To: The Faculty and Staff

From: Greg Taylor, Interim Associate Provost

Dear Colleagues:

By now, you may have heard rumors that Purchase College is about to go through a multi-year process of reaccreditation by something called the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Well, I can tell you with some authority that these rumors are absolutely true. But I also want you to know that this endeavor is vitally important, and incredibly useful.

The process itself is fairly straightforward. Federal law mandates that in order to be eligible for federal funds (including student financial aid), all institutions of higher education must receive ongoing accreditation by a recognized regional body, and SUNY colleges and universities fall under the jurisdiction of Philadelphia-based MSCHE. Every eight years, we are expected to write a substantial self-study document, in which we rigorously and honestly examine all areas of operation in order to show how we meet relevant standards. Do we have a clear mission? Do we serve to enrich and support our students, both inside and beyond the classroom? Do we operate ethically? Does our governance system make sense and function effectively? And—perhaps most importantly of all—are we able to use hard evidence to determine that we do all of the above effectively, while spending our resources wisely and planning with an eye toward continuous improvement?

Once the self-study document is completed, a team of peer evaluators arrives on campus for a multi-day site visit—for us, in spring 2022—after which they write a report and deliver it to the Commission. The Commission then reviews the report and issues its verdict. Importantly, this verdict is not just a summary decision (yay/nay), but also includes very specific recommendations, cautions, or even conditional requirements for changes in institutional practice, which we are expected to follow up on annually until the next formal accreditation review. The entire process takes just over two years, with much of this time spent researching, writing, and revising the self-study document.

One of my roles as Associate Provost is to serve as the college’s Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO), which is a fancy way of saying that I’m an official go-between charged with communicating MSCHE business and rules back to the college, and informing the college about MSCHE and accreditation. Communication is a vital part of this process, not least because accreditation involves a lot of people from across the entire institution. A steering committee (chaired by Barbara Moore, Director of Institutional Research, and Dr. Ryan Taylor, Assoc. Prof. of Environmental Studies) is currently getting us ready to begin the research process, but very soon, we will need to put together working groups to gather evidence and write the individual chapters over the next academic year. This itself might involve close to 100 additional faculty and staff. So, we don’t simply need your help and expertise in this collective endeavor; we’re counting on it.

Make no mistake, the reaccreditation process is a heavy lift, and to pretend otherwise would be disingenuous. But it’s also a collective endeavor, and in some senses a collective endeavor of the best kind—an opportunity to celebrate this institution by coming together to make it as successful as it can possibly be. That this celebration is also, at heart, an exercise in assessment might seem somewhat ironic, but actually isn’t so at all.

Assessment is something we often associate with distinctly un-fun activities such as paying property taxes, and many regard it as a necessary evil or mandated busy-work. And indeed, assessment is here to stay—it’s something we have no option but to engage, whether at the institutional level (as in our MSCHE review), or in individual academic departments and offices across the college. But assessment also introduces an invaluable opportunity to look closely at what we’re doing while determining what evidence we need to have on hand in order to know if we’re currently being effective, and if we’re setting ourselves up for continued success and improvement as we move forward. In these times of ever-shrinking budgets and ever-growing uncertainty, having evidence on hand is especially crucial, so that we don’t find ourselves relying merely on intuition and past experience when making important decisions.

At the same time, however, we can be smart about how we conduct assessment, so as to make it minimally onerous and maximally beneficial. My own three tenets for assessment are that it be simple (though not simplistic), useful (i.e. not destined for a file cabinet or buried in a data folder), and reportable (to external stakeholders like MSCHE, and internal stakeholders such as faculty, students, and administrators), and I’m in the process of laying out a revised plan for academic program assessment that hopes to meet all three of these goals.

By now you may be thinking “how typical—he started out with a harmless explanation of reaccreditation and ended up sneaking in yet another pitch for assessment!” But my point is that they’re utterly inseparable. The goal of the reaccreditation process is to ensure not simply that we comply with MSCHE standards, but also that we are engaging in productive, ongoing, evidence-based assessment of everything from our core mission and values to our program offerings, teaching practices, student support services, facilities, and everything in-between. That’s why your participation in this process and your participation in assessment within your own program or office go hand in hand. The latter will support and enhance the former, and both will serve to benefit the college (im)measurably.

Dear Purchase College Community:

Despite the unprecedented challenges of this spring semester, the college’s Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee has been busily researching and designing the self-study we plan to conduct next academic year, which will serve as the basis of the Middle States Commission for Higher Education’s subsequent evaluative site visit still scheduled to occur in early 2022.

To that end, we are reaching out across the entire campus community today to request that you consider joining one of the seven Work Groups that will conduct the nuts-and-bolts research and write each independent section of the self-study over the course of the upcoming academic year. Each Work Group is co-chaired by two members of the Steering Committee, and is charged with evaluating the college against the criteria of one of the Commission’s seven formal Standards of Accreditation.

In the spirit of transparency and open collaboration, it is absolutely vital for the re-accreditation process that as many interested community members participate as possible, and that all facets of our community—faculty, staff, and students—are represented robustly. It is not hyperbole to say this is your chance to help us build on our strengths as an institution to plan and build for an even brighter future for Purchase College.

If possible, we would like to convene these Work Groups for the first time at the beginning of the fall semester, in order to get a good start on collecting and analyzing the evidence we need to support our evaluations. While the commitment to participating in a Work Group will be a significant one, we hope it will also be tremendously rewarding, both for yourself and for the college as a whole. No matter what your position at the institution, your expertise, experience, and knowledge will prove potentially vital to our self-understanding and self-improvement.

If, after the reviewing the seven Standards of Accreditation you would like to nominate yourself or a colleague to participate in a standard-specific Working Group during the 2020-2021 academic year, please complete this survey. If you have any questions about the re-accreditation process or Working Group participation, please visit the campus Middle States Re-Accreditation page or email us directly at PRE.middle.states.chairs@purchase.edu.

Thank you in advance for considering this request for participation in this hugely important endeavor.

It’s been a whirlwind last several months as we all adjusted to meeting the needs of our students during Covid-19. We hope that everyone is finding time this summer to relax and exhale. The work of our Middle States Self-Study has been ongoing throughout the spring semester and will continue through the summer. Ryan, Greg and Barb will be framing the Self-Study Design and preparing Work Groups for the work of the upcoming academic year.

Before the spring semester ended, we reached out to ask community members to complete a quick questionnaire to identify the Work Groups in which they would like to participate. Thus far, 22 folks have responded (thank you!) With the folks identified by co-Chairs and MS4C members we are halfway to our goal. We are still looking for another 20 or so folks to volunteer to be a part of this important and interesting work. Once we have the full population of Work Group members, we will organize the teams and get back to you all with your assignments. We would like to have all this in place for the new President.

As a reminder, each Work Group is co-chaired by two members of the Steering Committee, and is charged with evaluating the college against the criteria of one of the Commission’s seven formal Standards of Accreditation. Work Groups will begin their research at the beginning of the fall semester. While the commitment to participating in a Work Group will be a significant one, we hope it will also be tremendously rewarding, both for yourself and for the college as a whole. No matter what your position at the institution, your expertise, experience, and knowledge will prove potentially vital to our self-understanding and self-improvement.

