Self-Study

Because accreditation is a process of self-regulation, institutions must engage periodically in a comprehensive and candid self-study of their own strengths and weaknesses. At the heart of accreditation is the self-study, serving both internal and external purposes: quality assurance and institutional improvement through rigorous self-analysis.

The evaluation process has three components:

1. An institutional self-study, a document in which the institution evaluates how well it meets the Commission's Standards for Accreditation and makes realistic, specific projections for improvement.
2. An on-site evaluation by a trained group of peers, which provides a valuable external perspective to the institution and the Commission (NEASC)
3. A review and decision by the Commission

Each of the eleven Standards articulates a dimension of institutional quality. In applying the Standards, the Commission assesses and makes a determination about the effectiveness of the institution as a whole. The institution that meets the Standards:

• has clearly defined purposes appropriate to an institution of higher learning;
• has assembled and organized those resources necessary to achieve its purposes;
• is achieving its purposes;
• has the ability to continue to achieve its purposes.

The self-study process is intended to be open and transparent. The self-study document synthesizes information gathered from faculty, students, staff, board members and the community. Committees for each of the eleven standards haved work in coordination with the steering committee.

Read the Curry College NEASC 2012 Self-Study Report.