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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

President's Wednesday Message


In the lead up to our Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) visit, this week I want to offer an overview of the strengths that MCC's Self-Study team found during its review process. The MSCHE sets forth 14 standards in its foundational accreditation document, Characteristics of Excellence in Higher Education; each standard includes a number of fundamental elements. In order to find that MCC was in compliance with a standard, the Self-Study team needed to document that we met all of its fundamental elements.

The word "document" here is important: the College is required to supply supporting documents (e.g., reports, data, budgets, interview transcripts, meeting minutes, etc.) associated with each standard and underlying element to demonstrate compliance. As you might imagine, in the process of compiling this evidence, the Self-Study team identified numerous strengths at MCC. These many strengths are listed in the attached Executive Summary, but you could also think of them as flowing from MCC's resources, organizational structure and processes, and services.

Resources: MSCHE looks to assure that each college has in place the people, spaces, technologies, funds, and other resources to carry out its self-defined mission. MCC presents strengths in all of these areas. Beginning with the quality of our faculty and staff through the stability of our budget, our College has a depth of resources that is a great strength. Two particular strengths are MCC's continuing investment in full-time faculty and staff and our longstanding commitment to resource allocation linked to our strategic plan.

Structure: MSCHE places a priority on clearly defined, documented, and implemented organizational structures that support everything from shared governance to academic quality to student rights and responsibilities. MCC's structures include elements not typical at other Colleges. For example, the Special Committee on Administrative Affairs, the inclusion of student and staff voices in our Shared Governance Policy, and the transparency of our curriculum review--all were mentioned as strengths by the Self-Study team.

Processes: MSCHE is concerned about a college's ongoing review and assessment processes, and the culture of improvement that this assessment informs. This cycle is at the heart of institutional effectiveness, a central element of the Characteristics of Excellence. MCC has invested significantly in assessment, from establishing an assessment office to providing time and professional development for faculty and staff to participate in assessment to engaging external stakeholders in this process. The Self-Study team found the comprehensive approach that MCC has taken to be a strength.

Services: MSCHE holds colleges accountable for providing services that align with their missions. Because MCC has a comprehensive access mission, we offer quality services for students at all levels from developmental education through transfer and workforce paths, inclusive of special populations ranging from high school dual enrollment to veterans to students with disabilities to online learners to honors students. The Self-Study team found evidence of MCC's strengths both in identifying the needs of the many populations of students who attend our College and then in sustaining, expanding, establishing, and innovating services to meet their needs.

The work of the Self-Study team in gathering evidence to support these findings was broad and deep, and they are to be commended for their dedication. In their review, they were able to document that MCC continues to demonstrate the commitment to access, quality, and success that has long made our College a national leader. This is not the end of the story, however. MSCHE expects colleges to make an ongoing commitment to institutional renewal and improvement. So, next week, I will provide an overview of the suggestions and recommendations we have given ourselves in the context of this expectation, and discuss areas in which MSCHE might encourage us to do more.

Please share your thoughts about MCC's strengths and Self-Study report on the blog.

Anne M. Kress, Ph.D.
Office of the President
03/02/2016


Attachments:
icon Middle States Self-Study Executive Summary - Ver.3.0 - Cr. 11.3.2015.pdf