SUNY Orange, "If you have the dream, we have the way!"

About the Middle States Commission on Higher Education

What is the Middle States Commission on Higher Education?

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) is the unit of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools that accredits degree-granting colleges and universities in the Middle States region.

Mission

The MSCHE is a "voluntary, non-governmental, membership association that is dedicated to quality assurance and improvement through accreditation via peer evaluation. Middle States accreditation instills public confidence in institutional mission, goals, performance and resources through its rigorous accreditation standards and their enforcement."

Vision

The MSCHE "aspires to be the preeminent resource for institutions of higher education striving to achieve excellence in fulfilling their missions. It also intends, through voluntary assessment and adherence to high standards for student learning outcomes and operational behavior, to assure higher education's publics that its accredited institutions are fulfilling their stated purposes and addressing the publics' expectations."

Core Values

  • Voluntary membership
  • Self-regulation and peer review
  • Continuous and seamless relationship with member institutions to promote continuous self-evaluation and institutional improvement
  • Respect for the unique mission of each institution and evaluation within that context
  • Student learning and effective teaching
  • Transparency about the accreditation process and the status held by each member institution
  • Commitment to the principles of cooperation, flexibility and openness
  • Responsiveness to the needs of the higher education community and societal changes
  • Consideration of societal and institutional needs through attention to and emphasis on both improvement and compliance
  • Responsiveness to a diverse, dynamic, global higher education community that is continually evolving

Standards of Accreditation

The "Characteristics of Excellence in Higher Education" describes the requirements of affiliation and the fourteen (14) standards for accreditation. Accredited institutions are expected to "demonstrate these standards in substantial measure, to conduct their activities in a manner consistent with the standards, and to engage in ongoing processes of self-review and improvement."

The first seven standards address Institutional Context, and the second seven focus on Educational Effectiveness. Each of these two sections concludes with a related assessment standard (Standard 7: Institutional Assessment and Standard 14: Assessment of Student Learning). Standards 7 and 14 build upon the preceding standards,
each of which includes periodic assessment of effectiveness or student learning
as one of its fundamental elements.

Click the links below for a chart briefly describing each Accreditation Standard.

MSCHE has a list of Frequently Asked Questions on its webpage.

Accreditation Cycle & Timeline

The Commission maintains a 10-year cycle of review, beginning with a self-study and on-site evaluation visit, and followed by a Periodic Review Report five years later. In addition, institutions may be reviewed in conjunction with follow-up reporting or substantive institutional change, or at the initiation of the Commission, based on developments within the institution

In the fifth (5th) year following on-site evaluation, all institutions submit a Periodic Review Report (PRR).

The Commission monitors change that occurs between regularly scheduled periodic evaluations. Institutions must keep the Commission on Higher Education apprised of plans for change and of actual changes in their status. The Commission must be current in its information about each institution's substantive changes in order to sustain and satisfy its accountability as an accrediting agency.

The Commission monitors institutions and maintains current information in several ways.

All institutions submit annually for Commission and staff review an Institutional Profile which includes information about enrollment, finances, new initiatives being developed, and programs offered off-campus or out-of-state.

Institutions also may be required to submit reports on a particular area of an institution, either as a stipulation of the accrediting action following periodic evaluation or upon Commission or staff determination of the need for such information.

SUNY Orange's Accreditation Cycle:

Substantive Change Proposal - Newburgh Branch Campus

The College submitted its Substantive Change Proposal to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education in September 2010 for review and recognition of Newburgh as a branch campus. Please click on the links below to access the proposal in your preferred file format.