Middle States Accreditation, 2009-2011: An Introduction

Just over two years ago, the University completed its Middle States Periodic Report, which "offered a bold and sweeping snapshot of the institution, capturing the great momentum of its transformation into a comprehensive public university serving undergraduates and graduate students in the liberal arts, the sciences, education, and the professions." That momentum continues, and its impact on our University will be the focus of the new Middles States accreditation effort which is now before us. Through the spring of 2011, the Kean community will engage in an intensive exercise of self-study and assessment, all designed, as the Middle States Commission has put it, to help us determine how well the University is "fulfilling its mission and achieving its goals," and to answer the question of "how well we are collectively doing what we say we are doing." These are matters essential to our ability to serve our students and the state into the future.

All of this will be a collective effort. Dr. Barbara Lee, of the Special Education Department, and Dr. Kenneth Sanders, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, will serve as co-chairs, ably assisted by Dr. Linda Best, of the English Department—who bring major Middle States experience to the task—who will serve as Senior Advisor. They will work with a Steering Committee widely representative of the University community; and as the process continues, subcommittees will form to look at up to fourteen discrete areas (the "Characteristics of Excellence") of particular interest to the Middle States Commission. When it emerges in 2011, the final report will present a comprehensive analysis of the progress of the University over the past ten years, with candid assessments of our strengths and challenges aimed at guiding our path over the next decade.

The accreditation effort will be transparent. This web site will post the minutes of all committee and subcommittee meetings, as well as all committee reports and other essential documents. The University community will be able to follow the process from start to finish.

This will be an arduous and labor-intensive undertaking, but an undertaking that goes to the heart of what we are as a University. I want to thank everyone who has a agreed to help plan the accreditation effort to date, and to thank in advance all who will contribute their time and talents in the future.

Mark Lender

Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs