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MCC Daily Tribune

Call for MSCHE Self-Study Working Group Volunteers

Dear Faculty and Staff: 

MCC is in the initial stages of reaffirming our accreditation with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). As we embark on this process, one of our goals is to make this work as transparent and inclusive as possible. Toward that end, we are inviting members of the College community to express interest in participating in the MSCHE Self-Study process by completing a short survey. 

Reaffirmation of accreditation occurs on an eight-year cycle, and it is a multi-year process, beginning with a Self-Study Institute this fall and concluding with an on-site evaluation by a MSCHE peer review team in AY 2025-2026. The Self-Study Report will detail the ways in which we commit to continuous improvement, and it will demonstrate our compliance with MSCHE’s Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation. MSCHE has recently implemented the 14th edition of the Standards, which infuse DEI throughout the Standards, and MCC will be among the first institutions to participate in the self-study process using the 14th edition of the Standards.   

As we prepare the Self-Study Report and plan for the MSCHE team site visit, a Steering Committee and Working Groups for each of the seven Standards will be convened. We anticipate having co-chairs for each working group, and each group will likely have five to seven members. Working groups will review MCC’s policies and procedures and gather evidence to demonstrate compliance with the seven MSCHE Standards. Working group chairs and members should anticipate a significant time commitment during AY 2024-2025 when the report for each Standard will be drafted. For your convenience, the Standards and a brief description of each are included below, and you can visit this MSCHE Standards webpage to review the Standards more thoroughly. 

If you have questions, please contact: 

To express your interest in serving on a Working Group, please complete the Self-Study Interest Survey by November 15, 2023. 

Standard I: Mission and Goals 

The institution’s mission defines its purpose within the context of higher education, the students it serves, and what it intends to accomplish. The institution’s stated goals are clearly linked to its mission and specify how the institution fulfills its mission. 

Standard II: Ethics and Integrity 

Ethics and integrity are central, indispensable, and defining hallmarks of effective higher education institutions. In all activities, whether internal or external, an institution must be faithful to its mission, honor its contracts and commitments, adhere to its policies, and represent itself truthfully. 

Standard III: Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience 

An institution provides students with learning experiences that are characterized by rigor and coherence at all program, certificate, and degree levels, regardless of instructional modality. All learning experiences, regardless of modality, program pace/schedule, level, and setting are consistent with higher education expectations. 

Standard IV: Support of the Student Experience 

Across all educational experiences, settings, levels, and instructional modalities, the institution recruits and admits students whose interests, abilities, experiences, and goals are congruent with its mission and educational offerings. The institution commits to student retention, persistence, completion, and success through a coherent and effective support system sustained by qualified professionals, which enhances the quality of the learning environment, contributes to the educational experience, and fosters student success. 

Standard V: Educational Effectiveness Assessment 

Assessment of student learning and achievement demonstrates that the institution’s students have accomplished educational goals consistent with their program of study, degree level, the institution’s mission, and appropriate expectations for institutions of higher education. 

Standard VI: Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement 

The institution’s planning processes, resources, and structures are aligned with each other and are sufficient to fulfill its mission and goals, to continuously assess and improve its programs and services, and to respond effectively to opportunities and challenges. 

Standard VII: Governance, Leadership, and Administration 

The institution is governed and administered in a manner that allows it to realize its stated mission and goals in a way that effectively benefits the institution, its students, and the other constituencies it serves. Even when supported by or affiliated with a related entity, the institution has education as its primary purpose, and it operates as an academic institution with appropriate autonomy. 

Susan Hall
Curriculum and Program Development
10/25/2023