Our New Academic Year and the Vital Role of Accreditation

Welcome to the new academic year! It is a time of great anticipation as we welcome new and returning students and residents back to our campuses and clinical partners.

While our Strategic Plan is replete with important objectives, being in continuous readiness for accreditations and performing with distinction in each and every one of these is a vital objective for UT Health Science Center. You can't proclaim excellence if you are mired in accreditation challenges.

Accreditation must always be 'top of mind' for all of us, as we invariably have some program review ongoing at any time. Of our 35 academic programs, 19 have professional accreditors, plus ACGME accredits our residency programs and SACSCOC accredits our institution. Even programs without a professional accreditor have regular external peer reviews.

In 2023 alone, seven programs underwent reviews by their professional accreditor. So far, in 2024, we have had three visits by professional accreditors, with one to go in 2024 and our College of Dentistry is scheduled for a full CODA review in 2025. As well, several of our non-externally accredited programs in the College of Graduate Health Sciences are undergoing reviews this year.

We can and should be proud of our accomplishments in accreditation. UT Health Science Center has full institutional accreditation from SACSCOC for the 10-year cycle. In 2022, our College of Pharmacy achieved full accreditation with its next review scheduled for 2032. In 2023, our College of Nursing BSN program had a flawless (!) external review by the Tennessee Board of Nursing. As of March 2024, our College of Medicine is now back on its complete eight-year accreditation cycle. Many other college-specific programs have also excelled.

Yet, we cannot be complacent, and we must build a more robust institutional capacity for accreditation. This is a vital part of our Strategic Plan and, in the coming months, we'll highlight the important role that each of us plays in accreditation.

We are most grateful for your efforts in ensuring our academic programs are of the highest quality to prepare our graduates to carry out our vision: Healthy Tennesseans. Thriving Communities.

With Respect and Gratitude for your Work,

Peter Buckley, Chancellor

Cindy Russell, Vice Chancellor

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