Air University Accreditation:  Air University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, masters, and doctor of philosophy degrees. Contact the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Air University.  

Accreditation of the Air University is reaffirmed every ten years by the Southern Association of Colleges and School Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The reaffirmation process requires AU to demonstrate compliance with SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation. 

• 2019 SACSCOC Reaffirmation of Accreditation Letter 
• 5-Year Report Interim Report Due March 2025 (Pending) 

SACSCOC Accreditation

SACSCOC is the recognized institutional accrediting body in the eleven U.S. Southern states and in Latin America for those institutions of higher education that award degrees. 

• SACSCOC Website 
• SACSCOC FAQ 
• The Principles of Accreditation 
• Resource Manual for The Principles of Accreditation 
• Integrity Statement 

Educational Sites 

The establishment of an off-campus educational site is governed by AU policy. In addition, the process must be reviewed in reference to the SACSCOC policy on Substantive Change. 

Faculty Credentialing 

SACSCOC Comprehensive Standard 6.2.a requires that all member institutions positively demonstrate that they employ competent faculty members qualified to accomplish the mission and goals of the institution. 

• Reporting the Qualifications of Full-Time and Part-Time Faculty Roster.

Substantive Change 

Accredited institutions are required to notify SACSCOC of changes in accordance with the substantive change policy and, when required, seek approval prior to the initiation of changes.

Air Force Institute of Technology:  In 2008, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges approved Air University's request for separate accreditation of Air University's Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT).  AFIT is separately accredited by the Higher Learning Commission to award masters and doctor of philosophy degrees.  Contact the Higher Learning Commission at 230 North LaSalle Street, Suite 7500, Chicago, Illinois 60604 or call 800-621-7440 for questions about the accreditation of the Air Force Institute of Technology.

Air University's mission is to access, train, educate, and develop Air and Space warfighters in support of the National Defense Strategy. To fulfill this mission, the university identifies, evaluates, and publishes goals and outcomes for student achievement that align with its mission, students, and programs. These expected student outcomes represent the university's commitment to preparing warfighters to excel in supporting the National Defense Strategy. As a further measure of its success, Air University has identified the following student achievement improvement priorities:

• Degree Completion Rate:  Track the number of enrolled students who successfully complete their degree program.

• ​5-Level Training Completion Rate: Track the completion rate of 5-level training, which leads to an Associate of Applied Science degree.
   

• Student Satisfaction Rate:  Track the satisfaction of students enrolled in our academic degree programs, aiming for consistently high positive feedback.

AIR UNIVERSITY QUALITY ENHANCEMENT PLAN (QEP)

Leadership & Ethics Across the Continuum of Learning

Air University’s Quality Enhancement Plan focuses on the development of a sound conceptual and theoretical basis for the development of leadership. Informed by an intensive leadership and ethics literature review, Air University developed a conceptual AUQEP framework to integrate the intersection of ethical and strategic leadership. The framework is designed to create a deliberate and comprehensive leadership development program for the University and the Air Force. The framework focuses on three specific strategic capacities that are foundational traits and skills necessary to create leaders who understand and display ethical leadership within the demanding Air Force mission. These capacities—absorptive, adaptive and decision-making—can be structured for the continuum of learning elements of training, education, and experience. The AUQEP framework will focus on the ethical and strategic leadership development of Air Force leaders in the context of individual/self, team/group, and organization/enterprise. Air University’s AUQEP was submitted in January 2019 for review by SACS-COC Visiting Team in March 2019.  Link to Approved AUQEP.

As the intellectual and leadership-development center of the Air and Space Forces, leadership development is a University-wide endeavor across all centers, schools and major programs, thus the AUQEP Director established a standing working group with representatives from the major centers, schools and programs. In order to develop curriculum that facilitates the development of leadership competencies for each Air University student, the AUQEP began by creating a baseline of existing knowledge of Air University students and over the five years of the AUQEP, has and will continue to facilitate the design of curriculum appropriate at each level of an Airman’s education. At the end of the AUQEP, the University will determine if and how the ethics and leadership curriculum impacted the overall state of the Air Force.

