Middle States Reaffirmation Update

By Office of the President | May 24, 2023

As part of Downstate’s Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) reaffirmation of accreditation, our Middle States Steering Committee and nine Working Groups have begun Phase 3 of the self-study process. This process stage will focus on identifying and collecting evidence to demonstrate compliance with the seven MSCHE Standards for Accreditation and 15 Requirements of Affiliation. 

As President, I officially initiated Phase 3 on April 25 at a virtual gathering of the Steering Committee and the full membership of the nine Working Groups that are integral to the Self-Study process. I invited a broad representation of over 90 faculty and staff to serve on the Working Groups, which will begin their year-long efforts in May with goals of identifying policies, procedures, and organizational structures to demonstrate compliance with Middle States and collecting proof of our commitment to continuous improvement and effectiveness. Please visit Downstate's self-study website for a complete Working Groups and Steering Committee roster. 

Phase 3 of the self-study process comes after successfully delivering our Self-Study Design – a roadmap for the self-study process – to the MSCHE Vice President Liaison assigned to Downstate in preparation for her first visit on Tuesday, May 23. In Phase 4 (November 2023 – May 2024), the Working Groups will leverage the evidence collected during Phase 3 to draft chapters for each of the seven Standards. The project timeline will comprise six phases, culminating in a campus site visit by peer evaluators in Spring 2025.

In support of Phases 3 and 4, the Office of Evaluation, Outcomes Assessment, and Accreditation Services has designed and implemented new online resources and an evidence library. Information sessions about the new resources and online evidence library are scheduled for all Working Group members in May.

Pascal James Imperato, M.D., MPH&TM, MACP, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer, leads the self-study process. Jeffrey S. Putman, Ed.D., Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs, and D. Kane Gillespie, DMA, Director, Evaluation, Outcomes Assessment, and Accreditation Services, will chair the Steering Committee, and Lori A. Bruno, MPH, Assistant Vice President, Office of Policy and Planning will co-chair the Steering Committee. Ann Marie Cullen, Administrator, Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, will serve as the Accreditation Liaison Officer. Tina Adjei-Bosompem, MPH, Assistant Director of Evaluation, Outcomes Assessment, and Accreditation Services, will be critical in the self-study. 

The U.S. Department of Education mandates institutional accreditation to qualify for Federal Title IV student financial aid. Downstate’s last reaffirmation of accreditation was in 2016 and is valid for eight years.

For more information on the Self-Study process, please visit the self-study website.