- Created by Wiki Maintenance, last modified by Bruce Szelest on May 25, 2020
CLICK HERE to access UAlbany's final Middle States self-study report
- to access the report's appendices, CLICK HERE to download a PDF compilation
- Campus-wide updates on process
- May 21, 2020 Today @UAlbany update
- Today @ UAlbany news item
- Campus-wide call for community participation
Standard I: 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. The institution’s stated goals are clearly linked to its mission and specify how the institution fulfills its mission. An accredited institution possesses and demonstrates the following attributes or activities:
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2. institutional goals that are realistic, appropriate to higher education, and consistent with mission; |
3. goals that focus on student learning and related outcomes and on institutional improvement; are supported by administrative, educational, and student support programs and services; and are consistent with institutional mission; |
4. and periodic assessment of mission and goals to ensure they are relevant and achievable. |
Click here for a template of the compiled standard 1 report
Standard II: Ethics and Integrity
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.
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1. a commitment to academic freedom, intellectual freedom, freedom of expression, and respect for intellectual property rights; |
2. a climate that fosters respect among students, faculty, staff, and administration from a range of diverse backgrounds, ideas, and perspectives; |
3. a grievance policy that is documented and disseminated to address complaints or grievances raised by students, faculty, or staff. The institution’s policies and procedures are fair and impartial, and assure that grievances are addressed promptly, appropriately, and equitably; |
4. the avoidance of conflict of interest or the appearance of such conflict in all activities and among all constituents; |
5. fair and impartial practices in the hiring, evaluation, promotion, discipline, and separation of employees; |
6. honesty and truthfulness in public relations announcements, advertisements, recruiting and admissions materials and practices, as well as in internal communication; |
7. as appropriate to its mission, services or programs in place: a. to promote affordability and accessibility; b. to enable students to understand funding sources and options, value received for cost, and methods to make informed decisions about incurring debt; |
8. compliance with all applicable federal, state, and Commission reporting policies, regulations, and requirements to include reporting regarding:
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9. periodic assessment of ethics and integrity as evidenced in institutional policies, processes, practices, and the manner in which these are implemented. |
Click here for a template of the compiled standard 2 report
Standard III: 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. All learning experiences, regardless of modality, program pace/schedule, level, and setting are consistent with higher education expectations.
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1. certificate, undergraduate, graduate, and/or professional programs leading to a degree or other recognized higher education credential, of a length appropriate to the objectives of the degree or other credential, designed to foster a coherent student learning experience and to promote synthesis of learning; |
2. student learning experiences that are designed, delivered, and assessed by faculty (full-time or part-time) and/or other appropriate professionals who are:
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3. academic programs of study that are clearly and accurately described in official publications of the institution in a way that students are able to understand and follow degree and program requirements and expected time to completion; |
4. sufficient learning opportunities and resources to support both the institution’s programs of study and students’ academic progress; |
5. at institutions that offer undergraduate education, a general education program, free standing or integrated into academic disciplines, that:
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6. in institutions that offer graduate and professional education, opportunities for the development of research, scholarship, and independent thinking, provided by faculty and/or other professionals with credentials appropriate to graduate-level curricula; |
7. adequate and appropriate institutional review and approval on any student learning opportunities designed, delivered, or assessed by third-party providers; and |
8. periodic assessment of the effectiveness of programs providing student learning opportunities. |
Click here for a template of the compiled standard 3 report
The Self-Study Document:
- Self-Study-Creating a Useful Process and Report (2018-19)
- Self-Study Process SUNY Albany - May 29, 2018 - Dr. Hilda Colon Plumey MSCHE UAlbany Liaison
- MSCHE Steering Committee Presentation - June 15, 2018
- MSCHE Steering Committee Presentation - September 6, 2018
- Publicly available examples of other university's self-studies
Recent Accreditation Reports and Campus Response Documents:
- 2015 Periodic Review Report (PRR) to MSCHE and Appendices
- External review reports of the 2015 PRR Campus (overall report, finance report, compliance report)
UAlbany Strategic Plans
Standard IV: Support of the Student Experience
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.
