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Middle State Update

The process started in September 2018 and is slated to continue until January 2020.

Since July 2017, a “Self-Study” for the Middle State Commission on Higher Education  has been underway. Conducted by the Middle States Steering Committee and Working Group members, this assessment is crucial to Millersville University’s (MU) continued accreditation from the commission.

The process started with the design of the Self-Study, which was completed in September 2018 and approved by the Commission in October 2018. Since then, the implementation of the Self-Study process has been actively ongoing and is slated to continue until January 2020.

The study is led by a coordinating team that includes Dr. James Delle, associate provost & team co-chair; Dr. Laurie Hanich, professor in Educational Foundations & team co-chair; and Dr. Lisa Shibley, assistant vice-president of Institutional Assessment and planning & team coordinator.

Currently, working group members are researching lines of inquiry and finalizing evidence summary statements. The lines of inquiry explore questions that will help to advance our strategic plan while the evidence summary statements examine our compliance with each of the seven standards for accreditation defined by Middle States. While there are identified chairs and work groups assigned to analyze each of the standards, members of those groups may reach out to others in the campus community for assistance in finding and collecting the appropriate information.

In addition to analyzing Millersville compliance with the commission’s standards, each of the four working groups is conducting research to identify strengths, areas of improvement, and opportunities for innovation.  This information is being aligned with four institutional priorities and one theme to inform the advancement of our strategic plan.  Membership of the working groups may be found online. Each working group is co-chaired by a faculty member and a staff member.  The groups are being led by the following:

Working group 1: Mission and Goals (Standard 1) ; and Planning, Resources and Institutional Improvement (Standard 6)

  • Scott Anderson, library
  • Victor DeSantis, president’s office

Working group 2: Ethics and Integrity (Standard 2); and Governance, Leadership and Administration (Standard 7)

  • Jennifer Wood, Communication and Theatre
  • Andy Welaish, library

Working group 3: Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience (Standard 3); and Educational Effectiveness Assessment (Standard 5)

  • Lynn Marquez, Earth Sciences
  • George Drake, College of Education and Human Services

Working group 4: Support of the Student Experience (Standard 4)

  • David Henriques, Academic Advisement & Student Development
  • Charity Welch, College of Graduate Studies and Adult Learning

After the Self-Study process is completed, a site visit is slated to occur during the Spring of 2020. The site visit is conducted by an evaluation team composed of a group of our peers convened from within the Middle States region, who will visit campus that semester.  Based on what they learn from the Self-Study report and their campus visit, the team will provide a formal report to the Middle State Commission on Higher Education.  The reaffirmation of accreditation results will be shared by July 2020.

About Middle States
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) is a voluntary, non-governmental, regional membership accreditation association covering Pennsylvania and surrounding states. The commission holds institutions to a series of standards including ethics and integrity, support of the student experience, educational effectiveness assessment and others. Institutions are evaluated by their peers to ensure they are meeting the necessary standards.

For more information, please visit: https://www.millersville.edu/rediscovermu/index.php

 

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