After more than a year of preparation, reviews and campus visits, Troy University has been given a 10-year approval of its institution accreditation.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges gave the university its final OK Tuesday in its annual meeting.

“This puts us in a tremendous position to be able to provide for students at Troy and the entire southeast Alabama,” said John Dew, vice president of institutional research, planning and effectiveness.

Troy University has been accredited since 1934, but the school has to undergo a new review every 10 years.

However, with Troy University’s merger of all its campuses into “One Great University” in 2005, SACS only gave a three-year approval initially.

Dew and other staff at the university have been working to prepare for the review through the last year.

Reaching this achievement is one that Dew said is a key milestone for Troy University.

“I think it’s a sign that the long process of merging three separately credited institutions into ‘One Great University’ is complete,” Dew said.

“That is a tremendous milestone for the university.”

University Chancellor Jack Hawkins Jr. agrees this approval is a benchmark for the institution.

“In effect, three independently accredited universities within the then-Troy State University System — each with a separate administration and curriculum — were unified into one Troy University,” Hawkins said.

“This was an unprecedented re-invention of a university and a dramatic example of stewardship and service.”

Approval for the institution also means it is accredited by national standards and can provide financial aid to its students.

Dew said now the university will have its accreditation affirmed for the next 10 years, though under new SACS standards will undergo a small-scaled review in the next five years.

While the school has earned approval, Dew said in January the university will be given a report with some areas to improve.

“In most affirmations, we’ll have some area for added improvement,” Dew said.