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2. policies and procedures regarding evaluation and acceptance of transfer credits, and credits awarded through experiential learning, prior non-academic learning, competency-based assessment, and other alternative learning approaches; |
3. Policies and procedures for the safe and secure maintenance and appropriate release of student information and records; |
4. if offered, athletic, student life, and other extracurricular activities that are regulated by the same academic, fiscal, and administrative principles and procedures that govern all other programs; |
5. if applicable, adequate and appropriate institutional review and approval of student support services designed, delivered, or assessed by third-party providers; and |
6. periodic assessment of the effectiveness of programs supporting the student experience. |
Click here for a template of the compiled standard 4 report
Standard V: 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.
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2. organized and systematic assessments, conducted by faculty and/or appropriate professionals, evaluating the extent of student achievement of institutional and degree/program goals. Institutions should:
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3. consideration and use of assessment results for the improvement of educational effectiveness. Consistent with the institution’s mission, such uses include some combination of the following:
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4. if applicable, adequate and appropriate institutional review and approval of assessment services designed, delivered, or assessed by third-party providers; and |
5. periodic assessment of the effectiveness of assessment processes utilized by the institution for the improvement of educational effectiveness. |
Click here for a template of the compiled standard 5 report
Standard VI: 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.
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2. clearly documented and communicated planning and improvement processes that provide for constituent participation, and incorporate the use of assessment results; |
3. a financial planning and budgeting process that is aligned with the institution’s mission and goals, evidence-based, and clearly linked to the institution’s and units’ strategic plans/objectives; |
4. fiscal and human resources as well as the physical and technical infrastructure adequate to support its operations wherever and however programs are delivered; |
5. well-defined decision-making processes and clear assignment of responsibility and accountability; |
6. comprehensive planning for facilities, infrastructure, and technology that includes consideration of sustainability and deferred maintenance and is linked to the institution’s strategic and financial planning processes; |
7. an annual independent audit confirming financial viability with evidence of follow- up on any concerns cited in the audit’s accompanying management letter; |
8. strategies to measure and assess the adequacy and efficient utilization of institutional resources required to support the institution’s mission and goals; and |
9. periodic assessment of the effectiveness of planning, resource allocation, institutional renewal processes, and availability of resources. |
Click here for a template of the compiled standard 6 report
Standard VII: 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. 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.
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2. a legally constituted governing body that:
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3. a Chief Executive Officer who:
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4. an administration possessing or demonstrating:
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5. periodic assessment of the effectiveness of governance, leadership, and administration. |
Click here for a template of the compiled standard 7 report
Requirements of Affiliation
To be eligible for, to achieve, and to maintain Middle States Commission on Higher Education accreditation, an institution must demonstrate that it fully meets the following Requirements of Affiliation. Compliance is expected to be continuous and will be validated periodically, typically at the time of institutional self-study and during any other evaluation of the institution’s compliance. Once eligibility is established, an institution then must demonstrate on an ongoing basis that it meets the Standards for Accreditation.
1. The institution is authorized or licensed to operate as a post secondary educational institution and to award post secondary degrees; it provides written documentation demonstrating both. Authorization or licensure is from an appropriate governmental organization or agency within the Middle States region (Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands), as well as by other agencies as required by each of the jurisdictions, regions, or countries in which the institution operates. Institutions that offer only post secondary certificates, diplomas, or licenses are not eligible for accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
2. The institution is operational, with students actively enrolled in its degree programs.
3. For institutions pursuing Candidacy or Initial Accreditation, the institution will graduate at least one class before the evaluation team visit for initial accreditation takes place, unless the institution can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Commission that the lack of graduates does not compromise its ability to demonstrate that students have achieved appropriate learning outcomes.
4. The institution’s representatives communicate with the Commission in English, both orally and in writing.
5. The institution complies with all applicable government (usually Federal and state) laws and regulations.6. The institution complies with applicable Commission, inter-regional, and inter-institutional policies. These policies can be viewed on the Commission website, www.msche.org.
7. The institution has a mission statement and related goals, approved by its governing board, that defines its purposes within the context of higher education.
