This week, we will welcome new faculty, staff and students. It seems like yesterday that I joined the Syracuse University family as a new professor, but I am now entering my “senior,” or fourth, year here. While I learned about the University through my application and interview process, I learned the most about Syracuse University through being engaged in the Middle States reaccreditation self-study process.

Now you can do the same; learn more than many people do by reading the draft of the Middle States self-study that was researched and written in the 2016-17 academic year and that will be submitted in December to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Not only can new faculty, students, and staff learn about the University through the research conducted by the nearly 100 faculty, students, and staff who wrote the draft report, but you can give us objective feedback on the clarity and support offered in the report. Like many of you, members of the review team who will visit in the Spring 2018 semester will not have had any previous affiliation with Syracuse University. This self-study will serve as their basis for determining if the University meets the standards for reaccreditation.

Reaccreditation is critical for the University to continue receiving federal financial aid and many federal grants and contracts.

The draft self-study also includes formal recommendations that the University is committed to addressing within the next few years to help us improve in areas discussed in the self-study. Give us feedback on these recommendations. Do they seem appropriate and reasonable?

Participating in the Middle States process will not only help you learn about the University but will help the University prepare for our spring 2018 visit by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. This process is our opportunity for Peer Review, Reflection, and Continuous Improvement.

For more information, visit middlestates.syr.edu.

Rochelle Ford, professor and tri-chair Middle States Steering Committee
rlford@syr.edu