Borough of Manhattan Community College is accredited by the Middle States Association, whose report stated that to provide greater structure and opportunity for students “each liberal arts student should belong to a group, either an academic program, a special cohort, or a department, through which the student would be advised, mentored, guided and supported.” The pre-existing system of academic advisement for liberal arts students was deemed too difficult for students to navigate.
From 1997 to 1998, BMCC formed an Academic Advisement Steering Committee,
which extended the advisement period by two weeks. Trained Peer Advisors
were hired to work in the Academic Advisement & Transfer Center. Building
on the recommendations of the Middle States report and the Steering Committee,
the Title V Planning Committee was established to include more staff and
faculty. This 27-person committee took on the responsibility of identifying
the College’s most pressing needs and establishing priorities for
the Title V grant application. The consensus of the committee was that
the single most pervasive and critical problem confronting the Institution
was the issue of academic advisement and the limited support services
afforded to the College’s liberal arts students and faculty.
