Middle States FAQ
What is the Middle States Commission on Higher Education?
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is a voluntary, non-governmental, peer membership association that defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence. It is recognized by the US Department of Education as a regional accreditation agency.What is accreditation?
Accreditation can be conducted at the level of the College (as is the case for the Middle States accreditation) and also occurs at the departmental level in some cases (e.g. accreditation of the Engineering Department by ABET and the Program in Educational Studies by the state). It is a process by which the accrediting body determines whether the College is meeting established standards for educational programs.Swarthmore was first accredited in 1921 and most recently reaccredited in 1999. Its accreditation was reaffirmed in 2004 after submission of the Periodic Review Report (which is submitted at the midpoint of each decennial accreditation cycle).
What are the elements of the accreditation process?
There are two major elements in the accreditation process: the Self-Study and peer review.The Self-Study is a comprehensive review that documents that the College meets the 14 Standards of Excellence articulated by the Middle States Commission. The Self-Study is an opportunity to determine how well the College is meeting its own goals and the Commission's standards. For the 2008-2009 accreditation, the College is integrating the work of preparing the Self-Study with the Planning effort; the written documentation of how the College meets the 14 Standards of Excellence will form the knowledge base from which the Planning Groups will look to the future of the College.
The external review is conducted by a team of evaluators from our peer institutions of higher education. The team will read the Self-Study and related materials, and visit the campus. The purpose of the visit is to provide the team the opportunity to understand the College better by seeing it in action, talking with members of our community, and generally gathering any additional information they may need to be able to determine whether the College is meeting its own goals and the Commission's standards. At the end of the visit, the team prepares a report, to which the College can respond.
The report, the College response, and the team's recommendation as to whether to continue accreditation go to a committee of the Middle States commission which then makes a recommendation to the full Commission; the full Commission then decides whether to continue accreditation.
How is the College community involved in the Self-Study?
The analysis and writing of materials documenting that the College meets the Middle States standards will be conducted by eight Planning Groups, the Middle States Steering Committee, and the Planning Steering Committee. The membership of these groups and committees includes representation from across the College. Community members will have opportunities to learn more about and participate in the Middle States and Planning efforts as they unfold, as materials are completed, and also at the time of the evaluation team visit.What are the Middle States Standards?
There are fourteen specific standards presented in the Characteristics of Excellence which address institutional context and educational effectiveness. You can find the standards at Middle States Commission on Higher EducationWhat is the timeframe for the Middle States Self Study?
- Summer 2007 - Develop and gather materials to support Planning Groups.
- Fall 2007 - Planning Groups begin to conduct their analyses, providing reports to the Middle States steering committee.
- Spring and Fall 2008 - The Middle States Steering Committee begins to review and assemble the reports into a Self-Study, consulting back with the Planning Groups as needed.
- Jan 2009 - A draft of the Self-Study is shared with the College community for their review and comment. The draft is revised, and a final report is submitted to Middle States.
- Spring 2009 - A team of peer evaluators (the "Middle States Evaluation Team") visits the College to conduct its review. The team subsequently issues a report on their findings, with recommendations. The College will have an opportunity to respond to their report.
- Summer 2009 - Middle States Commission will decide whether we have met the standards for reaccreditation and will make a recommendation that reflects that determination.