By Nicholas Hunt-Bull
Middle States Self-Study, Accreditation, etc.
Mel Johnson and Nicholas Hunt-Bull are launching a series on the reaccreditation process beginning with an FAQ.
Why are we doing re-accreditation of the college now, are we in trouble or something?
Basically, it is our turn. Every ten years it is time to do the re-accreditation process. So having to do this now is not a negative sign at all.
What is accreditation?
Accreditation, or more accurately “regional accreditation” is a process where peer institutions of higher education (and in some regions, high schools as well) work together to ensure the quality of their programs. Colleges prepare detailed self-studies, which are peer reviewed (that is, evaluated by experts in the field—the same process used by scholarly journals) and then evaluated by a visiting team in an on-campus visit. The team makes a report to the regional commission, which then awards accreditation for ten years (as of 2017, re-accreditation will be mandated every eight years.)
Why should students care about this?
Accreditation, and in particular the self-study process we are doing this year, is a key way the college can improve itself. Student engagement in this process is essential to a meaningful reflection on our strengths and weaknesses. And students who join in get great stuff to stick on their resumes.
So how can students get involved?
Students can volunteer to serve on the “working groups” that are doing the self-study this year, or participate through open forums next year when the draft of the complete document is done. If you have not already been asked to help and want to volunteer, contact Cheryl Ploof at cploof@paulsmiths.edu.
Who is our regional accreditor?
Middle States, also referred to at times as MSCHE (Middle States Commission on Higher Education) or MSA (Middle States Association) is our regional accreditor. Founded in 1919 and based in Philadelphia, it serves colleges and universities in Delaware, DC, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.
Who has the job of making sure Paul Smith’s re-accreditation project is successful?
The self-study is being co-chaired by Mel Johnson and Nicholas Hunt-Bull. A small Steering Committee (Mike Beccaria from Library/Information Technology, Registrar Kristin Eaton, Cheryl Ploof from the Provost’s Office and Jeff Walton from Institutional Research) are leading the project, which has seven working groups, each with their own chair and 6-10 members. Several working groups have representatives from the Board of Trustees or our Alumni, and every committee has current students as members. Basically the whole campus is working on this.
Wow, this sounds like a lot of work!
Yes it is. And we are really looking forward to spring 2018 when we welcome the review team to campus and can (presumably!) celebrate a job well done.
Nicholas Hunt-Bull is Provost of Paul Smith’s College. A philosopher by training, he joined PSC after an extensive career in teaching and administration, most recently in New Hampshire. Born in Canada, he attended in college in Canada, Scotland and the United States. He is currently teaching a philosophy class, Monday and Wednesday evenings on campus. His proudest recent achievement is getting carded at Nona Fina last week.
Mel Johnson has been a Professor of GIS, Remote Sensing, and Conservation Science at Paul Smith’s College since 2011. She enjoys canoeing and hiking in the Adirondacks with her dogs Osita and Mahkoli, and husband Erik.