Prior to developing the AUQEP, Air University conducted an extensive review of leadership, leadership development and ethics research literature.  Air University’s proposed AUQEP framework integrates ethical leadership with a specific focus on the three strategic capacities (Hooijberg & Boal, 2000) -- absorptive, adaptive, and decision-making -- across the three major interpersonal domains. This framework provides a construct that promotes a deliberate and methodical way to analyze, evaluate, develop, and assess existing and future leadership development programs across the University. The framework conveys there is a relationship between an individual’s understandings of “self,” their ability as a “team” leader to create an environment that fosters subordinates’ individual development, and the capacity to foster culture/climate of the Air Force as an organization. Further, this is a bi-directional relationship of influence between the capacities within Airmen and the teams they lead, and the Air Force as a broader organization.

AUQEP Year One:  Academic Year 2020 - 2021

In year one, the AUQEP team conducted a data collection process to identify the competencies of an ethical leader, informed by a survey, focus meetings with the AUQEP working group and Air Force regulations, standards and doctrine. With the data, the team created a draft list of 22 competencies of ethical leadership. The team then mapped current Air University course curriculum to the ethical leadership competencies to determine areas in which to focus. Using the evidence from our analysis, Air University leadership chose to focus this AUQEP on the ethical leadership competencies of:

1.  Ethical Decision-Making
Makes well-informed, effective and timely decisions. Identifies problems, evaluates alternative perspectives/solutions, makes timely and effective recommendations, and identifies multiple possible courses of action. Considers all possible outcomes and makes the best decisions considering all factors: mission, people, ethics, and outcomes. Decision-making includes critical thinking: analytical, strategic and creative thinking.

2.  Empathy
Seeks to understand varied experiences of others through emotional perspective-taking to make decisions grounded in care and respect.

3.  Fosters Innovation
Builds a culture of behaviors and business practices that encourages, champions, and rewards creativity and informed risk taking; rapidly adapts to new conditions and technologies.

After determining the AUQEP focus areas, the team facilitated the design of curriculum, developed learning outcomes and engagements as well as faculty development in several select courses and schools across Air University. In Year 3 we will continue assessing the curriculum in the selected courses and developing program specific curriculum and assessment plans.

AUQEP Contacts

• Dr. Ella M. Temple, Institutional Analytics and Research Data
• Ms. Megan Allison, AUQEP Director and Leadership Institute
• Dr. Robert Hinck, Leadership Institute

If you are interested in learning more about the AUQEP, please contact us at: AUQEP@au.af.edu.

If you are involved in an AU program and are interested in participating in faculty development programs associated with our three focus areas, please contact the AUQEP Director, Megan Allison at: megan.allison.2@au.af.edu.

AUQEP Publications and Presentations

Tatum, K., Parson, L., Weise, J., Allison, M., & Farrell, R. (2019). Leadership and ethics across the continuum of learning: The Ethical Leadership Framework. Air & Space Power Journal, 33(4), 42-57. https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/ASPJ/journals/Volume-33_Issue-4/F-Tatum_et_al.pdf

Parson, L., Weise, J., Tatum, K., Allison, M., & Farrell, R. (2019). Evaluating and Assessing the Ethical Leadership Framework for Air Force Leader Development. Journal of Character & Leadership Development, 6(2), 50-63. https://www.usafa.edu/app/uploads/JCLD_Vol06_Issue02.pdf

Parson, L., Weise, J., Tatum, K, Allison, M., & Farrell, R. (March 2020). Developing a college credit leadership military program: Ethical leadership competencies. Presentation session for the Council of College and Military Educators annual symposium in Philadelphia, PA.

Parson, L., Steele, A., Tatum, K., Allison, M., & Weise, J. (2022). Identifying the Competencies of Air Force Ethical Leadership. Journal of Character & Leadership Development, 9(1), 75-92. https://jcli.scholasticahq.com/article/35509-identifying-the-competencies-of-air-force-ethical-leadership