Middle States On the Move2

LaGuardia’s Middle States accreditation process now underway is our chance to discover what works and what needs some work in every area of the College –from academic programs to administrative practices– so we can continue to expand our legacy as a bold and innovative institution of higher learning and our students can continue to reap the tangible benefits and financial resources of accreditation. Incorporating the work of nearly 140 faculty, staff and students, our Middle States team is completing the first draft of the Self-Study Report, an analysis of the College that will demonstrate compliance with the standards of the Middle States Commission, while also allowing the College community to take stock of its achievements and face the challenges ahead. 

In May, members of the Working Groups and the College community gathered at an Open Forum to review presentations made by team leaders that highlighted several examples of recent changes and challenges at the College that will be included in the Self-Study Report. The forum also gave the Steering Committee a chance to explain how the accreditation process works and how the data collected is being used to craft the Self-Study.  

Topics covered in the presentations included: improvements in retention initiatives, developments in student outcomes assessment, the division-wide self-assessment conducted by Student Affairs and ACE’s role in the realization of the “One College” concept, among others.  

You missed it? Don’t worry, as part of our effort to make the Self-Study a transparent and inclusive process, you can view them online and learn more about the process at your leisure:  

Overview of the Accreditation Process   

Program Directors and Student Outcomes Assessments  

Student Affairs Division-wide Self-Assessment 

ACE and the One College Concept  

Student Admissions and Retention 

The next Middles States Open Forum on October 3, however, is one you won’t want to miss, since it’s where we’ll be sharing the first draft of the Self-Study Report. The draft will be posted on the Middle States website before the College-wide forum so we can get your feedback on issues affecting the College community that you believe should be addressed in the Self-Study. There will be a separate forum in Fall 2011 for students, although students will also be invited to the College-wide forum. 

Attending the next Open Forum is a great way to participate in this important process, and will help ensure the picture of LaGuardia that we paint for the Middle States Commission is as inclusive, vibrant and compelling as the College itself.

I am also pleased to announce that the Chair of the external Middle States evaluation team will be Dr. Stephen M. Curtis, President of Community College of Philadelphia.  

 


As part of the self-study process, LaGuardia’s Working Groups, Steering Committee, and Core Team created the Self-Study Design, which describes the College’s plans for the research it will conduct in order to produce its Self-Study Report.

The Self-Study Design can be found in the Research Question section of the site, or by clicking here.

To learn more about LaGuardia’s Middle States accreditation process, contact Professor Gordon Tapper, Steering Committee Chair, at ext. 5669, or email gtapper@lagcc.cuny.edu.

More about Middle States 

Click to download  the Middle States Fact Sheets:

Middle States On the Move 

Why Middle States Matters 

Middle States Trivia

A mere three years after opening its doors in 1971, LaGuardia received the highest accreditation possible by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association. 

Thanks to our legacy of collaborative cooperation, LaGuardia has since been accredited by Middle States for each successive five-year evaluation period. As LaGuardia’s current Middle States evaluation process moves forward, founding President Joseph Shenker’s recipe for success back then is a timeless one: “Since the College opened in the fall of 1971, members of the faculty, administration, and student body have joined hands and worked diligently toward creating diversified, challenging academic programs. Such an outstanding endeavor by all segments of our College has been richly rewarded by receipt of the highest level of Middle States accreditation possible.” 

To view more Trivia Questions click here.

To learn more about LaGuardia's Middle States accreditation process, contact Professor Gordon Tapper, Steering Committee Chair, at ext. 5669, or email gtapper@lagcc.cuny.edu.



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