By Mack Olmsted, Asst. Production Editor
Manhattan College is undergoing evaluation on its status, legitimacy and appropriateness of policies by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) to attain re-accreditation.
MC will be evaluated on seven standards, namely Missions and Goals, Ethics and integrity, Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience, Support of the Student Experience, Educational Effectiveness Assessment, Planning Resources and Institutional Improvement and also Governance, Leadership and Administration.
The Middle States evaluation team visit is the peer reviewed component of the self study. This year it will be held virtually via Google Meet.
The evaluation and self study is about gaining different angles and perspectives of MC that will eventually help the college reach the goal of becoming the best possible version of itself. If the results of the self study are satisfactory and the college receives re-accreditation then it would lead the school into continued institutional improvement.
President Brennan O’Donnell emphasized how important the self study is for the re-accreditation process and for the success of the college in general.
“The scope of the Self-Study is college-wide, touching on pretty much every aspect of the organization, with a strong emphasis on student outcomes and the student experience,” O’Donnell said. “The accreditor is looking for evidence that the college regularly assesses itself in a process of continuous improvement. The spirit of the process is to affirm where we’re doing well while offering advice where we can become better.”
The MSCHE evaluation team visit will take place from April 3 to 6 for the peer review component of the self-study. The evaluation is being overseen by Kelly Marin, Ph.D, professor of psychology; Rani Roy, Ph.D., assistant professor of public health and associate provost and Bruce Liby, Ph.D., professor of physics.
The evaluation team is made up of seven individuals who are from other colleges and universities. The main point of the evaluation team is to interview the Manhattan College community members and make sure that the school has appropriate missions and goals that are consistent with being a successful and accomplished institution.
“Accreditation assures the public and governmental entities that the institution is providing what it says it provides, and what is required for public funding. Beyond that, it encourages and assists institutions in building a culture of continuous improvement,” O’Donnell said.
Roy shared her thoughts on the re-accreditation system and why it is important to have the evaluation annually.
“I like how the re-accreditation gives us a chance to look at how we do things as a college, and the idea of continuous improvement. It’s about ensuring quality in our facilities and making sure that we can all work together appropriately,” Roy said.
The outcome of the evaluation and re-accreditation is essential and will have a big impact on the college and its community members going forward.
“A successful self-study will lead to our MSCHE re-accreditation. If we are not successful in getting re-accredited, we will face serious disadvantages …such as a loss of federal funding for financial aid, which many of our students depend on,” according to manhattan.edu.
The Middle States evaluation needs all the community support it can get. To participate and witness the Middle States evaluation, participants can join virtually through the Google Meet provided in email from Kelly Marin.
Roy and Marin want to encourage the Manhattan College community to participate in the evaluation meetings.
“We hope that the community will come out to the open meetings for faculty, students and the entire campus in general. It’s really important for the community to come together,” Roy said.
“With your continued support and participation we feel confident that we will achieve re-accreditation and continue making Manhattan College a special place,” Marin stated in the YouTube video linked to the email sent out to the MC community.
Essentially, the Middle States evaluation is about recognizing the accomplishments and goals of the community so that MC can continue to work on a better future for its students and community.