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Two information sessions are scheduled Friday to update interested students, faculty and staff about the University’s work, now under way, to secure reaccreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

The sessions will be 11 a.m.-noon and 2-3 p.m. and will be in Room 101 of Newhouse 1. They will be led by Steering Committee co-chairs Rochelle Ford, professor and chair of the public relations department in the , and Libby Barlow, assistant vice president in the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment.

The reaccreditation process occurs in full every 10 years, with a periodic review in the fifth year. The University currently is at the 10-year self-study mark, which includes a site visit conducted by representatives from peer universities in the spring of 2018. Prior to that visit, the University must submit its own self-study report that shows it is operating acceptably and in accordance with its mission, vision and Middle State Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliations. The University community will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the self-study draft in late spring and early fall 2017 before the final report is submitted to Middle States in December 2017.

Recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, Middle States accreditation serves as a public indicator of educational quality and institutional accountability. It also is required in order for Â鶹ƵµÀstudents to be eligible for federal student aid.

The reaccreditation process is designed to engage the entire campus community and provides a valuable opportunity for the University to reflect on how it is currently performing in terms of its mandate and how it might continue to improve.

All are welcome to attend the information sessions. For more information on the Middle States reaccreditation process, or to provide feedback on the self-study plan or any other aspect of the process, go to or contact Rochelle Ford at rlford@syr.edu.