Liberty University Online Academy Full Accreditation by SACS
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) announced in early February that Liberty University Online Academy (LUOA) has been granted full accreditation. The five-year accreditation is a major milestone for Liberty University’s most recent online educational venture for grades 3-12.
Now in its third year of operation, LUOA is quickly receiving recognition as a quality option for parents seeking Christian online homeschooling education for their children. For the 2009-10 school year, 700 students are enrolled in LUOA, residing in 46 states and 11 foreign countries.
SACS…Scope of recognition: the accreditation and pre-accreditation (”Candidate for Accreditation”) of degree-granting institutions of higher education in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, including distance education programs offered at those institutions.
Accreditation Status Categories (these may vary slightly across Accrediting Bodies)
1.Grant Candidacy or Initial Accreditation
2.Deny Candidacy or Initial Accreditation
3.Defer Action
4.Continue Accreditation between the Capacity and Preparatory Review and the Educational Effectiveness Review
5.Reaffirm Accreditation
6.Issue a Formal Notice of Concern
7.Issue a Warning
8.Impose Probation
9.Issue an Order to Show Cause
10.Terminate Accreditation
U.S. Department of Education, getting tough on existing regulations
Officials of For-Profit Colleges See Department’s Proposed Rule Changes as ‘Aggressive’
By Jennifer Gonzalez
Any thoughts that the U.S. Department of Education planned only to tweak existing regulations that affect for-profit colleges and other higher-education sectors were dashed on Monday when the agency released a draft of proposed revisions to a panel of negotiators.
Many people in higher education, especially those in the for-profit sector, were taken aback at the substantial changes proposed, with some calling the move “aggressive” and “surprisingly strong.”
The panel, whose members include federal officials and representatives of institutions and associations affected by the regulations, has been charged with re-examining 14 rules in a process known as negotiated rule-making.
Click here for the full article by Jennifer Gonzalez
Student Services Impact on Retention Rates
So, you have worked your inquiry pool through the enrollment funnel using my articles on 7 Steps to Converting Leads, Need a Boost in Enrollment and 7 Steps to Successfully Grow Your Online Enrollment. Congratulations, but your battle is only half over at this point. 
Here is a very vital piece of information that you may have taken for granted through that entire conversion process…Your students are not dependent on you, but you are dependent on them. If you do not service your students, someone else will!!!!
A successful online or residential program must be known for its value in student satisfaction, retention and success completion rates as an indicator and measurement of academic service and integrity. Finding ways to increase retention, enhance your delivery and enrich your academic content is not only wise, but necessary if you want to stay ahead of your competition. Adult learner enrollments have increased due to economic layoffs, a large population of baby boomers and the increase of accessibility. Your institution needs to be ready to provide relevant, career engaging academic services that meet students where their life is at. Most institutions who provide online courses haves found that adult learners tend to hold higher expectations for student services than younger traditional students. They expect the same level of attention they expect from any other service provider. That implies 24 x 7 access to student services, via phone, online resources, self-service tools and other delivery modes while still providing face-to-face service when needed. Some academic services your institution may consider:
Need a boost in enrollment?
Most traditional schools are not prepared for the aggressive nature of the enrollment process since market-funded schools have entered the industry over the past decade. Take note of what I am about to highlight for you….
Schools need to build their processes around their growth goals, not build their growth goals around their current processes. To be competitive and survive today, the rate of external change should never exceed the rate of your internal change.
In order to increase enrollment, with the highest possible return on investment, you will need to have a professionally trained enrollment team supported by a technology infrastructure that provides the following:
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