This year (2023) marks an important milestone for Centenary University, as we participate in the year-long process of Self-Study to reaffirm our longstanding accreditation status (first granted in 1932!).
Our accreditor, Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), requires that we engage in a rigorous process of University-wide self-assessment. Through their support and guidance, the results are not only in the reaffirmation of accreditation but also in the identification of pathways for institutional improvement and innovation.
All of us — faculty, staff, students, and administration — are working very hard and demonstrating resilience in the face of new challenges, such as disruptions brought forth by the pandemic and other challenges experienced nationally by higher education institutions. What have we learned from these experiences? What can we do better? What practices have been withstanding the test time and what practices need innovative solutions? These and many other questions are being addressed with thorough detail and diligence as we are self-assessing our academic and non-academic operations.
The Self-Study process is coordinated by the Steering Committee and seven Working Groups, comprised of our faculty and staff representatives across various university departments and operations.
The result will be presented in the form of a Self-Study report that will be submitted to our peer-evaluators (a team of faculty and staff from peer Institutions). A team of peer-evaluators will be visiting our campus during Fall 2023 (exact dates to be determined) to meet with faculty, staff, students, and administration. They will be making suggestions to the MSCHE Commissioners on the outcomes of their review. The MSCHE Commissioners will be making their final determination on reaffirmation of accreditation early spring of 2024.
Please visit this page regularly for updates. You can also contact Steering Committee Co-Chairs Erin Andersen and Viktoria Popova for additional information.
Self-Study Design - Middle States Submission - April 2022
Since our first achievement of accreditation in 1932, and throughout all of our re-affirmation of accreditation cycles, we have put pride in not only maintaining our accreditation status, but also in consistently looking for ways to reinvent ourselves. To ensure that this tradition continues throughout our current Self-Study process, the Steering Committee has developed a Self-Study Design that, we hope, offers innovative approaches to several areas of Self-Study planning, operations, and assessments.
