2012 Middle States Accreditation
Report Review
Chapter 6: Intellectual Rigor
Standards 11 & 13
Chapter 7: An Education for the 21st Century
Standard 12
MSCHE Accreditation
 Mission-based
 Decennial self-study
• Compliance and improvement
• 14 Standards
• Characteristics of Excellence
• Emphasis on results instead of processes
2011-2012 Timeline
 Fall 2011
• Campus comment on self-study draft
• Evaluation team Chair reviews draft
• Dr. Javier Cevallos
• President, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
• November 2nd - 4th: Dr. Cevallos makes preliminary
campus visit
• Final self-study report prepared
• Preparation of electronic document repository
 Spring 2012
• Final report sent to team (6 wks. prior to visit)
• April 1st – 4th : Team visit and report
• Institution response
Organization of Self-Study
Comprehensive Model
 14 Standards grouped into 8 chapters
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Chapter 1: Institutional Excellence
Chapter 2: Institutional Vitality
Chapter 3: Institutional Leadership and Governance
Chapter 4: A Learner-Centered Campus
Chapter 5: A Vibrant Faculty
Chapter 6: Intellectual Rigor
Chapter 7: An Education for the 21st Century
Chapter 8: A Culture of Continuous Improvement
Intellectual Rigor
Standard Description
Standard 11: Educational Offerings
 The institution’s educational offerings display academic
content, rigor, and coherence appropriate to its higher
education mission. The institution identifies student
learning goals and objectives for its educational offerings.
Standard 13: Related Educational Activities
 The institution’s programs or activities that are
characterized by particular content, focus, location, mode
of delivery, or sponsorship meet appropriate standards.
Work Group Members
Frank Byrne (Chair)
Susan Camp
Jim Nichols
Fehmi Damkaci
Jerry Oberst
Jennifer Kagan
Yvonne Petrella
Raihan Khan
David Vampola
Fritz Messere
Nicolas Treviso
Input/Data Sources Reviewed
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Academic Affairs annual reports
Undergraduate and graduate catalogs
Program accreditation reports
Program self study reports
SQL final report
General Education task force reports
International education reports
Carnegie Community Engagement Classification application
Library usage data
McNair Scholar reports
General Findings
 SUNY Oswego boasts a distinctive curriculum
borne out of our mission
• Expansion over the past several years to meet the
changing needs and demands of our students.
 The growing curriculum offered through Extended
Learning, the Office of International Education, and
other related educational offerings largely reflects
our Engaging Challenge: Sesquicentennial Plan
and thus far seems to be serving the future needs
of our students and the broader community as well.
General Findings
 Assessment of our curriculum has been greatly
enhanced over the past five years. A culture of
continuous assessment exists across most of the
campus.
Recommendations
 Evaluate the suitability and viability of our current
mix of majors/programs:
• majors/programs
• general education requirements
• other programs such as experiential and distance
learning
Recommendations
 Develop more comprehensive and ongoing
assessment practices in the Division of Graduate
Studies.
• Mission, programs, curriculum
• Retention and placement
 Implement richer assessment of the placement of
our graduates.
Questions or Comments?
An Education for the 21st Century
Standard Description
Standard 12
 The institution’s curricula are designed so that students
acquire and demonstrate college-level proficiency in
general education and essential skills, including at least
oral and written communication, scientific and
quantitative reasoning, critical analysis and reasoning,
and technological competency.
Work Group Members
Jessica Hester (Chair)
Michelle Bandla
Tom Ingram
Mary Beth Bell
Chris LaLonde
Bob Casper
Josh McKeown
Mark Cole
Rhonda Mandel
Cathy Santos
Input/Data Sources Reviewed
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Undergraduate catalog
General Education web site
General Education assessment reports
SQL task force report
Task Force on Re-creating General Education
GE21 Task Force initial report and survey summary
Library annual reports
Academic Affairs annual reports
Carnegie Community Engagement Classification application
General Findings
 General Education at Oswego speaks to the
strategic directions that help shape the institution.
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vitality in the range of offerings
rigor in upper-level course work
seeking solutions with a multi-disciplinary perspective
a commitment to diversity and global awareness.
mastery of basic skills and exposure to a breadth of
intellectual experiences.
General Findings
 We have seen improvements in the GE curriculum,
due to assessment, but still have areas that need
improvement, such as SQL.
 We need better communication and focus on the
findings and recommendations of GE assessments.
 SUNY Oswego has adopted a reflective and
inclusive process for general education design that
incorporates best practices and the assessment
results of our current General Education program.
Recommendations
 Integrate the SQL committee recommendations into
long term planning discussions.
 Incorporate the work done by the Task Force on
Re-creating General Education into future
assessments and restructurings of local General
Education requirements.
 Improve the communication of assessment results
back to the departments and instructors.
Recommendations
 Make transparent the logic of general education to
faculty and students alike. For a general education
curriculum to be effective, students need to
understand the value of it, rather than see these
courses as a burden.
 Encourage efforts to expand General Education
course offerings related to civic engagement,
sustainability and the arts.
Questions or Comments?