Middle States Commission on Higher Education's odd ideas regarding accreditation

"Accreditation in the United States is a form of quality assurance for higher education [...] Accreditation means that the for-profit is a 'real' institution of higher education [...] I just served on a committee for my institution's re-accreditation by Middle States, and I can tell you, we didn't just mail it in." Kevin Kinser, University at Albany, State University of New York

http://www.higheredjobs.com/HigherEdCareers/interviews.cfm?ID=237

Yeah, right.

"I'll go back to the way accreditation is organized. It is supposed to be a self-assessment and assumes that the institutions involved have a mission that supports quality instruction. This means that if an institution doesn't care about quality, but only wants accreditation, it would be pretty easy to fake it for the accreditation purposes. I think this is one of the biggest problems facing accreditation right now. It wasn't set up to ferret out deception." - Kevin Kinser, University at Albany, State University of New York

That much he did get right.

Making complaints to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education is fairly pointless. If MSCHE learns of crimes committed by universities they have accredited, evidently they will not revoke accreditation or help see to it that the guilty parties are prosecuted. Instead, they will help the university evade prosecution by (supposedly) bringing them back into compliance. What's the point of accrediting universities if accreditations cannot be lost, and are so meaningless?

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education also burdens complainants by requiring them to detail every single one of their complaints at once. In the case of SUNY Albany, that's an awful lot: a book's worth, conservatively. MSCHE will knowingly permit universities they've accredited to continue to violate 1-14 accreditation standards until such time as the complainant they've given a nearly impossible task can detail every single complaint.

I'd provided proof to MSCHE of failures on the part of SUNY Albany to comply with accreditation standards on a number of occasions. In an May 26, 2013 at 4:08:07 PM e-mail to Christina D'Argenio, Executive Assistant to the President Middle States Commission on Higher Education, I'd provided evidence that (among other things) SUNY Albany's Police had mismanaged their sexual offender registry, that I'd reported it to SUNY System Administration, that SUNY's Compliance Administrator and Special Assistant to the Senior Vice Chancellor and General Counsel Nedra Abbruzese-Werling had tipped people at SUNY Albany that they'd been reported and put them in charge of investigating themselves and she'd complained about non-compliance being reported to her, and that SUNY Deputy General Counsel Office of General Counsel State University of New York Marti Anne Ellermann suggested to Ms. Abbruzese-Werling that she stop replying to reports of non-compliance. Christina D'Argenio, Executive Assistant to the President Middle States Commission on Higher Education replied to the e-mail on May 29, 2013 at 4:17:01 PM, thereby indicating she'd received evidence of violations of MSCHE standards. How much concern she expressed about such things as SUNY Albany Police mismanaging the campus sexual offender registry and SUNY system administration doing little or nothing about that: none.

Standard 4 includes this: "The governance structure includes an active governing body with sufficient autonomy to assure institutional integrity" http://www.msche.org/publications/CHX-2011-WEB.pdf. MSCHE was provided evidence that SUNY Albany has such problems with institutional integrity that it permits their police to mismanage a sexual offender registry, and that SUNY system administration has such problems with institutional integrity that they'll tip off criminals that they've been reported, put them in charge of investigating themselves, and then suggest that no responses should be sent to complainants.

"Standard 6: Integrity

"In the conduct of its programs and activities involving the public and the constitutuencies it serves, the institution demonstrates adherence to ethical standards and its own stated policies, providing support for academic and intellectual freedom."

SUNY Albany and SUNY are severely lacking in integrity. They do not adhere to ethical standards and their own stated policies. As for support for academic and intellectual freedom, where does President of the SUNY-wide judicial administrators group Clarence L. McNeill threatening someone never to contact anyone at the university other than himself fit in with that? Or Jeanette Altarriba refusing to grant academic accommodation to a student, instead forcing the student, as a condition of receiving his degree and graduating, to be further subjected to the unprofessional, offensive, and alarming behavior of a professor the student reported for academic dishonesty and sexual harassment? Or Jeanette Altarriba getting promoted to Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education after she'd engaged in academic dishonesty, quid pro quo sexual harassment, and retaliation while a department chair?

Standard 9 includes the observation that "institutions, and particularly those with residential populations, should be attentive to a wide range of student life issues, including mental health and safety." How attentive is SUNY Albany to student safety when, for example, their campus police chose not to properly maintain their sexual offender registry?

If anyone can ever accomplish manage to detail every single complaint they have all at once, it's unclear as to whether MSCHE has ever really helped bring a university back into compliance.

That the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation would recognize the Middle States Commission on Higher Education as an accrediting body is obscene.

From: Christina DArgenio

Subject: Re: SUNY Albany Police oversight

Date: May 31, 2013 at 4:12:02 PM EDT

To: Christopher Philippo [...]

Dear Mr. Philippo,

Please submit one complaint detailing your concerns about the University of Albany’s alleged non-compliance with the Commission’s 14 accreditation standards (http://www.msche.org/publications/CHX-2011-WEB.pdf) along with compelling, written evidence to support your complaint. Your complaint must be submitted in writing, typewritten or printed from a computer, and sent via US Postal Service or an express carrier such as FedEx or UPS. Be certain to sign your complaint. The Commission cannot accept complaints that are unsigned, or that are submitted via e-mail. Address your complaint to:

President, Middle States Commission on Higher Education

3624 Market Street

Philadelphia, PA 19104

The parameters on how to file a complaint are contained in the following link: http://www.msche.org/documents/HowtoFileaComplaintwiththeCommission.PDF. Please review this document carefully.

