MSCHE President Heather Perfetti Welcomes Institutions to SSI 2024

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) 2024 Self-Study Institute (SSI) kicks off on September 12. President Heather Perfetti will welcome 81 institutions to SSI with live remarks. The intensive Institute provides critical training for institutions entering self-study. Commission staff and facilitators lead SSI, which begins with a five-week intensive period and extends throughout the years leading up to self-study. Required self-study activities provide the Commission with opportunities to guide institutions through the initial accreditation or reaffirmation process while learning more about their institutional priorities and innovative practices that will impact their students. More than 650 institutional representatives will join the Institute to leverage the holistic cycle of accreditation designed to foster institutional improvement through data-driven processes that impact the student experience.

“Self-Study Institute reflects an opportunity far beyond compliance activities,” Heather said. “SSI is an opportunity for institutions to engage in candid self-reflection, which allows them to celebrate their successes while also planning innovative initiatives, all within the context of institutional mission and with the goal of student-centeredness.”

This year’s Self-Study Institute includes multiple cohorts as the Commission implements a three-year self-study schedule for institutions. All institutions will begin to develop their self-study designs by determining priorities and areas for reflection through the lens of their missions. The self-study designs serve as a blueprint for the self-study evaluation and play a central role in the granting or reaffirmation of accreditation. Institutions rely upon the Commission’s Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation (Fourteenth Edition), Evidence Expectations by Standard, policies and procedures, and applicable federal regulatory requirements, which serve as the sources for evaluation. Staff and other institutional representatives who have self-study experience serve as facilitators of the work with institutions in large and small group sessions during SSI.