If, after viewing the seven Standards of Accreditation you would like to nominate yourself or a colleague to participate in a standard-specific Working Group during the 2020-2021 academic year, please complete this survey. If you have any questions about the re-accreditation process or Working Group participation, please visit the campus MiddleStates Re-Accreditation page or email us directly at PRE.middle.states.chairs@purchase.edu.

Thank you in advance for considering this request for participation in this hugely important endeavor.

Dear Purchase College Community:

We hope that everyone found time this summer to relax and exhale. The work of our Middle States Self-Study has been ongoing throughout the summer, and will soon kick into high gear for the next year. We wanted to keep you apprised of the immediate next steps, as well as provide an opportunity to attend a webinar to get an overview of the process.

Upcoming Timeline highlights:

9/2/2020 First meeting of the Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee (MS4C)
9/9/2020 Town Hall Meeting - Open to the campus community. Register below.
9/10/2020 Work of Work Groups Commences

Town Hall Meeting (Webinar)

Date: September 9, 2020

Time: 9:30 - 10:30 AM

Agenda

Introduction of MS4C and Work Group members
Overview of Process and Timeline
Introduction to each Standard by Work Group Co-Chairs

Link to Attend Middle States Town Hall Meeting

Self-Study Design

The first draft of the Self-Study Design was completed over the summer. The MS4C is currently reviewing and revising this draft which is available to the community in the Self-Study Design folder in the Middle States Team Site on collaborate (see below). In addition, we have formed the seven Work Groups which will begin their research in the next couple of weeks. The composition of the Work Groups can be found on the Middle States Re-Accreditation website.

Campus Collaboration and Participation

This reaccreditation self-study review requires broad collaboration and participation, and we welcome your contributions. Throughout this process, we will be making our work, and the evidence and documentation we collect, available to the entire campus community. During the fall semester, Work Groups will be reaching out to in a variety of ways as they engage in evidence collection.

There are two platforms for information sharing – our website and our Collaboration Center.

1. The Middle States Re-Accreditation page on the Purchase College website contains a detailed overview of the various components listed below.

1. process
2. Standards for Accreditation
3. requirements for Affiliation
4. timeline
5. intended outcomes
6. institutional priorities
7. Steering Committee
8. Work Groups

2. The Middle States Self-Study 2022 Team Site in the Purchase College Collaboration Center is our work space. It’s Document Library contains the work of the Steering Committee, the Work Groups, the Evidence Inventory, and much more.

We are really excited about the collaboration and work that will be taking place this semester. Thankyou in advance for your participation in making this successful.

Good Morning,

As a reminder, the Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee is conducting a 60-minute webinar Wednesday to provide the campus cmomunity with an introduction to and overview of the re-accreditation process and timeline. All are welcome.

Registration is not required. If you are interested in attending, please add the following to your calendar:

Middle States Self-Study Webinar

Wednesday, September 9

9:30 - 10:30 AM

Zoom link: https://purchase.zoom.us/j/95543715871?pwd=b2RYSlJQNmVib1FqZzF4aG9vOVJidz09

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday!

Barb Moore and Ryan Taylor

Co-Chairs, Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee

As the Middle States Steering Committee continues to prepare our campus for our reaccreditation peer review in 2022, we are welcoming Dr. Paul Starkey, Vice President at the Middle States Commission on Higher Education to participate in a virtual Self-Study Preparation Visit on November 4, for a series of conversations with students, faculty, staff and administrators about the Commission’s expectations for reaccreditation.

The Commission’s stated purpose of these Vice-President Liaison Self-Study Preparation Visits is five-fold:

1. learn more about the current status of the institution;
2. discuss the institutional priorities identified by the institution and find the most appropriate means of addressing them through the self-study process;
3. acquaint those who will have crucial roles in the self-study with the Commission’s expectations and available resources;
4. discuss and offer feedback on the institution’s draft Self-Study Design; and
5. otherwise assist with the institution’s preparations for self-study and peer review.

As part of his visit Dr. Starkey will be hosting an Open Session for all faculty, staff and students to attend from 12:00 Noon – 1:00 PM.If you are interested in attending, please register for this Open Forum here to receive the link to the secure zoom invitation.

As a reminder, accreditation is a vital process for institutions of higher education that provides public assurance that colleges and universities adhere to standards of excellence and provide students with a quality educational experience. Accreditation also affects whether a college can obtain federal (Title IV) and state financial aid.

Middle States is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a higher education accreditor for Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They currently accredit more than 500 institutions.

Their accreditation process takes place every 10 years, with a review for to affirm accreditation at the mid-point of each decade. Purchase has held Middle States accreditation since opening its doors and last earned reaccreditation in 2012.

The reaccreditation process, begins with a comprehensive self-evaluation on seven standards outlined by the Middle States Commission:

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

Ethics and Integrity: 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

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

Support of the Student Experience: 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

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

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

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.

At Purchase, the process of self-study on these standards is already underway. Work Groups have been assembled and are busily researching and preparing reports on the college’s performance in each area, which will be shared with the Middle States Commission prior to their peer review site visit scheduled for Spring of 2022.

You can stay up-to-date with every step of ongoing review and reaccreditation process through the Middle States Self-Study 2022 site on the Collaboration Center.

As a reminder, we are welcoming Dr. Paul Starkey, Vice President at the Middle States Commission on Higher Education to participate in a virtual Self-Study Preparation Visit on November 4, for a series of conversations with students, faculty, staff and administrators about the Commission’s expectations for reaccreditation.

As part of his visit Dr. Starkey will be hosting an Open Session for all faculty, staff and students from 12:00 Noon – 1:00 PM on Wednesday, November 4^th.Although we originally asked for interested community members to register, we are no longer requiring registration. If you are interested in attending, please mark your calendars and use this link to join the Zoom webinar.

The reaccreditation process is ongoing and involves a large number of community members. We encourage you to stay up to date on our work by participating in these open forums, and by reviewing work materials on the Middle States Self-Study 2022 site on the Collaboration Center.

It’s been an incredible academic year for us all as we navigated our way through a marathon when we originally prepared for a sprint. This past year was filled with so many reasons to celebrate the strength, commitment, resiliency, and dedication of our faculty and staff as we worked to support our students.

I wanted to reach out with special acknowledgment and thanks to the faculty and staff who took on the huge and important work of gathering evidence for our re-accreditation report for the Middle States Commission of Higher Education. These faculty and staff answered the call and accepted a large portfolio of work in addition to their usual workload while managing home and work lives during this global pandemic. I am deeply grateful for their dedication and hard work.

In addition, I wanted to thank the entire community for their participation, contributions, and efforts in supporting your colleagues in preparation for our formal accreditation Team visit in early 2022. A re-accreditation review is a wonderful opportunity for the entire community to work together to understand more clearly how our character and strengths can set us up for even greater achievements moving forward.

