Self-Study 2025-2027

York College is currently engaged in the multi-year period of self-assessment and evaluation essential to our continued accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

As part of the MSCHE reaccreditation process, York College conducts a Self-Study every eight years, alongside Annual Institutional Updates. The Self-Study is framed/guided by seven comprehensive standards for accreditation and four requirements of affiliation, which ask the college community to examine all aspects of York College's functioning with transparency, rigor, and reflection.

Be sure to stay informed! In addition to this webpage, we will produce Accreditation Updates to keep the York College community in the know.

Accreditation Updates

About Re-Accreditation

Learn more about the Middle States Re-Accreditation Process from AVP, Dean of Students James Salnave and Professor Lidia Gonzalez in this short video.

York College Self-Study Design

The Self-Study Design document, submitted to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education in May 2025, represents the first step in the formal self-study process as York seeks its reaffirmation of accreditation. Developed through a consultative, transparent and reflective process, the Self-Study Design lays out a roadmap of how the college community will approach its fact-finding and writing processes as we move towards our full Self-Study peer-evaluator site visit in the 2026-7 academic year.

York College Self-Study Design

Middle States Standards

Standard I. Mission & Goals

The institution’s mission defines its purpose within the context of higher education, the students it serves, and what it intends to accomplish. The institution’s stated goals are clearly linked to its mission and specify how the institution fulfills its mission.

Standard II. Ethics & Integrity

Ethics and integrity are central, indispensable, and defining hallmarks of effective higher education institutions. In all activities, whether internal or external, an institution must be faithful to its mission, honor its contracts and commitments, adhere to its policies, and represent itself truthfully.

Standard III. Design & Delivery of the Student Learning Experience

An institution provides students with learning experiences that are characterized by rigor and coherence at all program, certificate, and degree levels, regardless of instructional modality. All learning experiences, regardless of modality, program pace/schedule, level, and setting are consistent with higher education expectations.

Standard IV. Support of the Student Experience

Across all educational experiences, settings, levels, and instructional modalities, the institution recruits and admits students whose interests, abilities, experiences, and goals are congruent with its mission and educational offerings. The institution commits to student retention, persistence, completion, and success through a coherent and effective support system sustained by qualified professionals, which enhances the quality of the learning environment, contributes to the educational experience, and fosters student success.

Standard V. Educational Effectiveness Assessment

Assessment of student learning and achievement demonstrates that the institution’s students have accomplished educational goals consistent with their program of study, degree level, the institution’s mission, and appropriate expectations for institutions of higher education.

Standard VI. Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement

The institution’s planning processes, resources, and structures are aligned with each other and are sufficient to fulfill its mission and goals, to continuously assess and improve its programs and services, and to respond effectively to opportunities and challenges.

Standard VII. Governance, Leadership, & Administration

The institution is governed and administered in a manner that allows it to realize its stated mission and goals in a way that effectively benefits the institution, its students, and the other constituencies it serves. Even when supported by or affiliated with a related entity, the institution has education as its primary purpose, and it operates as an academic institution with appropriate autonomy.

Evidence Expectations by Standard Guidelines

Self-Study Timeline

Fall 2024

Executive Steering Committee selected and invited to serve
Self-Study webpage launched
Steering Committee Members selected and invited to serve
Self-Study Leadership Group attends Middle States Self-Study Institute (SSI)
Self-Study Leadership Group attends MSCHE Conference
First Meeting of the Steering Committee

Working Group Co-chairs are identified

Working Group Members selected and invited to serve
College-wide email invites faculty/staff to serve on working groups
Steering Committee drafts Self-Study Design
Evidence Inventory Team creates Evidence Inventory Structure
Interim President Schrader hosts kick-off breakfast for Steering Committee

Formally charges the Steering Committee
Provides input on Self-Study Design

Spring 2025

Steering Committee submits Self-Study Design to MSCHE by February 14, 2025
Steering Committee works with the Evidence Inventory Team to identify evidence needs
Initial meeting of working groups to discuss charges and plan
Self-Study Leadership Group updates Cabinet, College Senate, and other stakeholder groups
MSCHE VP Liaison visits campus - official college-wide kick-off
Monthly Steering Committee Meetings
Approval of Self-Study Design
Steering Committee oversees implementation of Self-Study process

Fall 2025

Working Groups conduct research and evaluation
Steering Committee meets monthly

Working Group Co-chairs provide updates, identify gaps in evidence, ask questions

Self-Study Leadership Group updates Cabinet, College Senate, and other stakeholder groups

Spring 2026

Working group co-chairs submit first draft of findings by March 1
Self-Study Leadership Group reviews findings and provides feedback to Working group co-chairs
Working groups continue to meet regularly, responding to and incorporating feedback
Working group co-chairs submit second draft of findings by May 1
Self-Study Leadership Group updates Cabinet, College Senate, and other stakeholder groups

Summer 2026

Self-Study Leadership Group reviews findings from second draft of findings
Self-Study lead writer creates the first full draft of the Self-Study Report

