As part of the ongoing accreditation process through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) for Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY), students, faculty and staff attended a Middle States Open Forum on November 6 at 199 Chambers Street.
The forum was hosted by BMCC President Antonio Pérez and featured Donald Generals, President of the Community College of Philadelphia and Middle States team chair for BMCC.
Dr. Generals provided information about Middle States reaffirmation and opened the floor to audience comments related to BMCC’s MSCHE Self-Study Report 2017-2018.
This report documents the college’s efforts to strengthen students’ college readiness, facilitate their timely degree completion and other priorities. It is part of BMCC’s decennial self-study process launched in February 2016, when more than 100 faculty and staff formed working groups to address the seven Middle States standards.
A focus on transparency
The culmination of the MSCHE reaffirmation process will be a peer-reviewed visit from a Middle States Evaluation Team in March 2018.
“My purpose for being here today is simply to see if the institution is ready for that visit,” said Dr. Generals. “My job is to see if the self-study process has been transparent, with widespread inclusion of students, faculty and staff. It’s not about getting high marks, it’s about the process of continual improvement.”
In other words, said President Pérez, “The Middle States visit isn’t about showcasing who we are—it’s about sharing who we are and clarifying the directions we have chosen in our institutional self-study, ensuring that the college community has had a part in its creation.”
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education to conduct accreditation activities for higher education institutions in New York and elsewhere
- On November 6, BMCC faculty, students and staff attended an open forum with Donald Generals, the Middle States team chair for BMCC and President of the Community College of Philadelphia
- The forum included audience discussion of areas covered by the BMCC Self-Study Report