Thank you.

Dr. Milagros (Milly) Peña
President

As part of our continuing commitment to encouraging campus participation in the Self-Study process, we have developed a series of weekly broadcast emails to provide context for the work of the Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee, and to identify opportunities for the entire community to be involved in the process.

These weekly emails will provide information on the reaccreditation process in general, how Purchase College implemented our self-study process specifically, information on the Standards and Requirements of Affiliations identified by the Commission, and next steps as we approach our Team Visit next spring.

Look for emails on Tuesday afternoons throughout the summer months. And, as always, please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us with questions or comments.

Ryan Taylor, co-Chair, Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee

Barb Moore, co-Chair, Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee

Gregory Taylor, MSCHE Accreditation Liaison Officer

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) states on their website that they, through accreditation, “mandates that its member institutions meet rigorous and comprehensive standards, which are addressed in the context of the mission of each institution and within the culture of ethical practices and institutional integrity expected of accredited institutions. In meeting the quality standards of MSCHE accreditation, institutions earn accredited status, and this permits them to state with confidence: ‘Our students are well-served; society is well-served.’”

Reaccreditation requires a self-study process which is a valuable exercise for the institution. The self-study process occurs every 8 years and requires institutions to conduct a thorough self-examination to reaffirm the extent to which they continue to meet the rigorous standards. For more information on the accreditation process, please feel free to visit the Accreditation & Recognition page at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

MSCHE revised the accreditation standards and requirements following four guiding principles. The new standards needed to:

• be mission centered in order to continue to support institutional diversity;
• focus on student learning – new standards needed to remain focused on the student learning experience;
• encourage and support institution innovation;
• emphasize continuous improvement.

The seven standards of accreditation identified by MSCHE encourage institutions to develop and share the following narrative. An accredited institution:

1. Has an appropriate mission (Standard I),
2. Lives it with integrity (Standard II),
3. Delivers an effective student learning experience (Standard III)
4. Supports the overall student experience, both inside and outside the classroom (Standard IV).
5. Assesses its own educational effectiveness (Standard V),
6. Uses planning and resources to ensure institutional improvement (Standard VI),
7. And is characterized by effective governance, leadership, and administration (Standard VII).

External reaccreditation is a continuous process of assessment and improvement that occurs throughout the operational life of an academic institution. Purchase College has maintained a constant status of accreditation by the Middle States Commission for Higher Education (MSCHE) since 1976, with our last affirmation of accreditation having been received in 2012.

This rigorous process of renewal is now on an eight-year cycle, adjusted from a 10-year cycle. No small undertaking, this review is intended to proceed in multiple steps and take approximately 2.5 years to complete.

The first phase in the review process is for the institution to conduct its own thorough and open self-study conducted by a representative panel of faculty and staff led by a steering committee and organized in a matter best fitting the institution’s organization. In November 2019, Purchase College’s Steering Committee met for the first time and worked throughout spring 2020 to develop a formal Self-Study Design which would guide our systematic in-depth inquiry.

In fall 2020, following a virtual site visit by MSCHE Vice President for Institutional Field Relations – Dr. Paul Starkey, we began our Self-Study in earnest. Throughout the entirety of the 2020-21 academic year, a team of eighty dedicated Purchase College faculty and staff volunteers organized into seven work-groups and remotely collected, cataloged and analyzed approximately one thousand different documents, reports, webpages, and interviews, securely sorting and storing them on collaborate.

Throughout this summer, members of the steering committee are closely reviewing the research of all seven work-groups, with the ultimate goal of synthesizing it into a complete written Self-Study Report. Although there have been some logistical challenges posed by the remote-work shift required by COVID, we are pleased to report that due to the amazing dedication of these volunteers we remain on-track to finish this second phase, making a complete written draft available for review by the broader campus community when we all return to campus this fall. A future weekly email update at the beginning of the fall semester will announce when this document is ready for review.

As we look forward to finally reaching this point in the reaccreditation process, we are also turning our eyes towards the final peer-review phase – which will be conducted through an evaluation team site visit, in spring 2022. During this week-long, culminating event, a MSCHE-selected team of trained, knowledgeable and appropriate peer evaluators will visit our campus to conduct on-site interviews, and gain insights they can draw-upon to best assess the written self-study report against MSCHE’s own standards, requirements, and polices. Our visiting team will be chaired by Dr. Richard Helldobler President of William Paterson University (WPU), which just hosted their own site visit this year.

In conclusion, clearly this has been a long process, but we still have quite a way to go. Only after this site-visit is complete, will we hear back from the evaluation team regarding any recommendations they may have for us, and for the commission regarding the future status of our accreditation. Therefore, there is still much we will be doing to get ready for this visit, and we will be continuing to read, analyze, write, and revise this self-study report and the evidence it references throughout the fall semester right up until the point it is submitted. Until, and including then, we appreciate your continued support, encouragement, and involvement in this meaningful process.

Elements of the Self-Study Report

Institutions preparing for a Middle States Self-Study review are asked to write a Self-Study Design Report which gives MSCHE the framework for how we organize our report, as well as our plans for implementing the project, including:

• An overview of the institution and its priorities
• The intended outcomes of the self-study review
• The organizational structure of the steering committee and work groups
• Our thoughts for characteristics of the evaluation team members
• The Evidence Inventory

Structure of Final Self-Study Report

As we start the process of synthesizing each chapter and organizing the evidence, we are following a concept map for the Self-Study Report. That concept map organizes the myriad of information into a document which tells our story; that we:

We know who we are.

We are a well-stewarded public institution of higher-education… (Standard 7)

… with a special purpose… (Standard 1)

… operating with integrity. (Standard 2)

We know what we do.

We teach liberal arts and sciences alongside conservatory arts… (Standard 3)

… to the best of our ability (Standard 5).

We know how to do it well.

We try to provide our students what they need today… (Standard 4)

… as well as anticipate what they need tomorrow. (Standard 6)

Over the next seven weeks, the broadcast emails you will be receiving will cover the role of each chapter in articulating the standards. We will discuss the standards in the order in which they will appear in the Self-Study Report.

Co-Chairs: Stephen Cooke, Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry; Sheli Taylor, Associate Director of Contracts and Procurement Services

Cabinet Liaison(s): Milly Peña, President

Members: Betsy Aldredge, Sonya Alexander, Carrie Bianchi, Tracy Calvan, Corey Dawkins, Kathleen Farrell, Paul Kaplan, Ann Marie Lutomski, Di Yu

All seven standards of accreditation established by MSCHE are measured by a set of specific criteria. Each chapter of the Self-Study Report, therefore must both address each standard in-whole and also provide sufficient and substantive evidence that each individual criterion is met.

In Standard 7 MSCHE states that institutions must demonstrate the extent to which,

“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 governmental, corporate, religious, educational system, or other unaccredited organizations, the institution has education as its primary purpose, and it operates as an academic institution with appropriate autonomy.”