Fall 2026

First draft of Self-Study Report shared with college community for feedback
College-wide town halls held throughout Fall 2026
Self-Study Leadership Group obtains input from Cabinet, College Senate, and other stakeholder groups
Additional edits made to Self-Study Report based on feedback
Middle States Evaluation Team Chair Preliminary Visit and provides feedback on draft
Additional edits made to Self-Study Report based on feedback
Final draft of Self-Study Report completed
Final draft of Self-Study Report shared with college community

Spring 2027

President approves Self-Study Report
York College ALO submits Self-Study Report and Evidence Inventory to MSCHE
Middle States Evaluation Team Visit
Initial response to Evaluation Team Report
Middle States Action (June 2027)

Organizational Structure of the Work

Self-Study Steering Committee

Leadership Group

Name	Title	Unit/Department	Role
Lori Hoeffner	Vice President; ALO	Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning	Accreditation Liaison Officer
Lidia Gonzalez	Professor	Mathematics and Computer Science	Co-Chair
Heather Robinson	Professor	English	Lead Writer
James Salnave	AVP, Dean of Students	Student Affairs and Enrollment Management	Co-Chair

Steering Committee

Name	Title	Unit/Department	Role
Panayiotis Meleties	Professor	Chemistry	Standard I Co-Chair
Reginald Madden	Manager of Academic Affairs	Office of Academic Affairs	Standard I Co-Chair
Roberto Benedito	Doctoral Lecturer	History, Philosophy and Anthropology	Standard II Co-Chair
Ricardo Ramos	Legal Coordinator/Paralegal	Legal Affairs and Labor Relations	Standard II Co-Chair
Xin Bai	Professor	Teacher Education	Standard III Co-Chair
Jo-Ann Fellows	Associate Registrar	Office of the Registrar	Standard III Co-Chair
Marta Daly	Assistant Professor	Occupational Therapy	Standard IV Co-Chair
Savitrie Rampersaud	Assistant Director	Student Affairs	Standard IV Co-Chair
Jacob Apkarian	Associate Professor	Behavioral Sciences	Standard V Co-Chair
Nazia Naeem	Director of Assessment	Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning	Standard V Co-Chair
Yong Kyu Lee	Associate Professor	Business and Economics	Standard VI Co-Chair
Ajisa Dervisevic	Assistant Vice President	Office of Budget and Planning	Standard VI Co-Chair
Hamid Bahri	Associate Professor	World Languages, Literatures, and Humanities	Standard VII Co-Chair
Yvette Williamson	Bursar	Office of the Bursar	Standard VII Co-Chair
Rachel Ng	Director of Institutional Research	Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning	Data Expert

Evidence Inventory

Name	Title	Unit/Department	Role
Ray Moncada	Manager of Institutional Research	Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning	Evidence Inventory

Working Groups (students will be added)

Standard I. Mission and Goals

Panayiotis Meleties, Professor, Chemistry, Co-Chair

Reginald Madden, Director of Pre-College Programs, Academic Affairs, Co-Chair

John Baxter, Director of Aquatics, Athletics

Sheridan Bisram, Scholarship Academic Advisor, Advising

Claudia Calhoon, Assistant Professor, Health and Human Performance

Matt Garley, Associate Professor, English

Jonathan Hall, Professor and Chair, English

Rajendra Persaud, Assistant Director, Admissions

Shayla Pruitt, Director of FYE/Mentoring, FYE/Mentoring

Aamir Rashid, Assistant Professor, Business and Economics

Warren Rolling, Administrative Coordinator, CUNY Explorers

Kemi Watson, Legal Coord-Paralegal - Office of Legal Affairs and Labor Relations

Standard II. Ethics and Integrity

Roberto Benedito, Doctoral Lecturer, History, Philosophy and Anthropology, Co-Chair

Ricardo Ramos, Legal Coordinator/Paralegal, Office of Legal Affairs and Labor Management, Co-Chair

Carlton Barnes, Doctoral Lecturer, Accounting and Finance

Miguel Bernard, Information Technology Associate, Information Technology

Ben Drepaul, Associate Director, Career Services

Douglas Ditoro, Lecturer, English

Nicholas Grosskopf, Professor and Chair, Health and Human Performance

Michele Hardy, Administrative Assistant, President's Office

Deborah Majerovitz, Professor, Behavioral Sciences

Pittershawn Palmer, Manager, Marketing and Communications

Kennybel Pena, Director, Academic Advisement Center

Virginia Rodriguez, HR Manager, Human Resources

Charmaine Williams, Financial Aid Specialist, Financial Aid

Standard III. Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience

Xin Bai, Professor, Teacher Education, Co-Chair

Jo-Ann Fellows, Associate Director, Registrar's Office, Co-Chair

Hopeton Allen, Director, SEEK Program

Jasmine Bratton-Robinson, Assistant Professor, Nursing

Jennifer Chin, Associate Director, Academic Advising Center

Junli Diao, Associate Professor, Library

Melissa Dinsman, Associate Professor, English

Michele Gregory, Professor and Chair, Behavioral Sciences

Abu Kamruzzaman, Assistant Professor, Business & Economics

Lisa Maycock, Disabilities Accommodations Specialist, Center for Students with Disabilities

