Prairie View A&M University submitted its Fifth-Year Interim Report to SACSCOC on March 15, 2016. The report responded to the U.S. Department of Education’s requirements (1) that accrediting bodies continuously monitor institutions to ensure compliance and (2) that accrediting bodies have a mechanism for reviewing multiple sites initiated since last reaffirmation. Compliance requirements spanned areas such as the number of full-time faculty and institutional effectiveness of educational programs to program length and recruitment materials, among many others.
In addition to the Fifth-Year Report, the University submitted its Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Impact Report on iREAD. The report included a reflection on what PVAMU learned as a result of the QEP experience. The iREAD participants’ retention rate was, on average, 81.75% while that of the freshman cohort for the same period was 66.75%. For iREAD participants, there was a 15% greater retention rate than that of the freshman cohort. Data illustrated that the graduation rate for the 2011 freshman cohort was 13% compared to 19% for the iREAD participants, which is 6% higher. As noted in the report, the iREAD program blended the organization, academic and co-curricula content, design, personnel, image, and general support needed to move the needle on student success.
The Office for Institutional Accreditation (OFIA) staff members include Dr. E. Joahanne Thomas-Smith, Special Assistant to the President and Provost Emerita; Dr. James M. Palmer, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Interim Dean and Director of Land Grant Programs; Ms. Traci Chernosky, Administrative Assistant III; Mr. Ranvesh Srivastava, Data and Technology Specialist; and Mr. Mathew Vairez, Graduate Assistant and PhD student in Educational Leadership.