Middle States Self Study Update - February 2020

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) is a regional accrediting body, which accredits institutions from the District of Columbia to New York. Howard University has undergone a reexamination every 10 years, and we have been accredited by MSCHE since 1920. After two years of work, our Self-Study team – comprising over 100 colleagues and students from across the campus, including all 13 schools and colleges and numerous administrative offices – is near the finish line for receiving, this year, a determination of reaffirmation of reaccreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

On October 24, 2019, Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson – president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and chairperson of the MSCHE Site Visiting team – visited Howard’s campus. Following Dr. Jackson’s site visit, our reaccreditation process moved forward in identifying campus assets, needs, and applicable solutions to expressed challenges. Our goal is the achievement of Howard’s reaccreditation.

Meetings were held with the following individuals and groups: President Frederick, members of the Self-Study Steering Committee, members of Board of Trustees, a broad spectrum of faculty representatives, student representatives, and University administrators.

As previously mentioned by Provost Anthony Wutoh in a letter to the campus on November 6, 2019, due to the parameters of Dr. Jackson’s one-day preliminary visit, it was not feasible to schedule individual meetings with others beyond the aforementioned groups. Furthermore, the constituent-group meetings were determined by MSCHE.

Dr. Jackson and approximately a dozen other academics and higher education administrators will return to campus April 15-17. This visit is to ensure that students are receiving an overall quality student learning experience as well as continued institutional improvements that will support Howard University’s historical status as a leader among higher education institutions.

We are well on our way toward achieving our two overarching goals: (1) University reaffirmation of accreditation and (2) the improvement of our University’s performance via a short list of recommendations.