The Red Zone and Green Days of Middle States Accreditation

The end of the semester is always a busy time of the year, and many people on campus refer to it as the Red Zone, but the December 2016 Red Zone had a whole new meaning to the members of the Middle States Self-Study Working Teams.  On December 15, more than 100 faculty, students and staff working on these eight teams met the first major milestone of the self-study, completing the initial drafts of the Syracuse University self-study draft for our decennial Middle States accreditation review.

These eight teams each investigated and examined evidence as it relates to the Middle States standards and the relevant federal compliance regulations.  On December 20, the Middle States Steering Committee convened to hear the general sentiment of the working groups.

During the University Green Days, the three steering committee co-chairs (Jeff Stanton, Professor & Associate Provost, Academic Affairs; Rochelle Ford, Professor, Newhouse School of Public Communications; and Libby Barlow, Assistant Vice President, Office of Institutional Research & Assessment) reviewed the drafts in preparation for a formal discussion with the full steering committee and plans to meet with the University Senate leadership to begin addressing some of the suggestions and ideas generated from the self-study process.

Although the fall Red Zone and University Green Days are past, the Syracuse University Middle States reaccreditation process continues.  The University community appreciates these efforts during one of the busiest times of the year and looks forward to continuing to engage one another in the Middle States reaccreditation self-study process of “Peer Review, Reflection, and Momentum.”

For more information about the process, go to https://middlestates.syr.edu.

By Rochelle L. Ford, co-chair, rlford@syr.edu.