The CEA voted to grant Southeast’s IEP a 10-year accreditation period, the longest period awarded by CEA, through December 2031. The reaccreditation completes a process that began in July 2019 and included a self-study and virtual site visit in September 2021. 

During the reaccreditation process, Southeast’s IEP was evaluated on if the program met 44 Standards for English Language Programs and Institutions, including an effective curriculum, qualified faculty, student-centered support, mission-driven decisions, and adequate resources to assure that students are well served.

Receiving this recognition from the CEA, a member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, is an honor for Southeast’s IEP and the University, said Breanna Walling, director of the program.

“This accomplishment demonstrates our program’s commitment to meeting CEA’s standards for curriculum, instruction, administration, student services and other areas,” Walling said. “The 10-year accreditation also reflects the Commission’s confidence about the quality of the program and our culture of reflection and continuous improvement.” 

Southeast’s IEP serves English language learners by providing academic English coursework in listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and cultural topics. The program provides coursework for all English language skills at all proficiency levels, with online and on-campus programs to meet the needs of short-term, long-term, and conditionally admitted students. 

“Many IEP students plan to attend undergraduate or graduate degrees at Southeast. In these cases, IEP completion can be used to meet the English language proficiency requirement for admission to an academic program,” Walling said. 

Th reaccreditation represents the work of many talented people at the University dedicated to student success, Walling added. 

“We’re grateful to the teachers and staff who created an excellent program that meets CEA’s standards, and who prepared the self-study documents,” Walling said. “We’d also like to recognize the experts in the TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) field who participated in CEA’s review and site visit. We’re looking forward to another 10 years supporting language learners at Southeast.” 

Southeast’s IEP first applied for accreditation in 2013 and was granted initial accreditation in April 2016. The initial accreditation was extended for four years in 2017.