AURAK Gains SACSCOC Accreditation
December 15 2018 - 5:49AM
Business Wire
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on
Colleges (SACSCOC) officially announced the accreditation of the
American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) at its 2018 Annual
Meeting which was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United
States of America.
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AURAK delegation during the SACSCOC
conference in New Orleans” (Photo: AETOSWire)
SACSCOC, the regional body for the accreditation of
degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern
United States, has a membership of more than 800 institutions in
the Southern states and other international sites approved by
SACSCOC that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, and/or
doctoral degrees. SACSCOC also awards accreditation to other
international institutions of higher education that satisfy all its
requirements and demonstrate compliance with its accreditation
standards. AURAK now joins the very small group of elite
international higher education institutions that have attained
SACSCOC accreditation and can enjoy the diverse benefits of
membership in this highly revered organization.
“Accreditation by SACSCOC signifies that the institution has a
mission appropriate to higher education, has resources, programs,
and services sufficient to accomplish and sustain that mission, and
maintains clearly specified educational objectives that are
consistent with its mission and appropriate to the degrees its
offers, and that indicate whether it is successful in achieving its
stated objectives.”
“The culmination of the accreditation process is a public
statement of an institution’s continuing capacity to provide
effective programs and services based on agreed-upon requirements.
The statement of an institution’s accreditation status with SACSCOC
also represents an affirmation of an institution’s continuing
commitment to the Commission’s principles and philosophy of
accreditation.”
AURAK is a nonprofit, government-owned institution of higher
education which provides the local, regional and international
communities with a North American-style education integrated with
Arabic customs and traditions. It is licensed by the Ministry of
Education in the UAE and offers a total of 22 accredited
undergraduate and graduate programs across a wide range of
disciplines. Despite having this primary local accreditation, AURAK
was determined to broaden its impact in higher education by
obtaining internationally recognized institutional and program
accreditations. To date, the institution has six programs
accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and
Technology (ABET) and institutional accreditation by SACSCOC. It
should be noted that in the case of institutional accreditation by
SACSCOC, an institution is also expected to document and
demonstrate the quality and effectiveness of all its programs and
services although the agency does not award individual program
accreditation.
AURAK has been working diligently towards obtaining SACSCOC
accreditation since 2014 and successfully achieved candidacy status
in July of 2017. This paved the way for the institution to undergo
even more rigorous and comprehensive onsite review by a SACSCOC
Accreditation Committee. The Committee found the institution to be
in compliance with all accreditation standards and requirements.
Further internal reviews were conducted by SACSCOC in keeping with
its multi-tiered peer review process, the culmination of which was
AURAK obtaining SACSCOC accreditation.
This was a formidable achievement that was four years in the
making. It demonstrates the tenacity, determination and commitment
of AURAK to achieving excellence in all its undertakings – for its
students, faculty, staff and other stakeholders.
“The long- standing dream and goal has come true in a record
time. The report is positive and clear.” Professor Hassan beamed
proudly during the declaration of AURAK’s SACSCOC accreditation
status. “Today AURAK is among the first universities in the Middle
East and North Africa (MENA) region to successfully initiate and
complete the entire accreditation process as an applicant
institution to secure membership from the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), affirming
that AURAK is not only as an institution of quality among Arabic
educational institutions, but also on an international level as
well. This accreditation validates our claims of providing students
with a highly rigorous curriculum from the credentialed and highly
knowledgeable faculty we have always strived to hire and support.
AURAK has achieved in a very short time what some other
institutions have failed to do in decades.
I would like to seize this opportunity to thank the AURAK family
and supporters for their loyalty, dedication, and hard work.
Without them, AURAK would not be the exemplar of educational
excellence it is. Today our aspirations and our hard work have been
realized. In gaining SACSCOC membership we join a community of
highly respected institutions. We look forward to offering a vast
array of educational opportunities through which we will continue
to develop and excel.”
*Source: AETOSWire
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American University of Ras Al KhaimahHelen
Amhani,Manager, Department of Communications and Public
Relations+97172210900 Ext: 1445hamhani@aurak.ac.ae