By: Sydney Umstead, News Editor
The Office of the President sent out an email on Tuesday, Sept. 17, requesting a review of the drafted self-study completed by the university after a decennial of being accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). The results will aid in determining whether or not Canisius is reaccredited.
The Middle States’ mission statement is to “promote educational excellence through innovation across diverse institutions,” according to their website. They value an emphasis on “protecting the future, guiding for good, and setting the standard.”
The Fourteenth Edition of the Middle States “Standard for Accreditation and Requirements of Affliction” emphasizes that the standards are required for each pillar of the commission's mission statement, and universities must uphold those standards in order to be accredited.
The self-study will be submitted in the spring of 2025, and the drafted version incorporates the standards for the MSCHE which includes a stated reasoning by Canisius on how the campus fulfills the requirements for that section. The email sent out by The Office of the President encourages the submission of feedback on their drafted self-survey.
The first draft from Canisius’ self-study reports that the university “adheres to Standard 1 and all associated criteria as well as Requirements of Affiliation 7 and 10.” They cite the personal mission statement of Canisius as pointedly articulating “its purpose as an institution of higher education.”
Canisius claims that its “hiring for mission policy” is informed by the “mission statement and strategic plan.” Furthermore, the university makes the statement that it achieves this by working “to ensure mission-effectiveness by recruiting employees who understand and embrace the university’s mission as a Catholic and Jesuit institution.”
A portion of the standards includes a focus on the centrality of the student experience, which is defined by the Middle States standards as being an experience that fosters the “study of values, ethics, and diverse perspectives.”
On page three of the draft, Canisius mentions the New Buffalo Institute (NBI) as being something that has been “informed by our Catholic, Jesuit tradition,” and states that it is a program that finds “new ways to address the challenges confronting the east side neighborhoods and working in an educated solidarity with our community partners.” However, as of the 2024 fall semester, the state of the NBI is unclear.
The fifth guiding principle suggests that in order to be accredited by the Middle States, an institution must “change and evolve for the benefit of their students and communities.”
The self-study draft goes on to discuss “mission-driven initiatives” fostered at Canisius after the last accreditation visit. These include, “Engaged Academics Recognition Initiative, Laudato Sí, the Borders and Migrations Initiative, the Racial Equity Strategic Plan, and the Supporting Scholarship Initiatives.”
The review of the draft will remain open until Oct. 1, and after the resolving of an issue with link access, the student body can now access the draft and submit feedback through the Canisius portal.
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