Rules & Regulations of the State of Tennessee
Title 1540 - Higher Education Commission
Chapter 1540-01-14 - State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA)
Section 1540-01-14-.01 - DEFINITIONS

(1) Commission" means the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, which has authority to serve as the portal agency;

(2) "Institution" means an accredited postsecondary degree-granting school, college, university, or other organization;

(3) "NC-SARA" means the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements;

(4) "Portal agency" means the single agency designated by Tennessee to serve as the interstate point of contact for SARA questions, complaints, and other communications;

(5) "Provisional admission" or "provisional renewal" means conditional approval of an Institution's participation in SARA that carries additional monitoring conditions;

(6) "State authorization reciprocity agreement" or "SARA" means the agreement overseen by NC-SARA;

(7) "SARA governing documents" means the SARA Manual as updated periodically, including documents incorporated therein such as the Interregional Guidelines for the Evaluation of Distance Education and the Unified State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement; the SREB-SARA Guidelines and Procedures as updated periodically; and any document specifying SARA policies and practices that supersedes the SARA Manual or the SREB-SARA Guidelines and Procedures;

(8) "SREB-SARA" means the Southern Regional Education Board SARA initiative, to include the SARA Director, staff, and Regional Steering Committee; and

(9) "These rules" means all rules contained in Rule Chapter 1540-01-14.