As most of you know, we are beginning our ten-year re-accreditation evaluation for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The process includes a comprehensive College Self-Study, a campus visit from a Middle States Evaluation team in the spring of 2012, and culminates with an Evaluation Report from the Middles States Commission on Higher Education.
Having just returned from a Middle States Self-Study Workshop, I thought I would provide a few comments on what we might expect during this important process.
§ The two main purposes of the self-study will be to show evidence of compliance with the 14 Middle
States Commission Standards and to articulate our self-understanding and planning for the future.
§ The self-study process will need to be inclusive and represent all constituencies and areas of
the College.
§ This will be a different self-study than the last study of ten years ago. A significant emphasis
will be placed on assessment and accountability in the aftermath of the Spellings Commission
and the Higher Education Act negotiations of 2008.
§ Institutions are expected to produce an analytical self-study, not one that is merely
descriptive in nature.
§ Assessment must be linked to goals and improvements/changes must be linked
to assessment.
§ We will be working closely with our Middle States Accreditation Liaison,
Dr. Debra Klinman, through the self-evaluation process.
Additional information on the above and a tentative timeline for the self-study process will be presented at the upcoming Business Meeting on Thursday, November 19. This information will be shared through other meetings and venues for all areas of the college in the weeks to come.
I look forward to working with you all on this important evaluation process for the College.