We’re gearing up for the periodic reaccreditation process with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Every eight years, Ithaca College is required to submit a Self-Study Report, followed by a campus visit by an MSCHE board of examiners.
Our last accreditation report and visit occurred in 2017-2018. This means we will be submitting our next Self-Study Report in fall 2025, with the follow-up campus visit in spring 2026.
It takes multiple years to pull our self-study together, and requires the whole campus community — staff, students, and faculty — to get involved, whether by serving on a working group, responding to requests for input and data, or attending campus meetings and focus groups. The Self-Study is our opportunity to tell our story and show who we are, how we’ve come through some challenging times together, and how we are poised to move forward in our continuing efforts to provide our students with rewarding intellectual and co-curricular experiences that support them to be successful personally, academically, and professionally.
Although it takes a village to pull this together, it also takes leadership. We are pleased to announce that two dedicated IC colleagues have agreed to serve as co-chairs to lead us through the extensive, multi-year process of the Middle States review, with support from Mai An Rumney, the manager of accreditation and assessment for academic affairs. The co-chairs are: Te-Wen Lo, associate professor in the department of biology, and John Fracchia, career and technology engagement specialist in the Center for Career Exploration and Development. See below for more information about these colleagues.
Te-Wen and John have our thanks and gratitude for stepping up to these important roles.
The self-study timeline:
Spring 2023 - a period of pre-planning.
AY 2023-24: design of the self-study process, working groups established
AY 2024 -25: working groups gather and analyze data and begin drafting the report
AY 2025-26: Self Study completed and submitted to MSCHE; campus visit by MSCHE board.
Our co-chairs:
Te-Wen Lo brings years of experience as a faculty member dedicated to the success of students. In addition to teaching biology, Te-Wen has mentored countless undergraduates in laboratory research. She is the Co-PI of the NSF-funded LSAMP grant focused on increasing the number of bachelor's degrees awarded to populations historically underrepresented in STEM fields, working in close collaboration with colleagues in OAOA to implement the program. Since coming to IC in 2013, Te-Wen has received multiple awards, including the IC Women of Distinction Award, the Most Inspirational Faculty Award (International Student Group), the Student Choice Award (OAOA), and the Faculty Excellence Award. Te-Wen is also an exemplary institutional citizen, participating on faculty committees in the department, in H&S, and at the all-college level.
John Fracchia brings to this role 28 years as a dedicated IC staff member, beginning in Residential Life, and for the last 23 years, in Career Services. As a career engagement specialist, he supports students in their career exploration activities; as the technology specialist, John has played a key role in the implementation of the online career development and recruiting platform Handshake. He has taught in the IC Honors program, served as the staff trustee on the IC Board of Trustees, and as treasurer on the Ithaca College Staff Council. John also has extensive ties to community and professional organizations, having served as a board member of the Greater Tompkins County Municipal Health Insurance Consortium, as a council member for the Town of Caroline, and as president of the Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers.