Middle States Self-Study Progress Report
May 2016
As we get ready to celebrate another incredibly successful class of RIT graduates, and remind ourselves just
why we do what we do, we thought it a good time to update the community on our progress in the Middle States
Decennial Evaluation re-accreditation process.
As you may remember, this is a rather lengthy two and a half year process. After identifying an eighteenmember steering committee and eight working groups made up of fifty-nine constituents from across campus,
the steering committee set the working groups loose at the beginning of this academic year on each of Middle
States’ seven standards of accreditation as well as a whole host of “Requirements of Affiliation,” including state
and federal compliance.
The working groups have been toiling away on their reports ever since. We asked the groups to gather data
related to their charges from documentary evidence, and examine related policies and procedures, to determine
to what extent RIT meets the criteria for each of the seven standards and the Requirements of Affiliation. We
then asked the groups to identify strengths in each area, as well as to make recommendations for improvement.
Finally, we asked each working group to address two “research questions” formulated by the steering
committee centered on top-level priorities in the Strategic Plan.
The initial drafts of the reports were submitted on April 19. The steering committee reviewed the initial drafts
to determine if sufficient information and evidence was included in order for the Steering Committee to prepare
the Self-Study. Each working group chair was provided with feedback, and the working groups are now
revising their drafts due May 19. Once the final drafts are in, the steering committee will use the reports to
develop the Self-Study.
A first draft of the Self-Study will be ready by September 1 and shared with the campus community for
feedback. The Self-Study is not just a report for Middle States, but it is also information that will help guide
RIT into the future as it identifies areas where we already excel as well as areas in which we need to improve.
The research question inquiry will provide additional campus support and guidance for the implementation of
“Greatness through Difference.”
The MSCHE Evaluation Team will be on campus from April 2, 2017 to April 5, 2017 for their site visit. At that
time members of the evaluation team will meet individually and in groups with various stakeholders. Prior to
this, the chair of the evaluation team will visit campus on October 6, 2016 and lay the ground work for the April
team visit.
And finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t thank the working group chairs for their incredible efforts
throughout the academic year. These chairs have kept their groups on task for what is a complex process of
gathering data, analyzing criteria, and writing reports. So a special thank you to Shirley Bower, Patrick Didas,
Richard Dirmyer, Marianne Gustafson, Sharon Lonthair, Steve Morse, Karey Pine, and Linda Tolan.
For a complete list of steering committee and working group membership, as well as for more information
about the Self-Study process, please visit our website at https://www.rit.edu/president/middlestates/.
On behalf of the whole Self-Study team, we wish you all the very best for the end of the school year and the
summer,
Anne Wahl and Michael Laver, Co-Chairs,
MSCHE Self-Study Steering Committee