8. The institution systematically evaluates its educational and other programs and makes public how well and in what ways it is accomplishing its purposes.
9. The institution’s student learning programs and opportunities are characterized by rigor, coherence, and appropriate assessment of student achievement throughout the educational offerings, regardless of certificate or degree level or delivery and instructional modality.
10. Institutional planning integrates goals for academic and institutional effectiveness and improvement, student achievement of educational goals, student learning, and the results of academic and institutional assessments.
11. The institution has documented financial resources, funding base, and plans for financial development, including those from any related entities (including without limitation systems, religious sponsorship, and corporate ownership) adequate to support its educational purposes and programs and to ensure financial stability. The institution demonstrates a record of responsible fiscal management, has a prepared budget for the current year, and undergoes an external financial audit on an annual basis.
12. The institution fully discloses its legally constituted governance structure(s) including any related entities (including without limitation systems, religious sponsorship, and corporate ownership). The institution’s governing body is responsible for the quality and integrity of the institution and for ensuring that the institution’s mission is being accomplished.
13. A majority of the institution’s governing body’s members have no employment, family, ownership, or other personal financial interest in the institution. The governing body adheres to a conflict of interest policy that assures that those interests are disclosed and that they do not interfere with the impartiality of governing body members or outweigh the greater duty to secure and ensure the academic and fiscal integrity of the institution. The institution’s district/system or other chief executive officer shall not serve as the chair of the governing body.
14. The institution and its governing body/bodies make freely available to the Commission accurate, fair, and complete information on all aspects of the institution and its operations. The governing body/bodies ensure that the institution describes itself in comparable and consistent terms to all of its accrediting and regulatory agencies, communicates any changes in accredited status, and agrees to disclose information (including levels of governing body compensation, if any) required by the Commission to carry out its accrediting responsibilities.
15. The institution has a core of faculty (full time or part-time) and/or other appropriate professionals with sufficient responsibility to the institution to assure the continuity and coherence of the institution’s educational programs.
Contact Information
The following individuals comprise UAlbany's self-study team, organized by Middle States standards. To E-mail someone, click on their name.
Middle States Self-Study Review Chairs
- Jeanette Altarriba, Vice Provost & Dean of Undergraduate Education, and Collins Fellow
- Jason Lane, Interim Dean, School of Education, and Associate Professor Educational Policy & Leadership
Office of The President
- Bruce Szelest, Chief of Staff and MSCHE Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO)
Office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Effectiveness (IRPE)
- Jack Mahoney, Assistant Vice President for Academic and Resource Planning
- Steven Doellefeld, Director of Assessment
Standard I
- Co-Chairs
- Steven Messner, Distinguished Professor and Co-Chair Middle States 2010 Self-Study
- James Mower, Associate Professor Geography and Planning
- Professional Staff
- Alice Oldfather, Assistant to the President for Strategic Communications
- Members
Courtney D’Allaird, Assistant Director Intercultural Student Engagement
Ashley DelSignore, Sr. Manager Content Marketing and Strategy Marketing Services
Satyendra Kumar, Associate VP for Research Grants Development
Debernee Privott, Assistant Dean for Public Engagement, CAS & Director, University in the High School
Latonia Spencer, Director Office of Student Accounts
Christopher Thorncroft, Professor and Chair Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences
Raymond (Ray) Webb Jr., Graduate Student
- Kaylynn Enright, Undergraduate Student
- Co-Chairs
Standard II
- Co-Chairs
- James Acker, Distinguished Professor, Collins Fellow, Criminal Justice
- Kevin Wilcox, Associate Vice President and Controller