Please note that the purpose of the complaint procedures is to ensure that an institution is in compliance with the Commission's 14 accreditation standards, and the institution’s own published policies and procedures, not to settle disputes between individuals and institutions.

The Commission’s procedures on Complaints Involving Member and Candidate Institutions were created to address non-compliance with the Commission’s 14 accreditation standards or an institution’s standards, policies, or procedures. They are not intended to be used to involve the Commission in disputes between individuals and affiliated institutions, or to cause the Commission to interpose itself as a reviewing authority in individual matters of admission, grades, granting or transferability of credits, application of academic policies, fees or other financial matters, disciplinary matters, contractual rights and obligations, personnel decisions, or similar matters. Nor does the Commission seek any type of compensation, damages, readmission, or any other redress on an individual’s behalf.

Should the Commission determine that the University of Albany is in non-compliance with one or more of its standards, the Commission would work with institution to bring it back into compliance.

Lastly, you will either need to get the student’s permission to share his name and circumstances with the Commission or redact his or her name from the complaint.

Please note that neither the Commissioners nor the members of the Commission staff can discuss complaints over the telephone. Everything must be in writing. Should you have any questions, please write to info@msche.org.

Sincerely,

Chris

Christina D'Argenio

Executive Assistant to the President

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

3624 Market Street

Philadelphia, PA 19104

Phone: 267-284-5025

Fax: 215-662-5501

cdargenio@msche.org

>>> Christopher Philippo [...] 5/31/2013 7:16 AM >>>

Again related to Standard 9 (and perhaps others, to be detailed in the complaint), again quoting page 34:

"The quality of campus life often contributes significantly to student learning; therefore, institutions, and particularly those with residential populations, should be attentive to a wide range of student life issues, including mental health and safety"

There's a number of reasons to be concerned about the university's attentiveness to student life issues like mental health and safety. If one needs to report SUNY Police for some reason, it is seemingly impossible to learn to whom one may report them, who has jurisdiction over them. The question is ignored or (as with the Albany County Sheriff's Office) answered with an "I don't know and I couldn't find out"-type response.

If it would be OK, may I submit several distinct complaints? It might make it all more manageable on both our ends.

Christopher K. Philippo

---

"Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act" 20 U.S.C. § 1092(f) (17)

"Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to permit an institution, or an officer, employee, or agent of an institution, participating in any program under this subchapter and part C of subchapter I of chapter 34 of title 42 to retaliate, intimidate, threaten, coerce, or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to the implementation of any provision of this subsection."

---

“Make you the world a bit better or more beautiful because you have lived in it.” - Edward W. Bok

MSCHE cannot provide any examples of how it has ever worked with an institution to bring it back into compliance. Perhaps they have never really worked with an institution to bring it back into compliance? That's about the only reason I can think of as to why they'd be completely unable to provide any examples, even non-identifying ones.

From: MSCHE info

Subject: Re: SUNY Albany Alma Mater authorship and history?

Date: December 19, 2013 at 11:40:21 AM EST

To: Christopher Philippo [...]

Dear Mr. Philippo,

The Commission cannot provide you with examples nor is the Commission aware of any civil rights findings against SUNY.

Sincerely,

Chris

Christina D'Argenio

Executive Assistant to the President

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

3624 Market Street

Philadelphia, PA 19104

Phone: 267-284-5025

Fax: 215-662-5501

cdargenio@msche.org

>>> Christopher Philippo [...] 12/8/2013 2:07 PM >>>

On Dec 4, 2013, at 2:19 PM, Christina DArgenio wrote:

Should the Commission determine that the University of Albany is in non-compliance with one or more of its standards and/or the institution’s own published policies and procedures the Commission would work with institution to bring it back into compliance.

Might there be examples on your website or that you could give, not identifying the noncompliant institution(s), of some general and specific ways that the Commission has worked with institutions to bring them into compliance?

Is the Commission working with all the SUNY campuses that the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights found to be out of compliance in order to help bring them into compliance? http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-reaches-agreement-state-university-new-york-address-and-

Christopher K. Philippo

From: Christopher Philippo [...]

Subject: Re: SUNY Albany Alma Mater authorship and history?

Date: December 19, 2013 at 11:42:27 AM EST

To: MSCHE info

On Dec 19, 2013, at 11:40 AM, MSCHE info wrote:

The Commission cannot provide you with examples nor is the Commission aware of any civil rights findings against SUNY.

That’s OK, though I’d asked about “general and specific ways that the Commission has worked with institutions to bring them into compliance”, not about civil rights findings against SUNY specifically.

Thanks for responding.

Christopher Philippo

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education, as can be seen above, had the audacity to claim to be unaware of any civil rights findings against SUNY when their claim was followed by the link I'd provided them to a US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights' press release stating in part:

OCR concluded that grievance procedures adopted by SUNY and/or individual campuses were inadequate to provide for the prompt and equitable resolution of complaints of sexual harassment, including sexual assault and violence. In addition, OCR reviewed 159 individual cases of alleged sexual harassment from four of SUNY’s individual campuses visited during the review (SUNY Albany, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Buffalo State College, and SUNY Morrisville). OCR determined that the vast majority of these cases involved reports of sexual assault or violence sufficiently serious to create a sexually hostile environment for the affected students. In some of the instances, OCR found deficiencies, including complainants not receiving prompt or adequate investigations of their complaints; not receiving notice of the outcomes of their complaints; not being provided equal opportunities to attend prehearing conferences and/or present evidence and witnesses at the hearing."

http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-reaches-agreement-state-university-new-york-address-and-

MSCHE is a joke.