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As students return to campus for the fall semester, ��Ӱֱ�� State College (ASC) Director of Assessment, Accreditation and Program Planning, Dr. Bridget M. Jacobs, is preparing a presentation for the upcoming annual conference for Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) to share ideas and help schools going through the accreditation process.  

In July, ��Ӱֱ�� State’s institutional accreditation by MSCHE was reaffirmed for another eight years following a multi-year self-study process and a formal review by representatives from peer institutions. After the success of ASC’s accreditation process, Dr. Jacobs was invited to co-chair a pre-conference session in Institutional Effectiveness & Assessment 2.0: How Best to Drive Your Mission and Goals, at the Commission’s annual conference in Philadelphia this December.  

“Dr. Jacobs was instrumental in our campus-wide effort to present how ��Ӱֱ�� State has a strong financial and strategic focus for educational and operational excellence,” stated ASC President Dr Steve Mauro. “Along with being financially solid, ASC is investing greatly in programs, faculty, staff, construction, and innovative initiatives that follow our strategic goals. By inviting her to present, I believe MSCHE recognizes how Bridget is one of our star players on the ASC team to show what the college does and how we do it. We are all working hard to deliver outstanding outcomes for students.” 

According to Middle States, accreditation is an expression of confidence in an institution’s mission and goals, its performance, and its resources. Through the critically important accreditation process, the evidence presented by ��Ӱֱ�� State was evaluated against MSCHE’s seven accreditation standards: 

I.    Mission and Goals 
II.    Ethics and Integrity 
III.    Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience 
IV.    Support of the Student Experience 
V.    Educational Effectiveness Assessment 
VI.    Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement 
VII.    Governance, Leadership, and Administration 

Peer evaluators from MSCHE took great interest in the college’s strategic plan, mission, vision, decision-making, and student learning experience. MSCHE Standards also included an evaluation of ethics and integrity, educational and leadership effectiveness, along with the process for planning, resource allocation, and institutional improvement.  

With MSCHE accreditation reaffirmed, ASC will begin the next self-study process in 2031.