Marist to Host Middle States Liaison for Octennial Accreditation

Marist College is beginning its re-accreditation process through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Re-accreditation happens every eight years and is a review of higher education institutions and their programs.

Photo courtesy of Marist College.

On Tuesday, Oct. 12, the Middle States Commission VP Liaison, Bob Bonfiglio, will visit Marist virtually. Bonfiglio will hold an open session at 11:15 a.m. All members of the Marist community are invited.

Student Body President Tenzin Tsundu ‘22 encourages all students to attend the session to gain a “better understanding of how Marist sees itself.” Tsundu continued saying, “during this accreditation process it is Marist looking inside and trying to see what its priorities are and how it has been developing.”

“One thing I hope all members of the college community take away from the process is a better understanding of the meaning and importance of institutional accreditation,” said Vice President for Academic Affairs Thomas Wermuth. “It is a rigorous and painstaking process by which a college community reflects on itself, its goals and its outcomes to make sure they are commensurate with and shaped by the mission of the college and meet the highest standards of the Middle States accreditation.”

Institutions must re-apply for accreditation every eight years, and the entire process takes around two years to complete. As of now, Marist is on track to receive its re-accreditation in the spring of 2023.

To gain accreditation, colleges and universities must design a comprehensive self-study intended to demonstrate that the institution “meets the Commission’s expectations and to gain insights that will serve the institution well for several years,” according to the Commission’s website.

The Middle States Commission holds seven standards and 15 requirements for accreditation. The requirements are to ensure the institution maintains functionality and quality at all times. The seven standards are mission and goals; ethics and integrity; design and delivery of the student learning experience; support of the student experience; educational effectiveness; planning, resources and institutional improvement; and governance, leadership and administration.

Each institution must assemble a Steering Committee, which will oversee the self-study process. Wermuth and Associate Professor of Education Carol Rinke co-chair the Steering Committee. They are joined by various other members of Marist’s faculty, across all departments, and President Tsundu.

After their selection over the summer, the Steering Committee identified three institutional priorities to guide the self-study. The priorities are: “enhancing and expanding high-impact practices to increase student engagement and success; strengthening and sustaining a diverse, equitable and inclusive community; and cultivating the College’s adaptive business model for changing conditions to ensure long-term stability and vitality.”

“What I love about the process is I got to actually contribute to our self-study priorities of what Marist as an institution prioritizes,” said Tsundu.

“When the Steering Committee considered the various input from faculty, staff, students and trustees, they made a point to focus on the Marist experience as a whole,” said Rinke. “The priorities are designed around the academic experience for students, the inclusive climate on campus and the financial approaches necessary for this culture to thrive into the future.”

The next step is to convene 100 members of the Marist community to form working groups, according to Wermuth and Rinke. Eight working groups will be formed to “gather, synthesize, analyze and report on evidence as related to the standards and priorities,” per Marist’s website.

Working groups will be collecting data through the late spring of 2022, when they will submit progress reports. Then, Marist will have until fall 2022 to submit their Self-Study Report back to the Middle States Commission. After reviewing the report, a team of peer evaluators will visit Marist in Spring 2023 to assess the college within the framework of the Middle State’s criteria and the goals set forth by the institution.

“At the end of it, I hope Marist understands how much they have invested in this process, in student engagement and success and in a diverse, equitable and inclusive community,” said Tsundu. “I think these are amazing priorities for Marist College and are directly linked to our values.”

If all stays on schedule, Marist will be awarded re-accreditation later that spring. Institutions are expected to follow up with a Mid-Point Peer Review, halfway between their octennial reflections. Marist’s next review would be set for 2027 and next re-accreditation for 2031