UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s accreditation status has been reaffirmed, having met the standards necessary to continue to receive Title IV federal aid. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) found that the University meets all standards and requirements for MSCHE affiliation and offered no “recommendations” or “requirements.”
MSCHE serves as the U.S. Department of Education’s gatekeeper to federal aid programs by accrediting universities who have excelled at institutional accountability, self-appraisal, improvement, and innovation through peer review and the rigorous application of standards within the context of institutional mission. The reviews also attempt to give students and families a better understanding of the quality of the education they can expect to receive, according to MSCHE.
The MSCHE evaluation team, chaired by Jonathan Holloway, president of Rutgers University, conducted on-site visits to University Park and other campuses in March 2024. Every eight years, a team visits the University to participate in meetings covering topics such as student support services, academic policies and procedures, faculty governance, institutional effectiveness and resource allocation, compliance issues, enhancing student learning, diversity and equity, budget modeling and financial planning, and assessment of student learning.
Earning re-accreditation is an intense process, requiring months of preparation to assemble the documentation necessary for the evaluation team to access the University’s compliance. The self-study steering committee was led by Lance Kennedy-Phillips, vice provost for Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research (OPAIR) and the University’s accreditation liaison officer, and David Callejo Perez, chancellor and dean of Penn State Harrisburg.
The MSCHE team met with University constituencies including representatives of students, faculty, staff, chancellors, and academic deans, as well as members of the Board of Trustees. In its report, the MSCHE team concluded the University met the standards and requirements to keep its accreditation status and made no recommendations for institutional improvements or innovations.
“In a report like this, it’s not unusual to receive several recommendations, like the five the University received in its last self-study evaluation in 2015,” said Kenney-Phillips. “The hard work by leaders across the Commonwealth Campuses paid off and was recognized by the evaluation team.”
MSCHE informed the University of its re-affirmation of accreditation status on July 1.
“Maintaining our accreditation is vital because it independently validates the work we are doing to build a sustainable budget and re-evaluating the University’s academic offerings,” said President Neeli Bendapudi. “We need a strong infrastructure of policies, programs and revenue for Penn State to reach its true potential.”
The evaluation team commended Penn State for having in place a cyclical and thorough oversight and review process for its General Education program and recognized the University for the transition support it provides to change-of-campus students enrolled in its 2+2 programs. Also cited as exemplary was the Board of Trustees’ regular self-assessment, mentorship program, new member orientation and conflict of interest policies, which show a strong commitment to good governance.
Bendapudi said that while it is gratifying to be recognized in these areas, University officials are dedicated to continual institutional improvement.
As part of their report, evaluation teams may offer non-binding “collegial advice” for institutional improvement and innovation or, if the team determines that institutional action is needed to meet or continue to meet MSCHE standards, their report would have given “recommendations” or issued “requirements” for further action and reporting. It is not uncommon and generally expected for institutions to receive one or more recommendations. In Penn State’s previous self-study (2015), for example, the team made five recommendations which required follow up actions and further reporting.
The “collegial advice” offered to Penn State centered on areas where the University could improve, according to the evaluators, such as raising the graduation rates of minority students — which is one of Bendapudi’s main presidential goals. Looking at 2016 figures, the team noted the six-year graduation rates for Black/African American students is 52.9%; for Hispanic/Latino students, 63.3%; and for White students, 75.9%.
Penn State is encouraged to review and understand the causes for the significant gap in the three cohorts’ graduation rate, and to determine intervention methods to reduce and ultimately close this gap, the team wrote.
“We agree with the team’s assessment and have been creating a plan to boost our graduation rates even before the Middle States report,” said Bendapudi. “This has been a focus of my administration, department heads and professors across campuses. The college experience is more than attending class. Students must feel connected to their campus. It’s a balance all universities struggle with, but we hope to work with student and community groups to learn what more we can do to help increase the feeling of belonging and the success rate."
The self-study steering committee and its seven working groups, one for each of the MSCHE standards, drafted different chapters of the report documenting evidence of compliance as well as analyses and appraisal of institutional policies, processes, and procedures. The working groups also identified opportunities for improvement and innovation. The final self-study report was submitted to MSCHE in December 2023, which led to the evaluation team visiting the University.
“I want to thank the teams for their incredible work in pulling the documentation together and arranging for the campus interviews the evaluation team was seeking,” Kennedy-Phillips said. “Although the accreditation review happens every eight years, we need to carefully document everything annually, so we have the necessary data on hand.”