MSCHE holds the above standard to five individual criteria, several of which are divided into multiple sub-criteria. So the Work-Group 7 was tasked with evaluating our compliance with this standard across 20 different dimensions. Not a small task, especially when you consider MSCHE applies very specific definitions to many of the terms they use!

It can be difficult to wade through the formal MSCHE language so in these weekly emails, we will attempt to paraphrase these expectations in a more approachable and easily understood way.

In essence, Standard 7 is giving us an opportunity to tell MSCHE, “We know who we are.”

In a nutshell… we are a well-stewarded public institution of higher-education. Our governing bodies serve the public interest, we have a qualified CEO, and our administrative and shared-governance bodies are up to the task.

We are a well-stewarded public institution of higher-education… (Standard 7).

Purchase College is a public institution committed to its primary purpose of higher-education, governed and administered to the benefit of its students, itself, and the greater community.

We are supported by governance and administrative structures comprised of a robust system of separated responsibilities, ensuring responsiveness and accountability to the needs of our students, faculty, and staff, as well as external constituents (Criterion 1).

Our governing bodies serve the public interest

Our legally constituted governing bodies (Criterion 2), independently and responsibly (Criterion 2b) serve the public interest in this structure (Criterion 2a), by overseeing (at a broad policy level) the quality of the college’s teaching and learning (Criterion 2d), as well as the strength of its financial affairs (Criterion 2e).

They discharge all of these responsibilities without conflict of interest (Criterion 2h) and without interfering with daily operations (Criterion 2d). In particular, the College’ Council’s direct accountability to the SUNY Board of Trustees allows it to simultaneously support the local president’s efforts to maintain campus autonomy within SUNY (Criterion 2i), while also playing a key role in evaluating and selecting candidates for the position of president (Criterion 2f).

We are led by a qualified CEO

The office of campus president is held in-trust by persons well-qualified or the position (Criterion 3b), who have the authority and autonomy to lead the institution (Criterion 3c) with the assistance of qualified administrators (Criterion 3d), and report regularly to the governing bodies (Criterion 3a).

Our administrative and shared-governance bodies are up to the task.

The administration available to the president has a clear organizational structure (Criterion 2a), is appropriate in size (Criterion 2b), comprised of qualified Individuals (Criterion 2c) possessing the skills necessary to effectively discharge their duties (Criterion 2d). It engages regularly with faculty staff and students (Criterion 2e), and utilizes systematic procedures for evaluating administrative units (Criterion 2f).

Can we do better? Of course. There are always opportunities for improvement and innovation, which is why, when completed, each chapter will include a section identifying those discovered through this process of self-reflection.

Co-Chairs: Kelly Jackson, Director of Continuing Education; Ryan Homsey, Director, Academic Resource Center

Cabinet Liaison(s): Barry Pearson, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Members: Patty Bice, Ross Daly, Jerima Dewese, Michael Kopas, David Nielsen, Seth Soloway (2019-2020), Jack Tamburri, Ian Driver

This week, we continue our effort to explain in as direct terms as possible, the Middle States Standards of Accreditation. As mentioned in our 7/13/2021 campus-wide communication, the first three chapters of the Self Study Report are our opportunity to tell the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) that “We know who we are.”

Last week we explained how Standard 7 allowed us to explain we are a well-stewarded public institution of higher-education.

But anyone who as ever set foot on our campus knows, Purchase College is much more than that. Thankfully, Standard 1 gives us the chance to describe what sets us apart from every other SUNY (and any other institution of higher education for that matter); that is, we have a special purpose.

Of course, nothing in the Standards of Accreditation is ever that plainly stated. Formally, Standard 1 requires institutions to demonstrate the extent to which:

“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.”

In this chapter, we unpack the 11 distinct criteria and sub-criteria MSCHE uses to measure compliance with this standard in three parts.

PART 1 (We describe what our special purpose is)

Purchase College has an updated mission and goals that are clearly defined (Criteria 1), which support scholarly & creative activity (Criteria 1e), are realistic and appropriate (Criteria 2), and address external as well as internal contexts (Criteria 1b).

PART 2 (We describe how we got it)

We periodically evaluate our mission and goals (Criteria 1g), seek to develop them through collaborate participation (Criteria 1a), approve and support them through the governing body (Criteria 1c), and publicize and make them widely known (Criteria 1f). This is all done as a part of a concerted effort to ensure relevance and achievability (Criteria 4).

PART 3 (We describe how it guides us)

This fall, we will have a completed strategic plan that enables the mission and goals to guide faculty, administration, staff and governing structures (Criteria 1d). Through its implementation, we will maintain our focus on student learning as well as institutional improvement, and ensure those efforts are supported by programs and services (Criteria 3).

In other words…

We know what our special purpose is, how we got it, and how it guides us.

As with everything we do, we are constantly striving to be better.This is why, in an effort to capitalize upon the lessons learned from our mission review and strategic planning processes, this chapter (like all the others), will include a number of opportunities for improvement an innovation for MSCHE’s consideration about how we might continue pursuing this standard in the future.

Co-Chairs: Melissa Glazer, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs; Keisha Martin, Director of Conference Planning

Cabinet Liaison(s): Kathleen Farrell, Chief Human Resources Officer; Jerima Dewese, Chief Diversity and Affirmative Action Officer, Title IX Coordinator and ADA Compliance Officer

Members: Ricardo Espinales, Sarah James, Lauren Johnson, Joe Kyambadde, Francesca Levine, Paul Nicholson, Tatiana Perez

Today marks the halfway-point in our effort to explain in as direct terms as possible, the Middle States Standards of Accreditation. As mentioned over the past two weeks, the first three chapters of the Self-Study Report are our opportunity to tell the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) that “We know who we are.”

Two weeks ago, we explained how Standard 7 allowed us to explain in essence who we are is a well-stewarded public institution of higher-education. Last week we discussed how Standard 1 gave us the chance to explain that we have a special purpose.

This week we bring you Standard 2, which is our chance to demonstrate to MSCHE that we operate with integrity. The most briefly stated of the seven Standards of Accreditation, there is a lot packed in the following all-encompassing two-sentence expectation.

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.

As a public institution dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, ethics and integrity should be at the forefront guiding everything we do. Given that the Self-Study Report itself is a page-limited document, however, MSCHE provides institutions further guidance to help narrow the focus of our report across nine specific criteria. In this chapter we address these criteria in two parts.

In the first part, we aim to reaffirm through our stated policies, procedures, and practices that we are campus committed to the virtues of freedom (Criteria 1), respect (Criteria 2), and truth (Criteria 6).

In the second part, we strive to demonstrate how we follow a subset of specific processes to enable our pursuit of these values. These include impartial human resources practices for employees (Criteria 5), services and programs promoting student financial literacy and educational affordability (Criteria 7), as well as the avoidance of conflicts of interest (Criteria 4), and availability of grievance processes to all community members (Criteria 3).

Don’t we consider out ethical commitment to one another and our students to be more than just this? The short answer to that question is and emphatic yes.

