Progress Summaries

Another important phase in the university accreditation process with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) is now complete, as the external evaluation team that visited our three campus locations from April 7 to April 10 has submitted its team report to MSCHE. The evaluation team’s judgment is that SJU appears to meet all seven MSCHE accreditation standards and fifteen requirements of affiliation, and is in compliance with all federal and state regulations regarding institutions of higher education. This report constitutes additional data that will be used by MSCHE when it renders an official decision on accreditation for the University at its summer 2024 meeting.

Completion of Self-Study Report

Final revisions to the self-study report were completed during the first weeks of 2024, incorporating feedback received from the fall stakeholder review sessions and campus visit from the evaluation team chair selected by MSCHE. The self-study, evidence inventory, and verification of compliance report were submitted to MSCHE in late February.  Campus stakeholders may access the complete self-study report using this link and on the homepage of the Nest.

Evaluation Team Campus Visit

The MSCHE evaluation team will be visiting campus from April 7 to April 10, 2024. During that time, the evaluators will have the opportunity to visit all Saint Joseph’s University locations and to meet with students, faculty, staff, administrators, and trustees. The evaluation team will deliver its findings on the morning of April 10. The entire university community is welcome to attend this meeting. Further details on the evaluation team campus visit will be communicated through appropriate institutional channels.

Other Accreditation Activities of Note

The MSCHE Complex Substantive Change (CSC) request for the Saint Joseph’s University (SJU) and Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences (PCHS) merger was approved by MSCHE on September 25, 2023. SJU notified MSCHE of the merger close on January 3, 2024. A commission liaison guidance visit to discuss the Commission's expectations including post-transaction requirements was conducted on February 23, 2024. A  complex substantive change site visit to the main campus at 5600 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131, and the additional location at 850 Greenfield Road, Lancaster, PA 17601 will be held by July 3. 2024.

Self-Study Drafts and Working Groups

Through the summer, our Middle States self-study team completed a review and evaluation of the qualities of evidence gathered to date in light of MSCHE guidelines for Accreditation Criteria, evaluation of stakeholder feedback on Preliminary Findings, and meetings with subject matter experts in Academic Technology, Student Support, and other key institutional resource partners.  Significant updates and additions to the self-student document repository were completed as a result. The working groups are now completing revised chapter drafts using these data and developing the self-study Introduction, Conclusion and Executive Summary. 

Community Sessions

In the next few weeks, every member of the university community will have the opportunity to review and provide feedback on a draft of the entire self-study, which will be available later this month.  Additional information on ways to participate in feedback opportunities will be circulated in the coming days. In addition to the community session, the full board of trustees will engage in a review of the self-study draft with members of the steering committee. The information shared and collected at this time will inform the final revisions to the Self-study. 

Document Repository and Evidence Inventory

The document repository, the primary protected digital environment of information used by the seven working groups to complete the self-study, continues to be updated as information is requested from campus partners. A subset of these data will form the evidence inventory that the university is required to submit to MSCHE along with the self-study report.

Team Chair

Matthew Frist, Senior Vice President for Finance and Business at Duquesne University, is the team chair for the evaluation visit to Saint Joseph’s University, scheduled for April 2024. Dr. Frist will receive the Self-study draft in October and will make a preliminary visit to SJU on November 6, 2023. Dr. Frist will provide feedback on the self-study draft after his visit.

Submission of Self-Study and Evaluation Team Visit

Early in 2024, the final self-study and the documents that form the evidence inventory will be uploaded to the MSCHE portal for review by the evaluation team. The full team visit will be in early April 2024.

Other Accreditation Activities of Note

The MSCHE Complex Substantive Change (CSC) request for the Saint Joseph’s University (SJU) and Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences (PCHS) merger was submitted on February 3, 2023. MSCHE reviewed the documents we submitted and asked for additional information on June 30, 2023, August 3, 2023, August 14, 2023, and August 16, 2023. In collaboration with our partners at PCHS, all the additional information requested by the MSCHE evaluators was provided in a timely manner.

SJU received the Complex Substantive Change (CSC) evaluator report on September 1, 2023. SJU submitted its institutional response to the evaluator report on September 5, 2023. The evaluators did not find any challenges or concerns regarding SJU's continued compliance with MSCHE Standards as a result of this merger. 

SJU is in regular communication with the SJU and PCHS MSCHE Vice President Liaisons as our CSC request will be presented to the MSCHE Executive Committee for Commission Action on September 14, 2023. SJU expects a decision for our CSC request on September 21, 2023.
 

This memo summarizes for university stakeholders progress on the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) accreditation self-study during the Spring Semester 2023.

Self-Study Drafts and Working Groups

Over the past six months, the self-study working groups have completed a significant amount of research on each of the seven standards of accreditation. Preliminary drafts for each standard were developed in March. The drafts included preliminary findings regarding institutional strengths, challenges, and opportunities for each standard.The working groups identified students, faculty, staff, and administrators whose insights and feedback on specific standards of accreditation will prove particularly valuable as the research phase nears completion. 

