The Academic Affairs Committee reported that VMI has begun preparations for its SACSCOC reaccreditation visit scheduled for 2027. Area leads for each accreditation standard have been identified and first-draft compliance reports are due March 31, 2025, the committee said. An ad hoc Quality Enhancement Plan ideation committee ranked academic preparedness as the preferred focus for the QEP.

Accreditations and program concerns: the committee reported that the business program has been notified of a request for additional faculty scholarship documentation but is otherwise expected to be reaccredited; civil and electrical engineering programs had no ABET issues, while mechanical engineering received one weakness finding related to its capstone course outcomes demonstrating ABET standards. The committee said staff will address that weakness for follow-up review.

Admission standards and merit scholarships: the committee said VMI has not substantially updated its general admission standards since 1988 and is preparing a draft update for board review ahead of the May meeting. Committee members raised concerns about the timing of merit scholarship awards, noting VMI's merit funding pool is limited (the presenter described approximately $285,000 in merit scholarship funding annually). That limited pool and the institute's practice of packaging merit awards with later benefits (such as ROTC awards) can delay merit notification and reduce competitiveness for top applicants who receive earlier offers from peer institutions. The committee requested a description of current awarding processes, peer best practices and recommendations for improvement by the May board meeting.

Readmission, transfer and program proposals: committee members said the academic board is reviewing changes to readmission standards (removing major GPA as a bar to readmission and allowing readmission under academic probation), reconsidering the 18-transfer-credit limit and discussing a general studies program to facilitate cadets who need to change majors while continuing progress toward a degree. The committee also discussed a potential fifth-year option to allow cadets extended NCAA eligibility or to pursue a second major.

Next steps: academic leads will submit draft compliance reports by March 31, 2025. The committee will produce a briefing on the current merit scholarship process and alternatives for more timely offers ahead of the May board meeting.