In many ways, our concept of integrity fills a much bigger box than MSCHE provides, so as with all the other chapters, we take the opportunity to identify opportunities in which we can improve and innovate in this arena. In addition, Criteria 8 requires a separate compliance document appended to this chapter describing all specific state, federal policies and regulations we follow. Furthermore, we have an opportunity in Criteria 9 to discuss ways in which we periodically revisit and improve upon our commitments to ethical practices.

Unfortunately, while space, time and scope dictate this chapter does not cover ever dimension of ethics and integrity, our hope, is that it does show how our dedication to these values in part defines who we are.

A well-stewarded public institution of higher-education, with a special purpose, operating with integrity.

Dear Colleagues,

Mark your calendars!

We interrupt the regularly scheduled weekly Middle States Update Email to bring you exciting news about our Middle States Peer Review visit. We have confirmed dates for our Spring 2022 visit with our MSCHE Peer Reviewers!

As you know, the review process comprises two phases. Purchase College is in the end stages of our self-study analysis; we have conducted thorough research, collected a vast scope of evidence, reviewed and analyzed that evidence, and are now in the process of polishing chapter drafts. The second phase is the peer review, which is conducted by an Evaluation Team which the Commission pulls together from a pool of colleagues across the MSCHE region, who are selected for their qualifications.

The Commission’s procedure for selecting team chairs and members is described in Peer Evaluators Policy and Peer Evaluators Procedures.

We will keep you updated with opportunities for the community to look at the report as it’s being finalized.

Co-Chairs: Jordan Shildcrout, Associate Professor of Theater & Performance; Leandro Benmergui, Assistant Professor of History; Laura Ricciardi, Assistant Professor of Arts Management

Cabinet Liaison(s): Barry Pearson, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Members: Cathie Chester, Nick Dorot, Tim Guiliano, Chrys Ingraham, Anne Kern, Keith Landa, Cynthia Lin, Peter Polinski, Sheryl Secor

Throughout the summer we’ve been trying try and explain who the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) is, what the process of reaccreditation entails, and to what standards they hold accredited institutions.

We began by discussing how MSHCE standards 7, 1 & 2 collectively provide candidate institutions an opportunity to describe who they are. In short, through the hard work of many dedicated folks on campus over the past year, the first section of our Draft Self-Study Report provides an introspective response to those standards which will leave MSCHE to conclude we know who we are:

We are a well-stewarded public institution of higher-education, with a special purpose, operating with integrity.

But MSCHE wants to know more than just who we are. After all, actions speak louder than words. This is why they also seek evidence we know what we do. As a college with a vision to be a model teaching institution, both MSCHE Standard 3 and Standard 5, speak to the very core of what it is we do at Purchase.

We teach liberal arts and sciences alongside conservatory arts… (Standard 3)

…to the best of our ability (Standard 5).

For all of us at Purchase, the above expectations are essentially baked into our DNA, but the same cannot be said across all institutions of higher-education. This is why in Standard 3, MSCHE asks all candidate institutions to provide evidence they comply with sixteen different criteria/sub-criteria within the context of their mission. These criteria guide the way we are asked to demonstrate the extent to which the following can be said of us:

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.

As we all know very well at Purchase, achieving our mission to bring together students in the liberal arts and sciences and conservatory arts, is an intricate process. In that pursuit, we offer numerous high-quality academic programs designed to encourage both deep understanding within a discipline as well as robust interdisciplinary exploration. These programs of study involving many moving pieces: general education, program requirements, graduate degrees, non-credit certificates, dual-degrees, continuing-education, service–learning, labs, studios, recitations, tutorials, seminars, and of course Senior Projects/Capstones (often accompanied by peer-reviewed or juried performances, exhibitions, and/or presentations). With many offerings in one area either building upon or fulfilling requirements of others, it can be difficult to see clearly where one part of a curriculum stops and another begins.

In an effort to capture and present to MSCHE our response to their specific expectations in a streamlined way, this chapter begins by demonstrating the rigor and coherence of our programs of study (Part 1), continues by discussing the high-caliber of our faculty (Part 2), and ends by illuminating the opportunities provided to encourage student development and progress (Part 3).

Part 1. Demonstrating the quality of our curricula.

Degree and certificate options available are clearly and accurately described in official publications in such a way students can understand and follow (Criteria 3). Academic programs of appropriate length are offered that provide coherent student learning experiences, and promote a synthesis of learning (Criteria 1).

Part 2. Demonstrating the quality of our faculty.

Learning opportunities are designed, delivered and assessed by a sufficient number of qualified faculty, who teach rigorously and effectively, are provided opportunities for professional growth, and are reviewed regularly (Criteria 2).

Part 3. Demonstrating the quality of student opportunities.

Academic programs are supported by sufficient learning opportunities and resources to ensure student progress (Criteria 4). In particular, our small selection of curated graduate programs offer opportunities for the development of creativity, research, scholarship and intendent thinking (Criteria 6). Programs providing student learning opportunities across the campus are regularly assessed to determine their effectiveness (Criteria 8).

In many ways, through reaccreditation, MSHCE asks institutions fit what they do inside a number of tiny boxes. As a college that celebrates “think wide-open”, that’s not exactly how we tend to do things. Fortunately, this chapter does well in describing what we strive to do every day - teaching liberal arts and sciences alongside conservatory arts with equal rigor and coherence.

Next week, we’ll discuss Standard 5, a follow-up chapter describing the various ways we assess student learning experiences, to help ensure we do what we do to the best of our abilities.

Co-Chairs: Aviva Taubenfeld, Chair, School of Humanities; Darrah Carr, Assistant Professor of Dance

Cabinet Liaison(s): Barry Pearson, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Members: Athar Abdul-Quader, Meagan Curtis, Kimberly Detterbeck, Melissa Forstrom, JeanMarie Garofolo De Sa, Jane Kromm, Tolulope Omole, Jennifer Uleman, Jennifer Undercofler

This week, our examination of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education’s (MSCHE) Standards of Accreditation, brings us to Standard 5 – Educational Effectiveness Assessment. Assessment of our effectiveness as educators, is an obvious flip-side of Standard 3 – Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience, which we discussed last week. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine being able to design and deliver the best possible student learning experiences for our students without assessing how effective our educational efforts are.

Since we as a college have affirmed for ourselves a vision of being a model teaching institution, our Self Study Report to MSCHE presents these two chapters beside one another, as together they demonstrate clearly to MSCHE that we know precisely what we do here, which is teach liberal arts and sciences alongside conservatory arts (Standard 3) to the best of our ability (Standard 5).

A lot can be said (and indeed a lot has), about what it means to be a member of the Purchase College community, and what expectations we have of one another. Perhaps, the most concise, and universal description as it relates to this particular standard, is that all of us (faculty, students and staff alike) strive to be high-achievers. As such, it is appropriate that we set high bars for ourselves. To put this expectation in MSCHE’s more exacting language:

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.

In the broadest of strokes, this seems simple enough, but since education is at the very core of what we do, MSCHE wants to know (in detail) how it is we know when we get it right, and what we do to improve when we miss the mark. That’s why they lay out for all candidate institutions sixteen different criteria and sub-criteria by which the assessment of educational effectiveness is to be measured.

