Executive Summary and Certification Statement 

In November 2013, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) reaffirmed Syracuse University’s regional accreditation following the University’s submission of its Periodic Review Report. Shortly thereafter and in the midst of substantial leadership changes, the campus community began a process to appraise the University in light of emerging challenges, needs, and opportunities, and to identify the overarching goals and priorities that would continue to advance our progress as a pre-eminent and inclusive student-focused research university. In summer of 2014, shortly after his arrival at Syracuse, Kent Syverud, 12th Chancellor of the University, launched Syracuse University’s “Fast Forward Syracuse” initiative. The centerpiece of Fast Forward Syracuse is the academic strategic plan, Trajectory to Excellence.

Following publication of the academic strategic plan in June 2015, working groups continued with the development and prioritization of initiatives associated with each of the six thematic areas of the plan. During the 2015-2016 academic year, an academic strategic plan Implementation Oversight Committee organized these proposed initiatives for presentation to newly arrived Vice Chancellor and Provost Michele G. Wheatly. From May 2016 to the present, Provost Wheatly has worked collaboratively with deans, faculty, staff, and students to implement priority initiatives in the six thematic areas around which the academic strategic plan is structured:

1. THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE: Provide all students with a world-class learning experience that prepares them for future success
2. DISCOVERY: Promote creativity and discovery attuned to important challenges and emerging needs
3. INTERNATIONALIZATION: Enter the Campus, Engage with the World
4. COMMITMENT TO VETERANS & MILITARY-CONNECTED COMMUNITIES: Distinguish Syracuse as the premier university for veterans, military-connected students, and families
5. INNOVATION: Nurture an entrepreneurial culture
6. ONE UNIVERSITY: Galvanize institution-wide excellence

Simultaneous with the implementation of the new academic strategic plan, Syracuse University conducted a comprehensive self-study process addressing the new MSCHE Standards for Accreditation, Requirements of Affiliation, and Compliance with Accreditation-Relevant Federal Regulations. With the arrival of a new provost and under the guidance of the academic strategic plan, this has been an opportune time to strengthen our institutional improvement efforts. Information acquired from the self-study process has provided the opportunity to recommit to areas of strength and identify opportunities for renewal and growth. In particular, the self-study process has provided the platform to engage a broad cross-section of the campus community in a critical self-evaluation of the University’s educational programs, student services, and administrative units. The theme of the self-study review process has been “Syracuse University Middle States: Peer-review, Reflection and Momentum.”

Eight self-study teams convened in 2016 to address the seven MSCHE standards plus requirements of affiliation and accreditation-relevant federal regulations. Each team included co-chairs: one faculty member and one administrator. The team rosters included faculty and staff with experience and/or current job duties that prepared them to address the standards and compliance criteria. Each team also included at least one undergraduate and graduate student. In December 2016, these teams submitted reports on their respective standards (or compliance area) along with pointers to evidence that supported their conclusions. Each team found the University compliant with the respective Standard:

• Standard I (Mission and Goals): Syracuse University has a clearly defined vision, mission, and goals that form a coherent whole as expressed in the University’s 2015 academic strategic plan, titled Trajectory to Excellence (I.1.002.Trajectory_to_Excellence). The vision and mission of the University establish its purpose within the larger context of U.S. higher education. The stated goals of the academic strategic plan provide a roadmap for how the University fulfills its mission and how it will continue to do so over coming years.
• Standard II (Ethics and Integrity): Syracuse University has adopted policies and procedures designed to ensure that the University operates with ethics and integrity. The University also has organizational structures, such as the Office of Audit and Management Advisory Services, the Conflict of Interest Committee, and the Senate Committee on Academic Freedom, Tenure, and Professional Ethics, designed to execute, monitor, and maintain these policies and procedures.
• Standard III (Student Learning): Syracuse University ensures that learning experiences are rigorous and coherent across modalities and offerings, and that students can complete their programs of study over time periods consistent with higher education norms. In addition to our own standards and those of Middle States, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) imposes requirements and approval processes to which we adhere for our degree and certificate programs. Syracuse University, like other universities operating in New York State, must meet and does meet the standards of NYSED and New York State’s Board of Regents.
• Standard IV (Student Experience): Syracuse University provides accurate and comprehensive information regarding the cost of attendance, financial aid, scholarships, grants and loans, and the repayment of loans and refund procedures. The University also provides academic support for students who are identified as struggling academically by advisors or professors. Each school and college provides advising services for students. The University offers a broad variety of services and supports to undergird student persistence, retention, and completion.
• Standard V (Educational Assessment): Syracuse University has educational goals in place for academic degree programs as well as co-curricular and functional units. There is a centrally organized assessment system in place to facilitate the assessment process, and numerous examples of how assessment results have been used for positive change.
• Standard VI (Planning/Resources/Improvement): Syracuse University has burgeoning planning processes, human resources, and other resources available to support our institutional mission. Existing strategies qualitatively and quantitatively measure the utilization of resources on a regular basis. Using a Responsibility Center Management (RCM) budgetary model, the University ensures that planning and improvement are guided by our institutional vision, mission, and goals as articulated in the academic strategic plan and the Campus Framework. Our annual planning processes consider current and long-term infrastructure, facilities, technology, and overall student experience goals.
• Standard VII (Administration): To realize our mission and achieve our vision of being a pre-eminent and inclusive student-focused research university, preparing engaged citizens, scholars, and leaders for participation in a changing global society, Syracuse University maintains a clearly articulated and transparent governance and administrative structure that supports the work of the University community. Reporting to the Board of Trustees, which assesses and evaluates his performance, the Chancellor leads the University with an executive team uniquely structured to meet our strategic goals.

The self-study highlighted a number of strengths but also documented an important set of areas for continuous improvement. In a subset of these improvement areas, cross-cutting findings from the self-study process have suggested that a concerted, campus-wide effort would provide the necessary momentum to ensure sustainable improvements. Chapter 5 of this document contains formal recommendations for enactment by the University prior to the midpoint accreditation review in 2022.

Certification Statement:

Compliance with MSCHE Requirements of Affiliation

[For use by institutions addressing the Accreditation Standards in Characteristics of Excellence: Requirements of Affiliation and Standards for Accreditation (12^th ed., 2006)]

Effective August 1, 2015

 

Syracuse University                                   

(Name of Institution)

is seeking (Check one):

___ Initial Accreditation

 X  Reaffirmation of Accreditation through Self Study

___ Reaffirmation of Accreditation through Periodic Review

An institution seeking initial accreditation or reaffirmation of accreditation must affirm that it meets or continues to meet established MSCHE Requirements of Affiliation.

This signed certification statement must be attached to the executive summary of the institution’s self-study or periodic review report.

The undersigned hereby certify that the institution meets Requirements of Affiliation of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education as published in Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation (13^th ed., 2016).

If it is not possible to certify compliance with all requirements specified herein, the institution must attach specific details in a separate memorandum.

___ Exceptions are noted in the attached memorandum (Check if applicable)

 

__________________________________________                        _______________________

(Chief Executive Officer)                                                                    (Date)

 

__________________________________________                        _______________________

(Chair, Board of Trustees or Directors)                                              (Date)