November 13, 2024
Dear York College Community,
Every eight years the College must seek reaffirmation of accreditation from its institutional accreditation agency, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). This is a very important process that is intended to be reflective, comprehensive, inclusive, transparent, and rigorous. It provides the College community with an opportunity to evaluate all aspects of the College with reference to the MSCHE’s seven standards and four requirements of affiliation, and to demonstrate, through an extensive evidence inventory, that the College has in place, and maintains, the policies, practices and structures that MSCHE requires. The Commission has established specific, detailed and rigorous criteria with reference to which each institution evaluates its practices, policies and outcomes. This evaluation is supported by evidence which documents how the institution puts into practice the tenets of each standard. The Self-Study Process gives us an opportunity to tell our story, and to demonstrate how we go about serving York College’s students.
The following individuals will serve on the Self-Study Leadership Group:
Lori Hoeffner, Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning
Lidia Gonzalez, Mathematics and Computer Science
Heather Robinson, English
James Salnave, Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
The following individuals will serve on the Self-Study Steering Committee:
Jacob Apkarian, Behavioral Sciences
Hamid Bahri, World Languages, Literatures, and Humanities
Xin Bai, Teacher Education
Roberto Benedito, History, Philosophy and Anthropology
Marta Daly, Occupational Therapy
Ajisa Dervisevic, Office of Budget and Planning
John Drobnicki, Library
Jo-Ann Fellows, Office of the Registrar
YK Lee, Business and Economics
Reginald Madden, Office of Academic Affairs
Panayiotis Meleties , Chemistry
Ray Moncada, Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning
Nazia Naeem, Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning
Rachel Ng, Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning
Savitrie Rampersaud, Student Affairs
Earl Simons, Government Relations and Strategic Initiatives
Yvette Williamson, Office of the Bursar
This morning, I charged the Self-Study Steering Committee to begin the process, which will culminate in a site visit in Spring 2027. The first order of business is to submit a Self-Study Design, currently being prepared by the Self-Study Leadership Group, to the Commission by February 14, 2025. Tomorrow, the members of the Self-Study Leadership Group will send a college-wide email seeking volunteers to serve on Working Groups. There will be seven working groups, one for each MSCHE Standard. The Working Groups will begin their process in Spring 2025, but as participants must be identified in the Design, we must recruit now.
The process by which we undertake the Middle States Self-Study is as important as the product of the process, the Self-Study report. Your role is therefore essential in ensuring that the whole college community is represented, and that we follow principles of collaboration, integrity and rigor as we consider how York College operates. We seek to better understand what we do, as faculty and staff, in the context of our three institutional priorities: Student Success, Academic Excellence, and Faculty and Staff Support.
To stay informed, please visit the new Self-Study webpage, and check back often as it will be updated throughout the process. In addition, Accreditation Updates will go out via email and presentations will be provided to key stakeholder groups. Of course, members of the Steering Committee will be happy to answer any questions you might have, so please feel free to reach out to them.
This is a critical juncture at York College and this self-study process provides us with an opportunity to share the strengths of our institution, while working to address how we can do better. Through a collegial, college-wide effort, we can demonstrate our tireless work to transform students’ lives through intellectual discovery, professional training, and civic engagement.
I look forward to this process and hope you join in this college-wide effort.
Claudia V. Schrader, Interim President