Functional Teams
December 2022 SACSCOC Orientation Session for USF Leadership Team in Atlanta
January 2023 – May 2024 Compilation of Compliance Certification Report (CCR)
Fall 2023 Finalized Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Topic
January 2024 – June 2024 Internal/External Review of CCR
July 2024 - August 2024 Compilation of Institutional Summary Form
September 5, 2024 Submission of CCR, QEP, and ISF to SACSCOC
Fall 2024 Planning of On-Site Visit/SACSCOC Off-Site Committee Reviews
November 5-8, 2024 SACSCOC Off-Site Committee Reviews
January 7, 2025 Submission of QEP and Focused Report (if requested) to SACSCOC
February 18-20, 2025 SACSCOC On-Site Visit & QEP Defense
December 2025 Reaffirmation by SACSCOC

Contact

For all questions related to USF’s 2025 Reaffirmation, please contact accreditation@usf.edu.


USF Accreditation Steering Committee 

USF’s Accreditation Steering Committee is responsible for providing oversight and guidance for reaffirmation with SACSCOC.

  • Dr. Theresa Chisolm,  Vice Provost, Strategic Planning, Performance & Accountability (Co-Chair) 
  • Dr. Brett Kemker, Vice Provost and RVC, Academic Affairs & Student Success (Co-Chair)
  • Jennifer Condon, VP, Business & Finance, CFO
  • Dr. Cynthia DeLuca, VP, Student Success
  • Paige Beles Geers, Chief of Staff, Office of the President
  • Jodi Adamchak, Office of General Counsel Representative
  • Dr. Addye Buckley-Burnell, QEP Director & Assoc VP/Exec Director, Career Services 
  • Dr. Allison Crume, Dean, UG Studies
  • Dean Todd Chavez, Dean, USF Libraries
  • Dr. Thomas Smith, USF St. Petersburg campus
  • Dr. Brett Kemker, USF Sarasota-Manatee campus
  • Dr. Javier Cuevas, USF Health
  • Dr. Scott Besley, Faculty Senate Representative
  • Carole Post, VP, Facilities & Public Safety Operations
  • Dean Chris Garvin, College of the Arts, Council of Deans
  • Dr. Christopher Combie, Accreditation Liaison Officer (Ex officio)
  • Cynthia Brown Hernandez, Deputy Accreditation Liaison Officer (Ex officio)
  • Mary Kuka-Marchese, USF 2025 Reaffirmation Project Manager (Ex officio)

USF Accreditation CORE/Functional Team

USF’s Accreditation Core/Functional Team is responsible for producing the documents required for reaffirmation by SACSCOC.

  • Dr. Theresa Chisolm, Vice Provost, Strategic Planning, Performance & Accountability
  • Dr. Brett Kemker, Vice Provost and RVC, Academic Affairs & Student Success
  • Dr. Valeria Garcia, Associate Vice President, Office of Decision Support
  • Dr. Christopher Combie, Accreditation Liaison Officer and Senior Director, Institutional Effectiveness
  • Cynthia Brown Hernandez, Deputy Accreditation Liaison Officer and Director, Academic Planning & Operational Reporting, Director of Substantive Change
  • Dr. Michelle Madden, Director of Accreditation Strategy & Enhancement
  • Mary Kuka-Marchese, USF 2025 Reaffirmation Project Manager and Associate Director, Continuous Quality Improvement
  • Joe Boyd, Assistant Director, Academic Program Review & Faculty Affairs
  • Dr. Rebecca Gibbons, Assistant Director, Accreditation/Regulatory Compliance & Assessment
  • Dr. Maham Khan, Assessment & Compliance Analyst
  • Jessica Harris, Academic Compliance Analyst
  • Jonna DeSantis, Executive Administrative Specialist
  • Tammy Reed, Executive Administrative Specialist

Learn more about USF’s institutional accreditation.


Creation date: 11/16/2022; Last updated: 09/05/2024
This webpage is monitored frequently. Dates will only change if there are changes/edits to the content on this page.