MIDDLE STATES COMMISSION ON
HIGHER EDUCATION:
REACCREDITATION
DECENNIAL SELF-STUDY PROCESS
2007 - 2017
2015 GOVERNANCE GROUP UPDATE
Anne Wahl
Michael Laver
Decennial Review Timeline
2015-16
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Sept: Working Groups begin
inquiry
May 2016: Working Group
reports due (reports form the
self-study)
June-August 2016 – Collect
Feedback – Steering
Committee review
Sept. –November 2016:
Collect campus feedback
December-January – Steering
Committee final review
2016-2017
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February: final self study
submitted
March-April: evaluation
team visit
May: RIT response
June: final accreditation
action
Campus Participation
2016
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September - November: Collect campus feedback
Similar to previous Middle States process
Self-Study will be available to campus community
Feedback will be collected electronically
Steering Committee reviews and incorporates
feedback
Collaborative Implementation Project
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RIT Invited to participant in MSCHE Collaborative
Implementation Project (CIP)
Implementing the new Standards (now 7 from 14) and
accreditation processes
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15 Partner Institutions
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RIT’s “CIP” Team:
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Dr. Michael Laver, Self Study Co-Chair
Dr. Anne Wahl, Self Study Co-Chair
Dr. Christine Licata, RIT Accreditation Liaison Officer
Steering Committee Membership
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Karen Barrows ’04
Bob Finnerty ’07
Joan Graham
Paula Grcevic
Clyde Hull
Bridget Hurley
Sandra Johnson
Michael Laver
Christine Licata
Ed Lincoln ’79
Kevin McDonald
Yin Pan
Austin Sierra
Thomas Smith
Kim Sowers
Greg Van Laeken
Anne Wahl
Kim E. VanGelder
Secretary to the Institute, and Chief of Staff, Office of the President
Chief Communications Officer, University News
Assistant Vice President, Institutional Research and Policy Studies
Professor, National Technical Institute for the Deaf
Associate Professor, Saunders College of Business
Student Government Representative
Senior Vice President for Student Affairs
Associate Professor, College of Liberal Arts, Co-chair
Senior Associate Provost, Academic Affairs
Assistant Vice President, Enrollment Management & Career Services
Vice President/Associate Provost for Diversity & Inclusion, Office of the President
Associate Professor, Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences
Student Government Representative
Professor, School of Chemistry & Materials Science, College of Science
Director, ITS Project Management Office
Business Manager & Analyst for Global Programs
Assistant Provost for Assessment & Accreditation, Co-chair
BOT Member, CIO and VP, Eastman Kodak Company, ’86 BS Mathematics
7 Standards
1. Mission
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
and Goals
Ethics and Integrity
Design and Delivery of Student Learning
Experience
Support of the Student Experience
Educational Effectiveness Assessment
Planning, Resources, & Institutional
Improvement
Governance, Leadership & Administration
Working Groups – Inquiry Begins
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Seven Standard Working Groups
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Teams of faculty, staff, and students working on:
 Reviewing
and reflecting on the documentation to determine
to what extent RIT meets the standard/criteria
 Making recommendations for institutional improvement
 Responding to the research questions for each standard
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One Compliance Working Group
Reviewing documentation, policies, and procedures to
determine to what extent RIT meets the
standard/criteria
 Making recommendations for institutional improvement
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Working Groups
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Core Question-all Working Groups must answer:
To what extent does RIT meet the criteria
established for the standard?
Working Group Research Questions
Standard 1: Mission and Goals
 How effective is RIT, as a “student-centric” university, at preparing graduates
for successful careers in a global society?
(Linked to Strategic Plan 2015 Mission and Dimension One: Career Education and
Student Success- Difference Maker I.2)
 To what extent do opportunities exist to enhance collaborative and
interdisciplinary academic programs, research, and partnerships across the
University?
(Linked to Strategic Plan 2015 and Mission and Dimension Two: The StudentCentered Research University - Difference Maker II.1)
Standard 2: Ethics and Integrity
 How do existing policies, practices, and procedures demonstrate RIT’s ongoing
commitment to inclusive excellence for faculty, staff and students?
(Linked to Strategic Plan 2015 and Dimension Three: Leveraging Difference Difference Maker III.7)
 To what degree is RIT positioned to satisfy the “affordability goal?” (Linked to
Strategic Plan Dimension Four: Affordability and Return on Investment)
Research Questions
Standard 3: Design and Delivery of the Student Experience
 To what degree is RIT positioned to develop T-shaped graduates with the
disciplinary depth and breadth across multiple skills and competencies? (Linked
to Strategic Plan 2015 Dimension One: Career Education and Student Success Difference Maker I.1)
 Where do opportunities exist to expand and strengthen experiential learning
experiences for all students? (Linked to Strategic Plan 2015 and Dimension One:
Career Education and Student Success – Difference Maker I.1)
Standard 4: Support for the Student Learning Experience
 To what degree do existing policies, procedures, practices, and conditions
support on-time degree completion as defined by the various degree programs
at RIT and given RIT’s emphasis on experiential learning? (Linked to Strategic
Plan 2015 and Dimension One: Career Education and Student Success Difference Maker I.7)
 To what extent are the University’s recruitment and retention efforts, and
planned efforts, meeting institutional enrollment goals? (Linked to Strategic Plan
2015 and Dimension One: Career Education and Student Success - Difference
Maker I.7 and Dimension Three: Leveraging Difference - Difference Maker III.5)
Research Questions
Standard 5: Educational Effectiveness Assessment
 In what way does the assessment of student learning provide evidence that students
have achieved RIT learning outcomes? (Linked to Strategic Plan 2015 and Dimension
One: Career Education and Student Success - Difference Maker I.4)
 To what extent does RIT use assessment results for the improvement of educational
effectiveness consistent with the mission? (Linked to Strategic Plan 2015 and
Dimension One: Career Education and Student Success - Difference Maker I.4)
Standard 6: Planning, Resources and Institutional Improvement
 To what degree are the University’s budgeting and resource allocation models datadriven and based on and guided by strategic planning, priorities, and ongoing
institutional demands?
 To what extent does RIT leverage educational technology to improve access,
maintain academic quality, and achieve desired learning outcomes while balancing
costs? (Linked to Strategic Plan 2015 and Dimension Four: Affordability, Value and
Return on Investment - Difference Maker 4.2)
Research Questions
Standard 7: Governance, Leadership, and Administration
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What evidence exists that the university has been successful in the
implementation and transparency of the University’s mission, vision and goals?
(Linked to RIT Strategic Plan/Difference Makers)
Is RIT’s system of shared governance working effectively to benefit the
constituencies that it serves? (Linked to RIT Policies B01, B02, B03, and B04).
Ongoing Campus Communication
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Campus Presentations
Accreditation Website
https://www.rit.edu/president/middlestates/
Contact co-chairs or any Steering Committee Member
Questions?
Happy Autumn!