In a nutshell, it helps to think about all these criteria as part of a 4-step cycle. In step-one, these criteria ask intuitions to demonstrate how we know our educational goals are good ones. Next, they provide institutions with opportunities to demonstrate (with specificity), how we assess student achievement of these goals. Following that, MSCHE expects institutions to be able to clearly demonstrate how we use results from these assessments to improve our educational efforts. And finally they give us an opportunity to discuss how we strive to innovate and improve the way we assess educational achievement.

In other words… Standard 5 is our opportunity to tell MSCHE how it is we know when we’re teaching liberal arts and sciences alongside conservatory arts to the best of our ability.

Next week, we’ll turn our focus towards the final section of the Self-Study Report - two chapters, dedicated to looking under the hood and describing the myriad of things we do to support this effort.

Co-Chairs: Joe Cloidt, Assistant Director, Counseling Center; Mustafa Sakarya, Director of Library; Nicholas Astor, PSGA President

Cabinet Liaison(s): Milly Pena, President; Patty Bice, Interim Vice President of Student Affairs

Members: Kenzalia Bryant-Scott, Jessica Bullock, Maria Guralnik, Caitlin Houlihan, Robbie Morell, Jessica Pozzuoli, Lauren Rodriguez, Jenn Shingelo

As we welcome students back to our beautiful campus this week, and the rhythm of the semester begins to kick-off, it is a good time to pause a think about everything it takes to create an environment in which student success can be achieved. Fortunately, this is the focus of the third and final section of our Self-Study Report.

Our faculty can design and deliver the best courses in the world, but student learning experiences won’t be effective if students aren’t well-supported outside of the classroom as well as within it. Indeed, the college recognizes this, which is why we have such deeply dedicated staff on our campus making sure our students have access to such a wide range of services, opportunities, facilities, and programs. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) also recognizes the importance of these efforts, which is why they ask candidate institutions to look closely at Standard 4- Support of the Student Experience. Fully-stated standard four expects the following:

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.

Imbedded within this expectation are ten specific criteria and sub-criteria, by which our efforts to meet this goal are measured. Generally speaking, these criteria measure how we accept students, how we help them to persist in their pursuits, and what we do to provide a place where they can thrive.

Accepting Students

As we’ve all seen this past weekend, much more goes into student recruitment, admission, and orientation, than could be described in a concise Self-Study Report. However, MSCHE does expect a few specific bases get covered in this regard. First, they ask institutions demonstrate their efforts to get to know students well, and for them to know the institution, so they find the right fit (Criterion 1) especially if they are transfer, or under-prepared students. In particular, they expect colleges to seek constant improvement the ways transfer credits are evaluated and accepted (Criterion 2). Likewise, institutions are expected to demonstrate how they identify and support students early in the enrollment process who are not adequately prepared for study at the level they have been admitted (Criterion 1b).

Persisting Students

Once students begin their programs of study, MSCHE provides institutions an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to student needs extends beyond orientation and continues through sustained access to advising and counseling programs (Criterion 1c). While a lot goes into student advising and counseling, MSCHE specifically expects institutions to be able to demonstrate how they help students fully understand and manage the true cost of the investment they are making in their education (Criterion 1a), and that throughout their journey, institutions remain steadfast in their promise to closely adhere to industry standards which ensure the security of their records (Criterion 3).

Thriving Students

While graduating from an institution of higher education is never a small-task, MSCHE asks institutions to demonstrate what they do to help students graduate well. In other words, they give institutions an opportunity to show how they shine by discussing the processes it has designed to enhance student achievement (Criterion 1d). Likewise, this is also the opportunity institutions have to demonstrate all of their athletic, student life, and other extracurricular actives also adhere to strict standards (Criterion 4), and that the motivation to do better by their students drives the institution to try new and novel approaches in assessing the effectiveness of programs supporting the overall student experience (Criterion 6).

In conclusion, while Standard 4 can seem all encompassing, MSCHE does put some side-boards on it to help narrow the focus of this section of the Self-Study Report. In total, this chapter provide us ample opportunity to demonstrate to our reviewers the enormous lengths through which we go to really try to do things well at Purchase.

Dear Colleagues,

Draft Self-Study Report – Feedback Requested

The Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee and Cabinet liaisons worked hard over the summer to produce a completed draft of our Middle States Self-Study report, and we are pleased to present the community with a copy for review. Please grab a cup of tea, get comfortable, and spend an hour or two with the good work of your colleagues across the campus.

We have submitted this penultimate draft to our Team Chair, Dr. Richard Helldobler, who will be visiting campus in mid November. There will be opportunities to further polish this draft as we move towards our virtual site visit in early April. We value your feedback, so after you review the draft of the chapters, if you have any comments, we ask that you share those with us by completing this survey by Wednesday, December 22nd.

Save the Date

As the Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee continues to prepare our campus for our reaccreditation peer review in 2022, we are welcoming Dr. Richard J. Helldobler, President of William Paterson University to participate in a virtual Team Chair Preliminary Visit on November 15 and November 16, for a series of conversations with students, faculty, staff and administrators. An Open Forum for the campus community is an important session on the agenda. A zoom link will be sent next Monday. Please *mark your calendars* to join the Open Forum with Dr. Helldobler:

Monday, November 15^th from 12:30-1:30 PM.

The Chair’s Preliminary Visit assists the institution in understanding how the team will operate, and it assists the chair in planning how best to deploy the team. The purposes of the Chair’s Preliminary Visit are to:

• Introduce the Team Chair to the institution, itspeople, and its environment so that the chair and team of peer evaluatorscan begin the upcoming On-Site Evaluation Visit efficiently and effectively.
• Ensure that the self-study process and document willsupport a useful On-Site Evaluation Visit.
• Address practical preparation for the visit and to determine the institution’s readiness to host the visit.

Thank you in advance for your participation in this important work.

Good Morning,

As a reminder, the Team Chair Preliminary Visit is scheduled for Monday, November 15^th and Tuesday, November 16^th. Our Team Chair, Dr. Richard Helldobler, is conducting a 60-minute Webinar on Monday from 12:30 – 1:30 to provide the entire campus community with information about the Team Visit, and to get to know our campus a little bit. All are welcome.

Registration is not required. If you are interested in attending, please add the following to your calendar:

https://purchase.zoom.us/j/95550387602

We look forward to seeing you on Monday, November 15^th at 12:30!

Dear Colleagues,

The MSCHE Team Chair Preliminary visit, originally scheduled for Monday/Tuesday November 15^th/16^th, will need to be rescheduled for later in the semester.

For personal reasons, our Evaluation Team Chair, Dr. Richard Helldobler has had to withdraw from the reaccreditation process. Fortunately, Dr. James Lentini, President of Molloy College, has graciously agreed to replace him and lead the select team of trained, knowledgeable and appropriate peer evaluators who will virtually visit our campus to conduct interviews and gain insights they can draw-upon to best assess the written Self-Study report against MSCHE’s own standards, requirements, and polices.

