Next week, Houghton College will be toured by its accrediting institution for the once-a-decade re-accreditation visit. The process for re-accreditation began in the 2012-2013 academic year and will most likely come to fruition in the next several weeks.
The Middle States Commission for Higher Education (MSCHE) is the regional body, part of a much larger national composite, which accredits Houghton College and most of the other accredited institutions in the Middle Atlantic states. According to President Shirley Mullen, accreditation is like “a seal of approval from your peers.”Accreditation is also as if a group of your respected peers said, “We see that you are doing what you say you’re doing.” She noted, “The way we validate higher education institutions is uniquely American. We do it on a peer-based system, while other developed states often conduct accreditation through the federal government.”
“There are fourteen standards by which the MCHSE evaluates an institution,” said Mullen, regarding the process of re-accreditation. “In preparation, Houghton does its own self-study of how we are doing on each of those standards.” The standards include things like “Mission and Goals,” “Institutional Resources,” “Student Admissions and Retention,” and the like. The self study for this round of accreditation began in 2012.
Students play a significant role in the self-study. According to Linda Mills-Woolsey, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college, “The college is always trying to keep tabs on what we are doing, so we gather data every year. Students help us by participating in surveys like NSSE and by filling out IDEA forms…during the 2012-2013 school year we began to plan for our review, appointing Dr. Paul Young to form a steering committee in consultation with President Mullen … to supervise the self-study. In 13-14 groups made up of faculty, staff, and students conducted the studies needed for the report.”
Dr. Paul Young, associate dean for social sciences and psychology professor, added student involvement in the study made it “a better process and document.”
This could have several tangible, practical effect for typical Houghton students.
Young stated, “Studying at an accredited institution, which Houghton has been since 1935, opens doors not only to financial aid but also to graduate and professional schools.” Graduate and professional schools generally place greater weight upon the quality of a candidate’s education if he or she attended an accredited undergraduate school.
President Mullen expanded on this point, saying, “Pell and Tap grants may only be spent at accredited institutions.” In this way, the state and federal governments issuing these funds may know that “their money is being spent well.”
Woolsey added, “employers and graduate schools are more likely to trust the quality of a degree from an accredited institution. Accreditation can also be important when we are asking donors to invest in us or seeking grants from regional and national foundations.” These grants directly impact Houghton students.
President Mullen, who has served as the chair of review committees for other institutions seeking re-accreditation, noted that she believes the “Mission and Goals” standard is that which the quality of the proceeding 13 standards flow out of. “I would be most concerned about an institution which did not have a clear mission” by which it acted upon, she said. She also said she believed the area in which Houghton has improved since its last re-accreditation is in assessment of student learning. She was quick to note, however, that she believes Houghton is doing very well in all the areas by which the college will be evaluated.
There is evidence of this, as Houghton has had no problem with re-accreditation by MSCHE since it was first accredited in 1935. “I want students to know that this is a normal process that every accredited institution must undergo every ten years, and that we have never had a problem in re-accreditation,” stated President Mullen.
Woolsey, speaking of the upcoming visit (the week of March 15) said, “The MSCHE visitors will be very interested in what students have to say about the quality of their education and their experience at Houghton. If they are like past campus visitors, I am confident that they will find the quality of our students the best testimony to our effectiveness in carrying out our mission.”