Middle States Commission on Higher Education Accreditation

Kutztown University has been accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) since 1944. As an institutional accrediting agency, MSCHE is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The Middle States region includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Commission is a voluntary, non-governmental membership association that defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence across institutions with diverse missions, student populations, and resources. It examines each institution as a whole, rather than specific programs within institutions. We look forward to sharing more Middle States Moments with you in the days ahead!

On November 21, 2013, following submission of the five-year Periodic Review Report, the Commission reaffirmed Kutztown University's accreditation. The ten-year self-study will be completed in Spring 2018 and will address the seven Standards for Accreditation and 15 Requirements of Affiliation. The self-study review is being led by a 13-member Steering Committee, 27-member Extended Steering Committee, and seven Working Groups. This process will be guided by the following questions: (1) Are we fulfilling our mission? (2) Are we providing students with high-quality learning experiences? (3) Are our assessments providing evidence that is sufficient for us to make improvements in the educational experiences we provide? And (4) Are we introducing innovative practices as part of continuous improvement?

The KU Middle States Steering Committee members are: Kenneth S. Hawkinson (ex-officio), Carole Wells (chair), Gil Clary (co-chair, assessment), Gerald Silberman (co-chair, planning and resource allocation), Paul Ache, Brian Meares (document evidence collection), Jesus Pena, Krista Prock, Matthew Santos, Margaret Simons (graduate assistant), Natalie Snow (institutional research), John Stanley (editor), Barth Yeboah, and Anne Zayaitz. This committee meets every two weeks and is charged with (a) ensuring that the timetable is implemented as planned; (b) coordinating and promoting communication within the University about the Self-Study process; (c) facilitating institution-wide review of and responses to the draft of the Self-Study; (d) overseeing the completion of the final Self-Study document; and, (e) making arrangements to host the Evaluation Team.

The KU Middle State Extended Steering Committee is composed of the Steering Committee and Working Group co-chairs.  This committee serves as the conduit from the Steering Committee to each Working Group and back to ensure that efforts occurring at both levels are coordinated and integrated. This committee meets once per semester and is expected to provide valuable feedback to the work of the Steering Committee.

The KU Middle States Verification of Compliance with Accreditation-Relevant Federal Regulations Working Group is responsible for insuring that the university is in compliance with all federal regulations relevant to accreditation (i.e., student identity verification in distance education; transfer of credit policies and articulation agreements; Title IV program responsibilities and cohort default rates; institutional records of student complaints; required information for students and the public; standing with state and other accrediting agencies; and, assignment of credit hours). This Working Group is composed of Bernard McCree, Jesus Pena, Douglas Scott, Natalie Snow, Carole Wells (chair), Ted Witryk, and Nancy Wunderly.

For our sixth Middle States Moment, we begin to share the members of our various working groups.   The members of  KU's Working Group I are Matthew Santos (liaison), Jennifer Schlegel (co-chair), Kenneth Steward (co-chair), Angelika Antoni, Leah Cassellia, Jennifer Forsyth, Amanda Fretz, Bruce Gottschall, James Ludlow, Lauren Moss, Valerie Reidout, Jacob Sewall and Jamie VanValkenburgh. This Working Group is charged with examining relevant documents, policies, procedures, and processes and making recommendations for institutional improvement related to mission and goals.

KU Middle States Working Group II members are Jesus Pena (liaison), Arthur Garrison (co-chair), Jeffrey Werner (co-chair), Duane Crider, Anne DeLong, Robert Flatley, Holly Fox, Amanda Garcia, Diane King, William Lendzinski, Carol Mapes, Andrew Mull, Sharon Picus, Desiree Reasoner and Donna Steslow. This Working Group is charged with examining relevant documents, policies, procedures, and processes and making recommendations for institutional improvement related to the University's commitment to ethics and integrity.

KU Middle States Working Group III members are Barth Yeboah (liaison), Michelle Kiec (co-chair), Kim Shively (co-chair), Nicole Becker, Kerri Cebula, Susan Czerny, Rolf Mayrhofer, Catherine McGeehan, Karen Rauch, Douglas Scott, Theresa Stahler, Thomas Stewart and Ted Witryk. This Working Group is charged with examining relevant documents, policies, procedures, and processes and making recommendations for institutional improvement related to the delivery of the student learning experience.

KU Middle States Working Group IV members are Krista Prock (liaison), Bernard McCree (co-chair), Georgeos Sirrakos (co-chair), Gregory Bamberger, Kent Dahlquist, William Donner, Lisa Frye, Kerri Gardi, Dolores Hess, Warren Hilton, Andrea Kirshman, Bradley LaMere, Linda Lantaff, Jason Lanter, Sylvia Pham, Ernest Post, Elizabeth Rogol, Jennifer Umberger and Claire Van Ens. This Working Group is charged with examining relevant documents, policies, procedures, and processes and making recommendations for institutional improvement related to support of the student experience. 

KU Middle States Working Group V members are Paul Ache (liaison), David Beougher (co-chair), Su Kong (co-chair), Mary Eicholtz, Johanna Forte, William Mowder, Edwin Nieves, Any Pfeiler-Wunder, Lindsey Runell, Christopher Sacchi, Cynthia Stunkard, Patricia Walsh-Coates, Michael Weber, Andrew Wernicki. This Working Group is charged with examining relevant documents, policies, procedures, and processes and making recommendations for institutional improvement related to assessment of educational effectiveness. 

KU Middle States Working Group VI members are Gerald Silberman (liaison), Matthew Delaney (co-chair), Edward Simpson (co-chair), Terry Brown, Camille DeMarco, Albert Fu, Stephen Hensler, Joshua Miller, Trisha Scarcia-King, Carol Sztaba, Kenneth Teitelbaum, Karen Thayer, John Wabby, Karen Wanamaker and Michele White. This Working Group is charged with examining relevant documents, policies, procedures, and processes and making recommendations for institutional improvement related to planning, resource allocation, and institutional improvement.  

KU Middle States Working Group VII members are Anne Zayaitz (liaison), Deryl Johnson (co-chair), Martha Stevenson (co-chair), Andrew Arnold, Charles Blocksidge, Nicholas Christy, Lorri Engstrom, Laura Fahy, John Green, Keshav Gupta, Mauricia John, John Nadolski, Matthew Volker and Jennifer Weidman. This Working Group is charged with examining relevant documents, policies, procedures, and processes and making recommendations for institutional improvement related to governance, leadership, and administration of the University. 

Significant progress has been made on the Middle States Self-Study this semester. Second drafts of chapters were received from all seven Working Groups in April. The Steering Committee will now draft the Self-Study report, consolidating Working Group chapters into a single document. The Self-Study draft will be shared with the campus in the fall and feedback will be solicited. The Preliminary Campus Visit by Evaluation Team Chair, Dr. John Ettling, president, SUNY Plattsburg, is set for October 26, 2017. The Evaluation Team visit will take place March 4-7, 2018.

The Middle States Steering Committee leadership would like to extend a sincere "thank you" to everyone (including students, faculty, staff, and the Council of Trustees) who have contributed to the Self-Study process this academic year. A total of 120 individuals worked together to represent the University on seven Working Groups, the Steering Committee and the Verification of Compliance Working Group. We still have important work to do in the year ahead, but thanks to the outstanding effort of the KU Family, we are making excellent progress.