We will send a broadcast email to the campus community as soon as these new dates are confirmed. The full team visit (also virtual) is still scheduled for April 3^rd to 6^th, 2022.

Dear Colleagues,

As a reminder, our draft Middle States Self-Study report available for review. If you have time to review the full report, please consider providing us with any comments by completing this survey by Wednesday, December 22nd.

However, we understand it is a long document and workloads are tight at this point in the semester. That is why we also want to also direct you to the draft Executive Summary which provides description of all of the opportunities for improvements which were identified during the self-study process. If you only have 30 minutes, grab a cup of tea and take a look at this abbreviated summary of the work and recommendations produced by your colleagues.

This self-study process and re-accreditation review by the Commission is important for Purchase College for a number of reasons, including:

• The campus will be held responsible by MSHCE for implementing opportunities for improvement identified in theSelf Study Report,
• It provides our students with access tofederal and state funding;
• It maintains confidence for employersof the educational quality of the higher education our graduates havereceived.

Opportunities to participate further in discussions about the Self-Study Report

We are scheduling several virtual “Middle States Monday’s” Question/Answer Sessions during which we will be discussing one or two of the standards. These meetings are open to any member of the community who wishes to understand more and specific criteria of each standard and how Purchase College rises to meet them.

• NOV 22  12:30-1:30 – Governance, Mission and Ethics – Standards 7, 1, and 2
• NOV 29  12:30-1:30 – Support of Student Experience – Standard 4
• DEC 22   12:30-1:30 – Student Learning and Assessment – Standards 3 and 5
• DEC 12   12:30-1:30 – Campus Planning – Standard 6

Please pack your lunch in a brown bag and click this zoom link to join. Hope to see you there!

Thank you in advance for your participation in this important work.

Dear Colleagues,

This is just a quick reminder that today at 12:30 pm, we will hold our second community-wide Q/A session since submitting our 2021 Draft Self Study Report to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Please feel free to join the Co-Chairs of Standards 4 – Support of the Student Experience today to receive answers to any outstanding questions you may have about the product or process that generated this chapter of our Draft Self-Study Report. This series of meetings are intended to help every member of our community better understand the specific criteria of each standard and how Purchase College rises to meet them.

11/22 12:30-1:30 Governance, Mission & Ethics (Standards 7, 1 & 2)

11/29 12:30-1:30 Support of the Student Experience (Standard 4)

12/06 12:30-1:30 Student Learning and Assessment (Standards 3 & 5)

12/13 12:30-1:30 Campus Planning (Standard 6)

To access the zoom-room for this and all future Q/A sessions please click this zoom link.

Please don’t forget, the deadline for public comments on this report is Wednesday, December 22, and should be submitted via this survey link, and to be on the lookout for a potential invitation to join our new MSCHE Evaluation Team Chair Dr. James Lentini for a brief conversation near the end of the semester.

Thank you all for your continued participation in this important work.

Dear Colleagues,

This is just a quick reminder that today at 12:30 pm, we will hold our third community-wide Q/A session since submitting our 2021 Draft Self Study Report to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Please feel free to join the Co-Chairs of Standard 3 – Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience and Standard 5 - Educational Effectiveness Assessment today to receive answers to any outstanding questions you may have about the product or process that generated this chapter of our Draft Self-Study Report.This series of meetings are intended to help every member of our community better understand the specific criteria of each standard and how Purchase College rises to meet them.

11/22 12:30-1:30 Governance, Mission & Ethics (Standards 7, 1 & 2)

11/29 12:30-1:30 Support of the Student Experience (Standard 4)

12/06 12:30-1:30 Student Learning and Assessment (Standards 3 & 5)

12/13 12:30-1:30 Campus Planning (Standard 6)

To access the zoom-room for this and all future Q/A sessions please click this zoom link.

Please don’t forget, the deadline for public comments on this report is Wednesday, December 22, and should be submitted via this survey link, and to be on the lookout for a potential invitation to join our new MSCHE Evaluation Team Chair Dr. James Lentini for a brief conversation near the end of the semester.

Thank you all for your continued participation in this important work.

Dear Colleagues,

Mark your calendars

As the Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee continues to prepare our campus for our reaccreditation peer review on April 3 – 6th, we are welcoming Dr. James Lentini, President of Molloy College, to participate in a virtual Team Chair Preliminary Visit on Friday, January 21^st, for a series of conversations with students, faculty, staff and administrators. A webinar for the campus community is an important session on the agenda. A zoom link will be sent in the week or so. Please *mark your calendars* to join the webinar with Dr. Lentini:

Friday, January 21st from 1:00 – 2:00 PM.

Link to join the webinar: https://purchase.zoom.us/j/98981548636. (We will send a reminder email on January 20th with this zoom link.)

The Chair’s Preliminary Visit assists the institution in understanding how the team will operate, and it assists the chair in planning how best to deploy the team. The purposes of the Chair’s Preliminary Visit are to:

• Introducethe Team Chair to the institution, its people, and its environment so thatthe chair and team of peer evaluators can begin the upcoming On-SiteEvaluation Visit efficiently and effectively.
• Ensurethat the self-study process and document will support a useful On-SiteEvaluation Visit.
• Addresspractical preparation for the visit and to determine the institution’sreadiness to host the visit.

Thank you in advance for your participation in this important work.

Good Morning,

As a reminder, the Team Chair Preliminary Visit is scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, January 21^st. Our Team Chair, Dr. James Lentini, is conducting a 60-minute Webinar from 1:00-2:00 PM to provide the entire campus community with information about the Team Visit, and to get to know our campus a little bit. All are welcome.

Registration is not required. If you are interested in attending, please add the following to your calendar:

1:00pm-2:00pmWebinar: faculty, staff, students:

Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://purchase.zoom.us/j/98981548636

We look forward to seeing you on tomorrow at 1:00 PM!

Barbara Moore | Ryan Taylor

Pre.Middle.States.Chairs@purchase.edu

co-Chairs, Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee

Purchase College SUNY

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Purchase College Middle States Re-accreditation

Dear Colleagues,

We are so pleased to inform you that the Purchase College Self-Study Report was submitted to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education last Friday evening, along with 537 unique pieces of evidence. Please find a quiet hour where you can get cozy, grab a cup of tea (or your beverage of choice), and read this report. It is the culmination of two years of hard work on the part of dozens and dozens of our colleagues. In addition to the sustained efforts of the Workgroup co-Chairs and members, many thanks go to Kristi McKee (Associate Director of Communications) and James Gallagher (Creative Director) in our office of Communications and Creative Services for transforming a finished-but-still-rough-around-the-outermost-edges report into the polished, beautiful document you will read.

The next (and final!) steps in this multi-year process surround the Team Visit which is scheduled for Sunday, April 3^rd through Wednesday, April 6^th.

Visit schedule

Sunday, April 3^rd We will have a short virtual meeting (likely in Webinar format) to introduce the Visiting Team members to senior administration, the MS4C Steering Committee, and the college in general.

