UMBC achieved an important milestone in its 2006 reaccreditation process when the Middle States Commission on Higher Education approved the University's self-study design.

Every 10 years, UMBC undertakes a University-wide review, or self-study, as part of the requirements for reaccreditation. The purpose of the self-study is to determine how well UMBC educational programs and services accomplish the University's goals and meet the Middle States Commission standards.

In addition to responding to the Commission, UMBC will use the 2006 self-study to advance the campus planning process. Marvin Mandell, professor and chair of the Department of Public Policy, and Nancy Ochsner, director of the Office of Institutional Research, are co-chairing the 2006 self-study.

Before proceeding with the self-study, UMBC must submit a plan, or “design” for the self-study to the Commission. The design, which was prepared by the self-study steering committee, outlines how the University will conduct the self-study, including areas of review, expected outcomes, organization and timetable. The Commission approved the UMBC design in late October.

The steering committee is close to completing another major task–-organizing work groups of faculty, staff and students to conduct the self-study. The work groups have already started to meet and gather information to address their charges. The design also includes a communications plan that describes how the committee will obtain feedback from the UMBC community on the self-study draft before finalizing the report.

The self-study report will be completed by the end of 2005, in advance of the Middle States Evaluation Team visit to UMBC in spring 2006.

To read the design document, or learn more about the self-study, visit the self-study Web site.

-Anne Roland