The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. It serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices among the diverse institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Latin America and other international sites approved by the Commission on Colleges that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees. The Commission also accepts applications from other international institutions of higher education. Mission Statement: The mission of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is to assure the educational quality and improve the effectiveness of its member institutions. Core Values: The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges have six core values. They are: Integrity Continuous Quality Improvement Peer Review/Self-regulation Accountability Student Learning Transparency http://www.sacscoc.org/Note written by Chandler Harvey, JVB (2014)