Monday, April 4^th Team members will meet individually or in small groups with select campus stakeholders (TBD just prior to the visit).

Tuesday, April 5^th Same as above.

Wednesday, April 6^th This last day will include only the final verbal presentation of the MSCHE Visiting Team response to our Self-Study Report.

Campus Stakeholder Participation

We will try to anticipate the campus stakeholders with whom the Visiting Team members will want to meet. We’ll notify those individuals to make sure that they are familiar with our report and recommendations. We won’t know specifics about meeting participants or days/times until very close to the schedule visit. So, we ask that all community members try to anticipate where they might be asked to meet or contribute. In addition, please try to leave your calendars open and schedules very flexible for Monday, April 4^th and Tuesday, April 5^th. As you can imagine, scheduling everything will be challenging.

This is the home stretch after 2 ½ years of team work. Thank you all for all that you have done and continue to do to make Purchase College such a success.

Dear Colleagues,

***Please try to leave your calendars open and schedules very flexible for Monday, April 4^th and Tuesday, April 5^th.***

In a little less than a month Dr. James Lentini, President of Molloy College and Chair of the Middle States Self-Study Review Team, and his review team will be coming to our campus. They will have carefully read through the Purchase College Self-Study Report and will be meeting with various campus stakeholders and collecting additional pieces of evidence before presenting their findings on Wednesday, April 6^th.

We’d like to introduce you to the members of the review team, which includes the following colleagues:

Dr. James P Lentini, Chair of the Self-Study Review Team
President
Molloy College

Mrs. Yolanda Alvarez
Associate Dean of Students/Deputy Title IX Coordinator
Montclair State University

Ms. Mary Hennessey
Assistant to the Provost, Self-Study Co-Chair, Accreditation Liaison Officer
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

Ms. Shirley Lake-King
Vice President for Administration and Finance/Chief Financial Officer
University of the Virgin Islands

Ms. Bobbi Owen
Michael R. McVaugh Distinguished Professor Emerita (Retired)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Dr. Stefanie Kerns Schwalm
Associate Provost for Accreditation, Assessment, & Planning
West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Nelson Arnaldo Vera Hernandez
Full Professor, Former Chancellor, Former Administrative Affairs Dean, and Department Director
University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla

As we promised in our February 23^rd broadcast email, we will try to anticipate the campus stakeholders with whom the Visiting Team members will want to meet. We’ll notify those individuals to make sure that they are familiar with our report and recommendations. We won’t know specifics about meeting participants or days/times until very close to the schedule visit. So, we ask that all community members try to anticipate where they might be asked to meet or contribute. In addition, please try to leave your calendars open and schedules very flexible for Monday, April 4^th and Tuesday, April 5^th. As you can imagine, scheduling everything will be challenging.

Dear Colleagues,

As you are all aware, Dr. James Lentini, President of Molloy College and Chair of the Middle States Self-Study Review Team, and his review team will be coming to our campus on Monday, April 4^th and Tuesday, April 5^th. The MSCHE team meetings with campus stakeholders are an important part of this visit. The team members will have read our Purchase College Self-Study Report and will be looking for additional information before finalizing their response. This is our opportunity to provide evidence of the extent to which Purchase College meets the MSCHE standards for accreditation.

To the extent possible, please try to keep your calendars free during these two days so that you are available to join a meeting if so requested. This is our opportunity to showcase our excellence while also acknowledging ways in which we can continuously improve.

Thank you.

Milly -

Milagros Peña, PhD
President

Dear Campus

The culmination of our self-study process will be the Middle States reaccreditation site visit, which will occur April 3-6.The self-study process has revealed what I believe to be an institution that delivers rigorous and high-quality education to all its students; ethically conducts itself in all areas with a focus on its mission; and constantly seeks to improve its educational and operational effectiveness. Consequently, I believe we have met the criteria within the standards and will earn reaccreditation.

My confidence comes from having seen all of the hard work that has gone into writing a rigorous self-study—an effort that has been wonderfully led by Ryan Taylor, Barbara Moore, and Greg Taylor. The self-study chapters were written by strong teams, each co-chaired by colleagues who were clearly committed to preparing excellent analyses of our strengths and weakness for each standard.

As we near the team visit, I wanted to emphasize some things that I believe are important.

First, please read the self-study. The team will conduct a variety of meetings during the 3-day visit, some of which will be open to all members of our community. The team will use the report to assess our institution. Their questions will stem from the report. Answering them will require that we all familiarize ourselves with the self-study’s findings in order to serve our reaccreditation effort.

Please know that since our last visit in 2012, we have done a great deal to improve our institution including working together to revise our college’s mission, vision, and values. This process, and all the dialogue that ensued from it, enabled us to establish our Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs). The ILOs, coupled with the new mission/vision/values, enabled us to create a final strategic plan.

These accomplishments, which allowed us to learn from our past and set course for our future, would not have been possible without your hard work since 2012. Again, thank you so much for all of your efforts.

Milagros (Milly) Peña, PhD
President

DearColleagues,

As you know, our MSCHE Site Visit is next week. The evaluation team will be meeting with various campus stakeholders on Monday and Tuesday. On the last day of the visit, the Team Chair, Dr. James Lentini, will provide an oral exit report. All members of the campus community are invited to this webinar, scheduled for Wednesday, April 6th at 9:00 AM. If you are able to attend, please mark your calendars for Wednesday, April 6^th from 9:00 – 10:00 AM. A zoom link will be sent in a separate broadcast email early next week.

As described on the MSCHE website, after meeting with the institution’s president, the Team Chair presents an oral version of the team report to the campus. The Team Chair will share the following findings:

• For each standard, thechair will indicate whether or not, in the judgment of the team, theinstitution appears to meet the standard.
• Theteam may also offer recommendations for improvement or requirements ifnon-compliance is indicated.
• TheTeam Report may also identify an institution’s significantaccomplishments, progress, or exemplary or innovative practices for eachstandard.

All of the MSCHE evaluators will be present at this session, which will be conducted as a webinar. It is open to all members of the internal campus constituencies, but no external parties. In addition, the session should not be videotaped or otherwise recorded, or transmitted in any way beyond the campus community.

At the conclusion of the oral exit report, the team promptly exits and the webinar ends. The conclusion of the oral report marks the official end of the virtual site visit; there is no opportunity for questions or further interaction with the visiting team.

Good Morning,

Last night President Pena virtually welcomed the MSCHE Evaluation Team to Purchase College, and introduced Cabinet and the Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee.

Today is the first of two days of scheduled meetings with the evaluation team members and various campus stakeholders. As a reminder, the MSCHE Site Visit concludes on Wednesday morning from 9:00 – 10:00 AM when our Team Chair, Dr. James Lentini, will deliver a 60-minute oral exit report. All of the MSCHE evaluators will be present at this session, which is open to all members of the internal campus constituencies, but no external parties.

If you are able to attend the Webinar presentation of the reviewer’s report, please add the following to your calendar:

https://purchase.zoom.us/j/93288663535

The above link will not be activated until Wednesday morning.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday morning at 9:00 AM.