The Middle States Commission on Higher Education has reaffirmed SUNY Jamestown Community College’s accreditation. The decision was finalized Dec. 2 at MSCHE’s organizational meeting. The action was taken without qualifications, which indicates JCC met all standards with no additional action needed.
Accreditation is a voluntary process that colleges, universities, and academic programs undertake in order to demonstrate their quality. In the United States, there are three types of accreditations: regional, national, and programmatic. The United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation monitor agencies like MSCHE to ensure their processes are trustworthy.
The accreditation process helps universities improve their performance and streamlines requirements from one college to the next. This eases the transfer process for students, and ensures schools are meeting nationally accepted standards for quality and professionalism. Federal loans and other sources of financial aid are only granted to students enrolled in regionally or nationally accredited institutions.
MSCHE is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization. They perform peer evaluation and accreditation of public and private universities and colleges in the United states and foreign higher education institutions. Beth Starks, Director, North County Center and Career Advantage director, and Dale Yerpe, professor of English on the Cattaraugus County Campus, spearheaded the process for JCC.
Teams of faculty and staff co-created the 32-page self-study design, the 120-page Self-Study report, and the Verification of Federal Compliance report, all of which were elements of the re-accreditation process. Every member of the college community contributed to the project over the course of the two-and-a-half year process.
Dr. Marilyn Zagora, vice president of Academic Affairs and accreditation liaison officer for JCC, noted “The self-study process has two major goals: The college is expected to demonstrate to our accrediting body that JCC meets the very high standards set by the commission for each institution of higher education. On this count, our peer reviewers affirmed that we met all standards without exception.”
“Equally important, the self-study process is intended as an opportunity for the college community to come together to identify future directions that will keep the college on its positive trajectory.” Zagora continued, “Toward this end, our process helped us strengthen our position as an outstanding community college poised to build on our excellence as we move forward.”
In keeping with current COVID-19 protocols, a virtual site visit by a team of peers from other institutions was conducted in lieu of an on-campus evaluation.
JCC first earned Middle States accreditation in 1956. To maintain its standing with the commission, JCC will undergo a mid-point peer review in 2025. The college must conduct its next self-study evaluation in 2028-2029.