Update from the Co-Chairs
January 29th, 2019
The self-study process continues to be undergirded by meaningful reflection and assessment of who we are as an institution and our aspirations for the future. As we head into the final semester of the self-study leading to on-campus Peer Review Team visits by our two accrediting bodies, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), we’d like to make you aware of critical upcoming benchmark dates.
The accreditation visits are on:
MSCHE
March 24-27, 2019
NASAD
April 7-10, 2019
We invite you to several important meetings that are part of the Peer Review Team accreditation visits. Please note that many of you will also receive invitations to additional topical meetings during the self-study visits (from selfstudy@mica.edu). The composition of the various meetings has been thoughtfully considered to include MICA community members who can best speak to the topics, and/or to represent a broad range of constituents across MICA offices and programs. We ask that you make every effort to attend the meeting(s) to which you are invited, or, if you have a truly unavoidable conflict, to respond to the calendar invitation so that we can consider a replacement representative for you. Please respond to calendar invitations by February 8th, 2019.
Open Meetings for the MICA Community
The meetings listed below serve as a forum for visiting team members to learn more about the MICA community. Your voice is an essential part of the dialogue, and all are welcome to participate.
Students
Monday, March 25th 5:00-5:45 MSCHE Open Meeting with Undergraduate Students, ABox
Monday, March 25th 5:00-5:45 MSCHE Open Meeting with Graduate & Open Studies Students, L160
Monday, April 8th 3:15-4:00 NASAD Open Meeting with Undergraduate Students, ABox
Monday, April 8th 4:15-5:00 NASAD Open Open Meeting with Graduate & Open Studies Students, L160
Staff
Monday, March 25th 4:00-4:45 MSCHE Open Meeting with Staff, ABox
Monday, April 8th 2:15-3:00 NASAD Open Meeting with Staff, ABox
Faculty
Tuesday, March 26th 3:45-4:45 MSCHE Open Meeting with Faculty, ABox
Tuesday, April 9th 11:15-12:00 NASAD Open Meeting with Faculty, ABox
Students/Staff/Faculty
Wednesday, March 27th 11:00-12:00 MSCHE Evaluation Team Report Out, ABox
Wednesday, April 10th 10:00-11:00 NASAD Exit Interview with Team, ABox
A listing of the Peer Review Teams for both MSCHE and NASAD can be found here.
We have been engaged in a long, multi-layered, and thoughtful process involving many MICA community members, with numerous benchmarks met along the way. We want to acknowledge the many MICA community members who have contributed to this work. We are grateful for the effort that all of us, as a community, continue to give to this process of reflection and analysis leading to our completed Self-Study and forthcoming accreditation visits. As we continue with this campus-wide project, please reach out to us with questions at selfstudy@mica.edu.
Sincerely,
Nan Park
Terra Schehr
Update from the Co-Chairs
August 27, 2018
Since our last update in February 2018, the spring 2018 semester was utilized as a period of intense drafting of the various chapters of the Self-Study. Seven Working Groups-aligned with each of the seven MSCHE Standards for Accreditation-met regularly throughout the semester, worked on their draft chapters, and organized supporting evidence to demonstrate MICA's compliance with the Standards. The Working Groups submitted a final draft of their chapters to the Self-Study Steering Committee on April 2nd, 2018.
Over the summer, the chapter drafts were refined and edited into a cohesive draft Self-Study Report, with attention given to pulling together the chapters with a common voice, constructing charts and figures to support the narrative, weaving important themes throughout the report, and fact-checking for accuracy.
In August 2018, the draft Self-Study Report was vetted through Provost's Council (August 2nd), reviewed by President Sammy Hoi (August 11-20th), and reviewed at a reconvening of the Self-Study Steering Committee (August 17th). After a final round of editing based on input from these reviews, the Self-Study Report is now ready for community feedback.
We write to invite you to review and provide feedback on the final draft of the MICA Self-Study Report. We encourage you to keep in mind the broad goals that undergird the Self-Study process as you review the document:
- The report serves to demonstrate our compliance with MSCHE Standards (Middle States Commission on Higher Education), with the goal of achieving reaccreditation following the MSCHE Accreditation Visit in March 2019.
- The report should reflect the spirit of MICA, with truthfulness and reflection on both successes and areas for growth.