Feedback Sessions

Based on the working groups’ preliminary findings, fact sheets were developed for each standard. The fact sheets summarize the accreditation criteria, the evidence consulted to date, and the preliminary findings regarding institutional strengths, challenges, and opportunities in light of the standards in question. The fact sheets were shared with key institutional resource partners to gather feedback on the preliminary findings in synchronous and asynchronous formats. Listening sessions are planned through May.

At a later date, every member of the university community will have the opportunity to review and provide feedback on a draft of the entire self-study. 

Document Repository and Evidence Inventory

The document repository, the primary protected digital environment of information used by the seven working groups to complete the self-study, continues to be updated as information is requested from campus partners. A subset of these data will form the evidence inventory that the university is required to submit to MSCHE along with the self-study report. 
 

Spring Deliverables

During the Spring semester, the working groups and steering committee (consisting of the self-study co-chairs and co-chairs of each working group) met to review draft feedback, assess evidence for each standard criterion, and refine the drafts. An updated draft for each standard will be delivered in May. On behalf of the self-study team, the co-chairs will communicate with specific institutional entities and resource partners regarding aspects of the self-study as needed. 

Team Chair

Matthew Frist, Senior Vice President for Finance and Business at Duquesne University has been selected as the team chair for the evaluation visit to Saint Joseph’s University in the spring of 2024.

Other Accreditation Activities of Note

MSCHE VP Liaison, Dr. Sean McKitrick, conducted a complex substantive change for the SJU/USciences merger follow-up visit on February 1, 2023. The VP liaison met with Saint Joseph’s University’s interim President, executive leadership team, members of the teams that wrote the complex substantive change document, student representatives, and faculty representatives. Dr. Nasrin Fatima and Dr. Julie Kornfeld conducted the follow-up complex substantive change visit for the SJU/USciences merger on April 13, 2023. Drs. Fatima and Kornfeld met with Saint Joseph’s University’s President, the executive leadership team, members of the teams that wrote the complex substantive change document, student representatives, faculty, and staff representatives. Feedback from the evaluation visit will be incorporated into the self-study continuous improvement process.

The Complex Substantive Change Request Form for the Saint Joseph's University and Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences merger was completed in March 2023. Members from the self-study steering committee and working groups provided the analysis, description, and evidence documenting how SJU will maintain continued compliance with standards for accreditation, requirements of affiliation, policies and procedures, and applicable federal regulatory requirements as a result of the merger.

Further information on the self-study and accreditation processes of interest to the entire SJU campus community is available on the web site, which is updated on a regular basis. We also welcome the opportunity to share information directly with your groups and welcome any feedback that you might have.

This is a summary for university stakeholders of progress on the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) accreditation self-study since the end of the Spring Semester 2022.

Self-Study Design and Working Groups

On May 24, 2022, the MSCHE Vice-President who serves as the commission’s liaison to the University conducted a virtual campus visit to review the self-study design and meet with campus stakeholders. Shortly thereafter, MSCHE accepted the SJU self-study design and commended the University on designing a quality process. The steering committee intends for the self-study process to maximize efficiency, collaboration, and continuous improvement. 

In June, new colleagues from the University City location were invited to join each of the seven working groups. With the beginning of the fall semester, students were also invited to join numerous working groups, completing their composition.

On August 18, 2022 the self-study co-chairs and steering committee participated in a workshop to refine the scope, form, and content of the self-study report; develop the evidence inventory; and establish a common framework, timeline, and virtual workspace for deliverables.

In September, the working groups for each standard commenced the self-study inquiry process. All of the working groups have now met to discuss lines of inquiry, evidence, methodology, and opportunities to collaborate across standards of accreditation.

Document Repository and Evidence Inventory

As a crucial part of the evidence-based, collaborative process to achieve re-accreditation mandated by MSCHE, requests for access to documents and data have been made on behalf of the steering committee to governing bodies and other entities across the university. Further requests will be forthcoming on behalf of the working groups. The documents collected will form the primary repository of information used by the seven working groups to complete the self-study. The resulting document repository is a protected digital environment. A subset of these data will form the evidence inventory that the university is required to submit to MSCHE along with the self-study report. 

Fall Deliverables

During the fall semester, the working groups and steering committee (consisting of the self-study co-chairs and co-chairs of each working group) will continue to meet on a regular basis to review progress reports, address evidence gaps, and refine the research process. An outline of the self-study will be completed in December. On behalf of the self-study team, the co-chairs will communicate with specific institutional entities and resource partners regarding aspects of the self-study as needed. 

Further information on the self-study and accreditation processes of interest to the entire SJU campus community is available on the website, which is updated on a regular basis. We also welcome the opportunity to share information directly with your groups and welcome any feedback that you might have.