Quality Enhancement Plan
RAFT
Rise and Flourish Together
This semester we’re rolling out our new Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) to benefit
you and future ACC students. This QEP is called RAFT and focuses on improving curriculum
student success through enhanced and integrated mental health awareness, support,
and services.
ACC'S QUALITY ENHANCEMENT PLAN
Get on the RAFT
Rise and Flourish Together
Otters are known to rest in a “raft” composed of other otters (“Otters, 2022”). As they drift in the water, these groups or rafts are used to keep them together and support each other by holding hands (paws) or locking arms.
ACC’s Quality Enhancement Plan Get on the RAFT: Rise and Flourish Together seeks to meet students where they are and show them they are part of a community eager to support them.
ACC’s main campus is located on the banks of the Haw River, and the College mascot is Haw the river otter. Otters are known to rest in a “raft” composed of other otters (“Otters, 2022”). As they drift in the water, these groups or rafts are used to keep them together and support each other by holding hands (paws) or locking arms.
As a result of the QEP, the college hopes to form a raft of ACC otters that are connected and feel the support of their ACC community beside them. This support will play a pivotal role in their success in college.
What is the Quality Enhancement Plan?
Every ten years, colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) go through a process for reaffirmation of accreditation. For accreditation purposes, SACSCOC requires colleges and universities to engage in a broad-based self-study and discovery process to identify and become involved in a “plan” that will enhance overall student learning and/or learning environment at the institution. This Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is a five-year project that should become part of the college’s culture.
What is ACC’s Plan?
Alamance Community College’s QEP, get on the RAFT, aims to improve curriculum student success through enhanced and integrated mental health awareness, support, and services.
Focus of ACC’s Plan
Concerned about the increase in mental health issues among college students, Alamance Community College (ACC) faculty, staff, and students have chosen mental health as the topic for ACC’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). ACC aims to improve curriculum student success through enhanced and integrated mental health awareness, support, and services. According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (2023), mental health is defined to “include our emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.”
Objectives and Strategies
Improve Mental Health Awareness
1.1 Provide Mental Health Awareness and “First Aid” Training for Faculty, Staff, and
Students
1.2 Launch Mental Health Awareness Campaigns
1.3 Promote Mental Health Strategies through Student Programs and Activities
Enhance Mental Health Resources and Services
2.1 Increase Counseling Staff at ACC
2.2 Review College Policies and Procedures to Support Mental Health
2.2 Improve Telehealth Services for Students
2.3 Expand partnerships with Community Mental Health Providers
2.4 Support Faculty and Staff Mental Health
Foster a Supportive and Inclusive Campus Environment
3.1 Provide Faculty and Staff Training in Inclusive Practices
3.2 Foster a Sense of Community through Student Programs and Activities