Georgia Highlands College is up for reaccreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, or SACS-COC. SACSCOC is the organization that determines whether a school may remain in operation or not. A major part of SACSCOC reaccreditation is a Quality Enhancement Plan or “QEP.”

A QEP is decided upon by “a broad-based survey” from faculty and staff, according to Assistant Professor of English Jessica Lindberg, the vice chair of the QEP team. Lindberg said the survey asks “What is it we are not doing well for our students?”

The QEP began with a list of 30 topics which was narrowed down to five. This recent QEP is entitled “Quest for Success.” It is designed for the betterment of academic advising on all Georgia Highlands campuses.

SACSCOC accreditation must be renewed every 10 years. A school’s QEP runs a course of five years.

“Quest for Success” is scheduled to begin in spring 2019. It will begin by having all first-time GHC students go through an enhanced advising program.

In the program they will take personality and interest quizzes to determine their strengths and weaknesses. Students will then be placed into groups with other students of similar interests, according to Lindberg.

Each group will be assigned a professional adviser who will be responsible for explaining to students courses to take as well as the seemingly inconsequential details such as where to go for printing and how the library operates.

Students will later speak to a faculty adviser. Unlike in the current system, faculty will reach out to students.

Sharryse Henderson, a chair of the QEP Team, states that “Quest for Success” will run for five years but that she expects it to have a lasting impact on GHC students for many years.

Despite “Quest for Success” affecting incoming students directly, Henderson advises all students to be familiar with the QEP.

Information can be found at quest.highlands.edu. Students may also contact any of the QEP team members, including Henderson or Lindberg.