Provost Melton told the Student and Academic Affairs committee that Tennessee State University is on track with its Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) fifth‑year interim report and is ahead of the timeline previously established by the institution.

Dr. Anderson, who provided the update, said the university has completed draft submissions and secured external consultant feedback. “We are really pleased where we’re at right now,” she said, reporting that peer review to date found 17 standards in compliance while roughly five standards require additional documentation or clarification. The team plans to plug updated fall‑2025 data into the report in January and submit the full interim report into SACSCOC’s portal on March 1; the SACSCOC review committee is expected to meet in April with a subsequent response window measured in months.

The provost also presented metrics the board identified as priorities: retention, progression and graduation. Melton highlighted a substantial improvement in first‑year progression, reporting that current first‑time freshmen were entering with 15 or more credit hours (a figure she described as 78–79 percent), a marked change from prior cohorts. That increase, combined with advising, winter/summer term interventions and course access, is expected to lift graduation rates over the next several years.

“This fall we are graduating 638 candidates,” Melton said, and outlined an expanded, student‑centered commencement plan with three ceremonies to accommodate colleges and families. She added that the university projects approximately 1,686 candidates for Spring 2026, a cohort that the administration says will push the institution toward a multi‑point percentage increase in its graduation rate.

Board members asked standard‑practice questions about documentation for the SACSCOC items and the specific interventions behind the progression gains. Melton credited advisors, faculty and new academic programming for improvements and said the university will return updated evidence in January and in the March portal submission.

What happens next: the university’s steering committee will finalize the near‑final draft for consultant review before the Thanksgiving break, insert updated fall‑2025 data in January, and submit to SACSCOC on March 1. Trustees were asked to be prepared to respond at the December legislative sunset presentation about board composition and accomplishments related to academic oversight.

Provenance: Topics introduced in the committee’s opening presentation (Dr. Anderson) and followed by Provost Melton’s retention/graduation remarks (see timeline entries SEG 060–SEG 447).

Speakers quoted or cited in this article appear in the meeting record as Dr. Anderson and Provost Melton.