Description of the Compliance Review Process

Wilkes Community College began its compliance review process in September 2004. After considering several options for conducting the compliance review, the administrative council decided that it would be responsible for this portion of the reaffirmation process. This decision was based on the broad range of representation on the council, the council’s knowledge of college operations, and because of their access to the information necessary to complete this task.

Memberships on the administrative council include the following:

• The College President
• Business Manager/Controller
• Dean of Instruction
• Dean of Student Services/SACS Liaison
• Dean of Development
• Dean of Continuing Education
• Associate Dean of Information Services
• Associate Dean of Facilities and Purchasing and
• Special Assistant to the President.

Specific core requirements, comprehensive standards, and federal mandates were assigned to individual members of the council and a timetable was developed to guide the completion of the process. The council usually meets bi-weekly and the compliance review became a regular agenda item at meetings.

Administrative council members worked with employees under their supervision to develop their assigned compliance reports and submitted these to the special assistant to the president who coordinated the compliance review. For each core requirement, comprehensive standard, or federal mandate under study, a small group of staff and faculty served as a reading team to assist the writers in making sure each report adequately addressed its topic and to make sure the documentation provided was sufficient and accessible.

As the compliance reports were written the college’s information technology staff developed a web site to serve as a central source for all of the college’s reaffirmation activities. Once the reading team approved a compliance report for posting on the college’s SACS web site, it was immediately available for review by the entire college community. Also, this site made it possible for everyone working on reaffirmation to have access to the same information and for changes to be made quickly and efficiently.

This process led to an effective review of the college’s performance in comparison to the Principles and allowed for representation and input from all sectors of the college.