NC‑SARA chair: 164 Texas institutions participate; policy modifications head to regional votes in July

Cam Ahart, the Texas contact for NC‑SARA who said he was recently named chair of NC‑SARA's board, told the ELTAC on June 12 that the state-level portal and regional structure remain critical to interstate distance-education delivery.

Ahart said NC‑SARA comprises the national compact and a nonprofit operations partner (NC‑SARA) plus four regional compacts that vote on policy proposals. "If a proposal receives a positive vote from all four regional compacts, it goes to the October NC‑SARA board meeting for a final vote," Ahart said, and he urged institutions to review the current policy proposals and provide comments by the July 7 deadline so regional steering committees can consider practical implications.

Participation numbers and data reporting: Ahart reported that 164 Texas institutions currently participate in SARA: 87 public institutions, 61 independent/private institutions, and 16 for‑profit institutions. He also reminded institutions that NC‑SARA data-reporting windows were open, noting that 50 Texas institutions still had outstanding reports in the most recent check and that the reporting window was closing soon.

Why it matters: the SARA compact governs how students can enroll in out‑of‑state distance courses and how state portal entities implement consumer protections and program approvals. Policy revisions under consideration could change disclosures, professional licensure guidance, or other state-to-state practices that affect institutions that enroll out-of-state distance learners.

What institutions should do: Ahart recommended institutions register for the Texas SARA Forum (virtual) and attend sessions most relevant to professional licensure and data reporting. He particularly highlighted a July 7 comment deadline and advised institutions to coordinate with their state portal entity when drafting comments.

Quote: "We would all love your comments so that those regional steering committees can take those comments under advisement when considering how to vote on a particular proposal," Ahart said.

Next steps: regional steering committees will vote in July–August, and proposals that receive unanimous regional support will advance to the NC‑SARA board in October. Institutions should monitor the Texas coordinating board SARA page for registration links and the policy tracker for detailed proposal text.