|
|
OVERVIEW OF ACCREDITATION
 |
Accreditation is a voluntary process of self-regulation
and peer review that is intended to strengthen and sustain
the quality and integrity of higher education. Colleges and
universities choose to apply for institutional accreditation
and abide by the standards of their regional accrediting
organization.
The Middle States Commission on Higher
Education (the Commission) is the regional accrediting
organization for Philadelphia University. (link to Middle
States) The federal government requires that an institution
be accredited by a nationally recognized organization in
order for its students to be eligible to participate in the
Student Assistance Program in Title IV of the Higher
Education Act (adapted from the Middle States Commission on
Higher Education website
http://www.msche.org).
Once an institution is accredited, it is reviewed every five
years through either an on-site peer review or review of a
document called the Periodic Review Report. Philadelphia
University was initially accredited in 1955. This
accreditation was last reaffirmed in 2001 through submission
and review of a Periodic Review Report. In April 2006, an
evaluation team assembled by the Commission will conduct an
on-site review of Philadelphia University’s Self-Study and
will submit a written report to the Commission. The
Commission will meet in June 2006 to review the Self-Study
and the written report of the evaluation team, and will make
a determination on the reaffirmation of Philadelphia
University’s accreditation.
In its publication, Characteristics of Excellence in Higher
Education, the Commission outlines
14 standards for accreditation
by which each accredited institution is evaluated.
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education, a division
of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools,
accredits colleges and universities in the Middle States
region (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York,
Pennsylvania, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands
and some overseas institutions).
As a recognized leader in promoting and ensuring quality
assurance and improvement in higher education, the
Commission defines, maintains, and promotes educational
excellence and responds creatively to a diverse, dynamic,
global higher education community that is continually
evolving (from the Middle States Commission on Higher
Education website
http://www.msche.org).
|
|
QUICK LINKS:
|
|
|
