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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

President's Weekly Message


As you know, our visiting Middle States evaluation team shared with the College community that MCC “appears to meet” all standards. This phrase, “appears to meet,” may strike you as tentative, but it actually signals the very best possible outcome of the team’s visit. The visiting team will now report this finding to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), which is the governing board with the authority to affirm the College’s accreditation. The decision from MSCHE will come in June; only after the June vote of the Commission can we publicly state that our accreditation has been reaffirmed.

In 11 of the 14 standards, the visiting team went well beyond noting compliance; they commended “significant accomplishments, significant progress, or exemplary/innovative practices.” On at least half of the standards, the team offered multiple commendations to MCC. This is simply outstanding and not a common occurrence on Middle States visits.

My special gratitude goes out to our inspiring co-chairs, Holly Preische and Bill Dunning; indefatigable editor, Holly Wheeler; assessment guru, Michael Heel; organizational genius, Kristen Love; and exemplary logistics group, Julianna Frisch, Lori Scipioni and Bill Skehan. Together, they formed an extraordinary and effective team. In addition, the work of the 128+ members of our College community, all dedicated to MCC, made a huge difference. It was obvious to the visiting team members that the Self-Study represented the entirety of our College.

We should be proud of the preliminary report of the evaluation team and of MCC. The report reflects the considered judgment of experienced and respected higher education professionals from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region: our peers. While here over the past three days, they met with students, faculty, staff, and administrators: listening and learning more about our College. They saw firsthand why MCC is such an inspiring and special place—and their report shows this clearly. As one of the team members said to me on her way out: "You have an outstanding College." She's right!

I hope you will find time on Friday at noon to join us as we break for cake at all locations to celebrate MCC and our successful Middle States visit:

  • ATC Room 100A2
  • Brighton Flynn Campus Center Atrium
  • DCC Room 5063
  • PSTF Room 156

Again, thank you for your many contributions to MCC’s success … and congratulations on this well-deserved recognition of our College’s excellence!

P.S. If you were not able to attend the MSCHE evaluation team’s presentation, you can view it at https://ensemble.itec.suny.edu/Playlist/q9T6BmZi from any on-campus computer. And as always, please share your visit reflections on the blog.

Anne M. Kress
Office of the President
03/17/2016