Campus Communications regarding Middle States

Dear Colleagues,

The Steering Committee met with our Middle States liaison, Dr. Sean McKitrick, during his recent visit in April, to review the self-study design. Based on some of his suggestions, the self-study design was slightly revised, some additional members were added to our Steering Committee and Work Groups, and the final self-study design was submitted to Middle States for final approval. We recently heard back that our submission has been approved. This means that we may proceed with commencement of writing the self-study. This is exciting news for our campus!

Dr. McKitrick was very complimentary about the self-study design and stated he believes it will serve as an “effective road map and reference for the steering committee and its working groups as they do their work.” He also stated that the three areas of focus for our self-study design: diversity and inclusion; student retention, support, and success; and institutional and pedagogical sustainability were “timely, original, and quite well-aligned with SUNY Broome’s mission…and with the Commission’s standards.”

The Work Groups for each of the 7 standards have been hard at work this past summer to continue to gather evidence related to their assigned standard. In the fall, Work Groups will provide the Steering Committee with their reports to review. This will give us insight into our strengths and areas of opportunity to focus on in the coming year. Thank you to the Steering Committee and Work Group members for all of your hard work on our self-study preparation so far!

Please see the attached letter of approval from Dr. McKitrick.

Dr. Kevin Drumm

Please see the attached letter of approval from Dr. McKitrick (pdf)

Dear Colleagues,

The college has made progress in our Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) reaffirmation of accreditation efforts since the process officially launched in the fall. Upon the return of our lead team of colleagues from the MSCHE annual conference in November, and in collaboration with the Steering Committee and Working Groups, we have reviewed evidence toward making the case for compliance and have identified gaps needing attention. Further, the team has developed a draft Self-Study Design report that is being reviewed for input before it is submitted to MSCHE.

The following are the priorities and timeline for the Spring 2019 semester:

Timeline for Spring 2019.

Jan-Feb: Self-Study Design drafted by Steering Committee leadership team; submitted to Steering Committee. Steering Committee revises SS Design; submits to Executive Council & Working Groups.  Steering Committee further revises SS Design, circulates to campus.

Feb-Mar:Working Groups review completed Rubric for their Standard; Refine Structure of Working Group section of SS Design for their Standard; determine specific Lines of Inquiry; produce draft Outline for Standard.

Mar: Working Groups gather evidence, documents, policies, minutes, etc. Review final draft of SS Design document before submission to MSCHE Liaison.

Apr: MSCHE Liaison visits campus; meets with Working Groups representatives, answers questions, provides feedback.

May: Working Groups provide Steering Committee with Provisional Draft and Evidence Inventory (“What we’ve done so far” report). Schedules meetings for Fall 19.

Please get in touch with Dr. Adanu adanusk@sunybroome.edu, Dr. Brandt brandtac@sunybroome.edu or Dr. Haggerty haggertyaj@sunybroome.edu if you have any questions concerning the accreditation process.

Thank you.

President Kevin Drumm

Dear Campus Community,

As you may know, the College is due for its Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) self-study visit in 2020-2021. This is a major undertaking. To renew our accreditation, the College must produce a comprehensive self-study report that clearly reaffirms our continued ability to fulfill our academic mission and to assist our students in achieving their educational and career aspirations using data which demonstrates continuous improvement.

To enable the Middle States Commission on Higher Education to assess our current ability and future potential to meet the Commission’s accreditation standards, a Steering Committee and Working Groups (one for each Standard) has been established to oversee the self-study process. The Steering Committee and Working Groups will conduct gap analyses to assess the College’s compliance with MSCHE’s accreditation standards. This gap analysis will assist us in identifying if we are currently meeting the Commission’s expectations and to implement plans to meet these standards if we are not.

The MSCHE Standards:

1. Mission and goals
2. Ethics and integrity
3. Design and delivery of the student learning experience
4. Support of the student experience
5. Educational effectiveness assessment
6. Planning, resources and institutional improvement
7. Governance, leadership and administration

To ensure a coordinated effort in accomplishing this critical work, I have asked Dr. Sesime Adanu and Dr. Amy Brandt to co-chair the self-study process. They will assist executive leadership in forming a Steering Committee and Working Groups. The list of the Steering Committee is presented below:

1. Dr. Sesime Adanu
2. Dr. Francis Battisti
3. Dr. Amy Brandt
4. Dr. Andrew Haggerty
5. Dr. Michael Kinney
6. Dr. Kimberly McLain
7. Beth Mollen
8. Dr. Carol Ross
9. Dr. Michele Snyder
10. Michael Sullivan
11. Jesse Wells

The Steering Committee will be responsible for:

• Ensuring the overall project timeline for conducting the gap analyses for each MSCHE accreditation standard and developing the self-study document;
• Providing training to each work group on the MSCHE standard the group will be assessing and assistance on conducting the gap analysis for the standard;
• Providing support, guidance, and status updates of progress towards completion of the gap analyses and self-study document;
• Providing status updates to senior administration on the outcomes of the gap analyses and feedback, and/or recommendations for any needed improvements or enhancements to campus policies, processes, and/or procedures based on the gap analyses;
• Work with campus administration on dissemination of gap analyses findings and recommendations for improvement to campus stakeholders; and,
• Providing input on the development, drafting, and final editing and delivery of the self-study document to senior administration for submission to MSCHE.

The Working Groups will be responsible for:

• Completing training on the standard for which the working group is conducting a gap analysis so that the group understands MSCHE expectations;
• Researching and reviewing SUNY Broome’s past MSCHE self-study and follow up reports to assess the impact of significant major developments, changes, or challenges subsequent to the last College self-study and/or mid-term report review by MSCHE;
• Assessing the College’s response to recommendations resulting from the previous self-study, monitoring reports, or Periodic Review Report;
• Researching, identifying, and locating all required policies, procedures, and documentation, and any other material that elucidates the College’s compliance status; and,
• Providing a summary analysis that outlines the College’s strengths, weakness, and areas for improvement in complying with the accreditation standard.

Please contact Dr. Adanu adanusk@sunybroome.edu or Dr. Brandt brandtac@sunybroome.edu if you are interested in volunteering on any of the working groups tied to the accreditation standards listed above.

I look forward to your collaborative spirit in getting SUNY Broome re-accredited by MSCHE once again.

Thank you,
President Drumm