- Professional Staff
- Nancy Lauricella, Executive Director, Community Standards
- Members
- Mary Gallant, Professor, Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs School of Public Health
- Carol Jewel, Serials Copy Cataloger University Libraries
- Ewan McNay, Assistant Professor Psychology
- Terrell Rabb, Regulatory Affairs Administrator Office of Regulatory and Research Compliance
- Randy Stark, Associate VP for Human Resources Human Resources Management
- Sadie Firstencel, Graduate Student
- TBD, Undergraduate Student
- Mary Gallant, Professor, Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs School of Public Health
- Co-Chairs
Standard III
- Co-Chairs
- Richard Fogarty, Associate Professor History, and Associate Dean Undergraduate Education
- Linda Krzykowski, Assistant Vice Provost, Student Engagement
- Professional Staff
- Leah Rotella, Student Engagement Community Coordinator at the Office of Undergraduate Education
- Members
- Suraj Commuri, Associate Professor Marketing
Carrie Wojenski, Associate Vice Provost for Global Academic Programs Center for International Education
Christy Smith, Assistant Dean for Professional Studies Dean’s Office, School of Education
Peter Shea, Associate Professor and Vice Provost for Distance Learning, Educational Theory and Practice, Academic Affairs
JoAnne Malatesta, Assistant VP and Director of Advisement Services Academic Support Center
Leslie Halpern, Associate Professor and Chair Psychology
Ingrid Fisher, Associate Professor Accounting and Law
Erin Leeper, Graduate Student
TBD, Undergraduate Student
- Co-Chairs
Standard IV
- Co-Chairs
- Martha Asselin, Director of the Center for Leadership and Service
- Ekow King, Director of Intercultural Student Engagement
- Professional Staff
- Douglas Sweet, Director of Student Affairs Assessment and Planning
- Members
- Jordan Carleo-Evangelist, Director of Media and Community Relations Government and Community Relations
Lauren Clemens, Assistant Professor Anthropology
Holly Barker-Flynn, Director New Student Programs Orientation and Transition Programs
Claudio Gomez, Senior Academic Advisor Educational Opportunity Program
Martin (Marty) Manjak, Chief Information Security Officer Information Technology Services
Lotfi Sayahi, Professor Languages, Literatures & Cultures
- Jessica Wenger, Graduate Student
- TBD, Undergraduate Student
- Co-Chairs
Standard V
- Co-Chairs
- Ryan Torn, Associate Professor, Atmospheric and Environmental Science
- Virginia Goatley,Professor, Literacy Teaching and Learning
- Professional Staff
- Steven Doellefeld, Director of Assessment, Institutional Research, Planning, and Effectiveness
- Members
- Lee Bickmore, Professor and Director of Linguistics and Cognitive Science Anthropology
James Boswell, Assistant Professor Psychology
Pauline Carrico, Instructional Support Specialist Biology
Alexander Dawson, Associate Professor History
Billie Franchini, Interim Director Institute for Teaching Learning and Academic Leadership
TBD, Undergraduate Student
Andrew Iovanna, Graduate Student
- Co-Chairs
Standard VI
Co-Chairs
- Susanna Fessler, Professor East Asian Studies and Associate Dean College of Arts and Sciences
- Todd Foreman, Vice President, Finance and Administration
- Professional Staff
- Tuuli Edwards, Senior Budget Analyst, Financial Management and Budget
- Members
Tremaine Harris, Assistant Director for Conduct Residential Life
John Giarrusso, Associate Vice President Facilities Management
Gerald Marschke, Associate Professor Economics
Louise-Anne McNutt, Associate Professor Institute for Health and the Environment
Frederic Meni, Instructional Support Technician/Coordinator Center for Language and International Communication
Katherine McDermott, Graduate Student
TBD, Undergraduate Student
Standard VII
Co-Chairs
- Clarence McNeill, Assistant Vice President, Student Affairs
Christine Wagner, Professor and Chair, Psychology
- Professional Staff
- James D Hyde, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President
- Members
- Erin Bell, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences
Michael Castellana, University Council Chair
Sanjay Goel, Professor and Chair Information Security Digital Forensics
Glenn Deane, Professor and Chair Sociology
Glyne Griffith, Professor English
Karin Reinhold, Associate Professor, University Senate immediate past Chair Mathematics and Statistics
Sheila Seery, Vice President Government and Community Relations
Lynn Warner, Dean School of Social Welfare
Clint DeMyer, Graduate Student
TBD, Undergraduate Student