By Cadence Russell, Editor-in-Chief
From March 16-19, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) site visit will be conducted on Daemen’s campus. The site visit is a culmination of two years of work on compiling the Self-Study Report in order to again accredit Daemen University as an institution of higher education.
“When they come on campus, they’re here to first hand verify everything that is in the report, and it’s their opportunity to meet with people, and there’s an opportunity for them to see the place in action,” Dr. Lisa Parshall, distinguished professor of political science and executive committee member said.
Accreditation is an indication of the quality of education administered at a college or university and gives value to the degrees conferred.
“I hope students understand that the Middle States site visit provides an opportunity to showcase Daemen’s evolution and quality as a university. Continued accreditation by Middle States affirms the value of your Daemen degree,” Dr. Mimi Steadman, vice president of enrollment management and marketing and executive committee member said.
The university was last accredited in 2016, and is evaluated now on an eight-year cycle. The current process of accreditation is within the normal timeframe for university accreditation.
“Students can expect to see some new faces walking around campus, but the team visit will not interrupt student life or learning in any way,” Steadman said. “In fact, these visitors from other colleges look forward to seeing our campus community in action, and they may stop to ask students about their experiences at Daemen.”
To be reaccredited, universities must first do a self-assessment and compile their findings in a report to present to MSCHE. Following the self-assessment, a peer review is done to determine if the university meets the standards for reaccreditation.
“So these are not regulators from the government or anything like that. These are peers from other colleges and institutions who are here to affirm that we do what we say we do, and to give us guidance and suggestions of where we may need areas of improvement,” Parshall said.
The seven-person team, led by Dr. Walter Iwanenko, the president of Gannon University, will have on-campus meetings on March 17 and 18 and there will be a brief report out to the community on March 19.
“It is a very perfunctory, succinct summation of the bottom line finding, so they have a script, so they will not come and give flowery you know, you did this really well, or you did this poorly,” Parshall said. “They’ll just basically read the bottom line…That is the kind of what we’ll all be waiting for, is to see what they have to say.”
A clean recommendation is the best result, though the site visit team may also find some items to follow up on or endorse self-recommendations made by the university in the Self-Study Report.
MSCHE is an institutional accreditor that validates the educational rigor of colleges and universities, and in turn gives value and weight to degrees granted. MSCHE is recognized as an accrediting agency by the United States Department of Education. Daemen gained accreditation from MSCHE in 1956 when it was still Rosary Hill College. While individual programs may have professional accreditations, this is a separate process that covers the entire university.
The reaccreditation process has been going on since 2022. Over 80 individuals from every part of the university have been involved in the development of the Self-Study Report.
“Well, to be perfectly honest, like any accreditation process, and Daemen has a number of accredited programs, this was a lot of work,” Steadman said. “But it’s great when colleagues from across campus get together to reflect on Daemen’s strengths and the ways that we can continue to improve to best serve today’s students. I’m proud to help share Daemen’s story.”
There are seven standards outlined by MSCHE that a university must review and demonstrate compliance within their report, as well as areas of continuous improvement, one of the core principles that guide the standards. The seven standards are:
- Mission and Goals
- Ethics and Integrity
- Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience
- Support of the Student Experience
- Educational Effectiveness Assessment
- Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement
- Governance, Leadership, and Administration
Daemen’s report, while expansive at 113 pages, covers the most critical pieces of the university’s operation since the last report in 2016. In each standard, evidence is given to support how Daemen meets the expectations of accreditation, and also proposes future initiatives to target over the next several years.
The report was “overwhelmingly positive” as described by the Executive Committee, with major highlights including the campus beautification project, the establishment of deans and colleges, and the new general education plan.
For example, within Standard VI (Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement) the report highlights the financial growth and stability of the university, such as increasing the endowment and grants, including a $2.2 million Title III Strengthening Institutions Program grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Additionally, Fitch Ratings, which rates an organization’s ability to meet its financial commitments or default, recently increased Daemen’s rating from stable to positive in 2024.
Within the same standard, the report recognizes the predicated nationwide enrollment cliff, a phenomenon where the number of high school graduates declines, and as a result, enrollment numbers for universities decline. To address this challenge, one proposed solution is to develop alternate funding opportunities such as community partnerships like the already developed Center for Interprofessional Learning and Simulation (CILS).
“You guys [students] are living, breathing, evidence of the mission,” Parshall said. “And one of the things, what I think I’m most hoping for them to see is when they walk around and they tour the spaces and they see the faces, that they see kind of that spirit of Daemen.”