Welcome to The University of Texas (UT) at Arlington’s Reaffirmation of Accreditation website. This site presents the University’s response to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) requirements as detailed in The Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement. The reaffirmation process consists of two phases. In phase one, the University must demonstrate compliance with a number of standards required by SACS (e.g., ongoing planning and assessment at all levels, appropriate faculty qualifications, fiscal soundness, appropriate governance structures). The report on this phase, called the Compliance Certification, was prepared during the 2005-06 academic year and was submitted to SACS on September 8, 2006.  Phase two of the reaffirmation is the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). The QEP is a new feature of the SACS process and provides an opportunity for UT Arlington to “enhance overall institutional quality and effectiveness by focusing on an issue important to improving student learning.” Through a series of campus-wide discussions, surveys and focus groups, the faculty identified Active Learning: Pathways to Higher Order Thinking as our QEP theme.  Active learning will be the means to enhance undergraduate education at UT Arlington, through the creation of classroom environments that encourage students to share ownership in their learning experience.  It will foster the skills that will enable our students to become contributing members of the University and the surrounding community. A detailed plan for implementing this initiative is under development and will be submitted to SACS in January 2007. The second phase of the reaffirmation culminates in a campus visit by a SACS team in Spring 2007 to resolve any remaining compliance issues and to evaluate the QEP.  I believe that the reaffirmation process has been, and will continue to be, an enlightening and constructive experience for all of us at UT Arlington. It has given the University a chance to take stock in itself and make certain that our strategic mission and collective vision are the guiding principles in our future. UT Arlington is a Carnegie Research University (High Research Activity) whose mission is the advancement of knowledge and the pursuit of excellence in research, teaching and public service. As an emerging major research university within The UT System, the institution serves approximately 25,000 students, including more than 5,000 graduate students, and offers 78 baccalaureate, 73 master’s, and 33 doctoral degree programs.  The mission statement supports comprehensive academic research; attracting and retaining high quality faculty scholars who actively engage students; a well-rounded academic experience promoting student involvement, service learning, and free discourse; alternative access venues to meet students’ needs; and the development of public and private partnerships.  UT Arlington is an excellent University with outstanding faculty, staff, and students. One of our greatest challenges is to inform, educate, and persuade the world around us of our distinctive strengths. We will accomplish this with our actions and by telling our many compelling stories. The SACS process is one of the many frameworks that can be used to tell our story of excellence. As you review the components of the reaffirmation project, I am confident you will come to agree that to “Be a Maverick” is something special. James D. Spaniolo, President The University of Texas at Arlington