Johnson C. Smith University News January 2014 SACSCOC Accepts JCSU's Application for a Higher Degree Level University Will Become a Level III Institution At its annual December business meeting in Atlanta, Ga., the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accepted the university's application to offer the master's degree as its highest degree. The action taken by SACSCOC approved the university to begin offering its first graduate program in social work in fall 2014. A site visit by SACSCOC will be conducted within six months of the program's initiation to determine the university's continued compliance with the Principles of Accreditation. The SACSCOC Board of Trustees will then take action on the accreditation status of the institution at a new degree level. In addition, the university is expected to receive candidacy status from the Council on Social Work (CSWE) in February. This is the initial step that enables the university to begin offering courses and admitting students. The final step, or initial accreditation for the MSW program, will occur in 2015 following a site visit by CSWE. "This is a historic period at Johnson C. Smith University as we move from a bachelor-degree-granting institution to one that offers an even higher level of education," said Ronald L. Carter, president. "Our Master of Social Work is designed to meet the needs of our students and the community at large, fulfilling our mission as a new urban university." Founded in 1867, Johnson C. Smith University is an independent, close-knit urban university located in Charlotte, N.C. It has a growing national reputation for integrating the liberal arts with business, the sciences and technology in ways that empower tomorrow's diverse entrepreneurial citizens and leaders. Offering 22 fields of study to more than 1,300 students from a variety of ethnic, socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds, the university's excellent academic programs focus on servant leadership, civic engagement and global responsibility. For more information about JCSU, visit www.jcsu.edu or follow the university on social media sites Facebook , Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and http://pinterest.com/jcsu/ SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.