The process of engaging in self-study is part of the flow of information, assessment, and reflection that will assist with MICA's Strategic Plan moving forward
Please note that:
- The recommendations and narratives in the Self-Study Report are not exhaustive of all the findings of the Working Groups; rather, they are those that are most relevant in showing compliance with the MSCHE Standards.
- Some data (in red) are placeholders and will be updated with new data when those are available.
- Some tables include gray fields which are also awaiting data.
The Self-Study Report is organized by Standard. It will be helpful to become familiar with the MSCHE Standards for Accreditation prior to reviewing the report; you can view the Standards and associated criteria here: MSCHE Standards for Accreditation.
To provide input on the Self-Study Report, please access the full Self-Study Report (document should be downloaded to access hyperlinks in the PDF file) and Feedback Form.
Community Feedback Window: Between August 27th and September 12th, the campus community can view and comment on the Self-Study Draft Report online. Your input will inform the Self-Study Report, which will be reviewed by the Board of Trustees at their next meeting on October 19th, 2018.
Though the Self-Study Working Groups represent a broad range of MICA constituencies, we recognize that many other community members have contributed to this work. We are grateful for the effort that all of us, as a community, continue to give to this process of reflection and analysis leading to our completed Self-Study and forthcoming accreditation visit (March 2019). You are welcome to reach out to us with questions as we continue with this campus-wide project. Feel free to contact us at selfstudy@mica.edu.
Sincerely,
Nan Park
Terra Schehr
Update from the Co-Chairs
February 19, 2018
Since our self-study launch on September 12, 2017, the eight working groups met throughout the fall semester to gather information and develop chapter outlines related to their assigned Middle States Standards. On December 8, 2017, working groups submitted outlines of their self-study chapters to the steering committee. The steering committee co-chairs reviewed these outlines and approved all working groups to proceed with writing or refining their chapter drafts.
This spring semester will be a time of
Though the self-study is comprised of eight working groups representing a broad range of MICA constituencies, we recognize that many other community members have contributed to this work. We are grateful for the effort that all of us, as a community, continue to give to this process of reflection and analysis leading to our completed self-study. We will continue to provide updates via this site as we achieve major milestones. Along the way, you are welcome to reach out to us with questions as we continue with this campus-wide project. Feel free to contact us at selfstudy@mica.edu.
Sincerely,
Nan Park
Terra Schehr
Update from the Co-Chairs
November 10, 2017
MICA has proposed to NASAD a plan for completing self-study for reaffirmation of accreditation that makes use of our concurrent MSCHE self-study. NASAD has approved this plan which allows us to make efficient use of our resources while engaging in the analysis and synthesis of information for the two re-accreditation processes. Details of this process and the deliverables can be found in the NASAD Self-Study Design Plan and the updated MSCHE Self-Study Design Plan.
Working groups have been meeting, discussing the accreditation standards, and gathering information and evidence to show compliance with the standards. While the first deadline for working groups, an outline for their chapter, is not due until early-December, many groups have already started drafting content for narratives.
Together, the eight working groups are making good progress on the self-study. We will continue to provide updates via this site as major milestones are achieved. Along the way, you are welcome to reach out to us with questions as we engage in this campus-wide project. Feel free to contact us at selfstudy@mica.edu.
Sincerely,
Nan Park
Terra Schehr
Update from the Co-Chairs
September 20, 2017
Following several semesters of planning and pre-work, the MICA community is now fully engaged in the self-study processes for our upcoming MSCHE and NASAD reaffirmations of accreditation. A launch and training meeting was held on September 12,
The working group membership is comprised of broad representation from the MICA community with staff, faculty, students and members of the Board of Trustees taking part in the process. The complete list of working groups and their membership can be seen in the MSCHE Self-Study Design Plan. This document also contains detailed timelines for the self-study process including work that has been completed and work yet to be done between now and summer of 2019. Community members may reach out to their representatives on the working groups with questions or comments between now and the formal call for feedback in the fall of 2018. Likewise, members of working groups will be consulting with others in the campus community as they go about their tasks.
We plan to provide updates via this site as major milestones in the self-study process are approaching and achieved. Along the way, you are welcome to reach out to us with questions as we engage in this campus-wide project. Feel free to contact us at selfstudy@mica.edu.
Sincerely,
Nan Park
Terra Schehr