After a more than three-year process that included weekly meetings, several College-wide open meetings and listening sessions, review of more than 900 pieces of evidence, creation of a 141-page Self-Study report, and a three-day peer evaluation visit, we formally learned in July that Ithaca College has earned a full eight-year reaccreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
This reaccreditation is crucial because it not only affirms IC’s educational quality and institutional effectiveness but also serves as the certification we need to continue distributing federal student financial aid.
At the end of the MSCHE Peer Evaluation Team visit in early April that included meetings with faculty, staff, and students around campus, the campus community learned that the MSCHE peer evaluation team had found that IC “appears to meet all of the requirements of affiliation.” The peer evaluation team then forwarded a proposed action to MSCHE, whose review at its June 25 meeting was the final step of the reaccreditation process.
During their site visit, the peer evaluation team was genuinely impressed by the authentic sense of community they found at IC. The team described it as more striking than anything they'd encountered at any other campus they've reviewed. In their final written report, they praised IC for its strong faculty and academic programs while Student Affairs and Campus Life earned recognition for its robust culture of assessment and consistent use of those findings to make data-informed decisions and drive continuous improvement in the student experience.
The report also noted that the “intentional collaboration” between our Academic Affairs division and our Student Affairs and Campus Life division, “particularly through a robust ICare model, reflects a coordinated, holistic approach to student support and represents an institutional commitment to individual student needs which contributes to student retention and academic success.”
This outcome — our reaccreditation — recognizes the quality and integrity of our academic programs and the strength of the institution as a whole. It is a credit to the dedication and hard work of the entire campus community.
As part of these efforts, the college would like to specifically recognize and thank the members of our reaccreditation executive team: Te-Wen Lo, Professor, Department of Biology; John Fracchia, Career Engagement and Technology Specialist; Mai An Rumney, Director of Academic Assessment, Accreditation and Strategic Planning; Ingrid Johnston, Associate Provost, Academic Programs; and Stacia Zabusky, retired Associate Provost for Academic Affairs.
And thank you also to everyone else across campus who gave their time to the self-study process, hosted the evaluation team, and helped tell IC's story so well. This was truly a collaborative effort, and one we can all be proud of!