Middle States Has Reaffirmed Rutgers' Accreditation
July 11, 2018
Members of the Rutgers Community:
I am delighted to announce that the Middle States Commission on Higher Education has voted to reaffirm the accreditation of Rutgers University for the next nine years. A copy of the formal announcement is linked here. This decision completes a multi-year examination of the progress that Rutgers has made since our last Middle States review in 2008.
As I noted in my prior communications on reaccreditation, access to federal and state funding, scholarships, grants, student loans, and research financing all hinge on the University’s accreditation, which is also critical to the public’s trust in the value of a Rutgers education.
Many people across Rutgers have made important contributions to the accreditation reaffirmation process and merit our appreciation, including the more than 100 faculty, staff, students, and board members who authored our Self-Study Report, the centerpiece of the process. I especially want to thank the co-chairs of the Self-Study Steering Committee: Barbara Lee, senior vice president for academic affairs; and Ann Gould, associate extension specialist, plant biology and pathology, in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, and former chair of the University Senate. Their tremendous leadership in driving the self-study process kept our efforts on track and our community informed.
A nine-member team of peer evaluators visited Rutgers this past winter to gain further insights into the Rutgers experience. Their report commended Rutgers for:
- “living a deeper mission than its focus on excellence in teaching, research, and service. Their focus on affordability and accessibility across geography, and economic, ethnic, and racial differences is noteworthy.”
- “transformational change with respect to planning, resources, and institutional improvement through systems that support quantifiable metrics and deeper understanding of operational efficiency.”
- “a sustained commitment to demonstrating excellence in educational effectiveness and the examination of educational effectiveness.”
- “merger with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in a thoughtful and effective manner.”
Congratulations to everyone at Rutgers for achieving a well-deserved confirmation of the excellent work we are undertaking in educating tomorrow’s leaders and in preparing for the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Sincerely,
Robert Barchi