Jonathan Rojas, Interim Director, ACE Program

Nicole Utley, Business Manager, Business Office

Greet Van Belle, Director, Center for Teaching, Learning and Educational Technologies

Standard IV: Support of the Student Experience

Marta Daly, Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy, Co-Chair

Savitrie Rampersaud, Assistant Director, Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, Co-Chair

Abram Bolouvi, Associate Director, Financial Aid

Keisha Clements, Student Wellness Specialist, Health Services

Nicole Goldberg, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, Institutional Advancement

Sabeen Humayun, Doctoral Lecturer, Health Sciences

Tamika Hudson, Associate Director, Academic Advisement Center

Ojuolape Mayungbo, Academic SEEK Student Support, SEEK Program

Carolette McDonald, Manager, Collaborative Learning Center

Grace-Ann Prescod, International Students Counselor, Admissions

Truett Vaigneur, LEADS Specialist, Center for Students with Disabilities

Renee Wright, Associate Professor and Chair, Nursing

Idica Wilson, Lecturer, Business and Economics

Standard V: Educational Effectiveness Assessment

Jacob Apkarian, Associate Professor, Behavioral Sciences, Co-Chair

Nazia Naeem, Director of Assessment, Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning, Co-Chair

Jeannette Allen-McCombs, Assistant Professor, Social Work

Patricia Burke, Associate Professor, Nursing

Kristin Davies, Associate Professor, Behavioral Sciences/Academic Assessment Committee Chair

Lindsay Demsen, Student Support Program Specialist, Office of Student Academic Services

Phebe Kirkham, Lecturer, English/General Education Assessment Committee Chair

Virginia Thompson, Associate Professor, Mathematics

Galila Werber Zion, Associate Professor, Health and Human Performance

Shawn Williams, Associate Professor and Chair, Health Professions

Xiaodan Zhang, Associate Professor, Behavioral Sciences

Standard VI. Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement

Yong Kyu Lee, Associate Professor, Business and Economics, Co-Chair

Ajisa Dervisevic, Assistant Vice President, Finance and Administration, Co-Chair

Gila Acker, Professor, Social Work

Safiya A. Faustin, Senior Academic Advisor, Academic Advisement Center

Qin Yang Latchman, Assistant Professor, Health and Human Performance

Nick McNickle, Lecturer, Health and Human Performance

Timothy Paglione, Professor and Chair, Earth and Physical Sciences

Alexis Roman, Lieutenant, Assistant Director, Campus Public Safety

Mondell Sealy, Manager, Career Services

Standard VII. Governance, Leadership, and Administration

Hamid Bahri, Associate Professor, World Languages, Literatures, and Humanities, Co-Chair

Yvette Williamson, Director, Office of the Bursar, Co-Chair

Sheila Beverly-Skinner, Associate Director, Student Activities

Donna Chirico, Professor, Behavioral Sciences

Charlene Dertinger, Director, Childcare Center

John Drobnicki, Professor, Library

Lesley Emtage, Associate Professor, Biology

Cheryl Morrison, Associate Director, Financial Aid

Elizabeth Quaye, Assistant Professor, Accounting and Finance

Selena Rodgers, Professor and Chair, Social Work

Janine Scott, Director of Individual Giving, Donor & Foundation Relation, Institutional Advancement and Communications

Charmaine Townsell, Senior Director, Student Wellness and Resources

Data Experts and Evidence Inventory

Rachel Ng, Director of Institutional Research, Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning

Ray Moncada, Manager of Institutional Research, Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning

Timeline for Steering Committee Deliverables

Initial outlines from Working Groups, including indication of what your WG’s evidence needs are: Due May 15, 2025

Detailed outlines of research, evidence identification, collection and evaluation: Due December 15, 2025

First Draft of the Report of Findings Due from Working Groups: March 1, 2026

Self-Study Leadership Group reviews, Report of Findings, and provides feedback: March 15, 2026

Second Draft of Report of Findings Due from Working Groups: May 15, 2026

Steering Committee Review and Feedback of Preliminary Draft of the Self-Study Report: September 15, 2026

Final Self-Study Report: February 1, 2027 (tentative; final date TBD following discussion with VP Liaison and Self-Study Evaluation Team Chair)

Town Hall Schedule

Middle States 2019 - 2025

Students: Stay in the Know

Middle States Standards

Standard I. Mission & Goals

Standard II. Ethics & Integrity

Standard III. Design & Delivery of the Student Learning Experience

Standard IV. Support of the Student Experience

Standard V. Educational Effectiveness Assessment

Standard VI. Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement

Standard VII. Governance, Leadership, & Administration

FAQs

What is institutional accreditation, and why is it important?

Accreditation is the way that institutions of higher education ensure that they are meeting standards of quality in the educational and co-curricular experiences that they offer to their students. Accreditation is important because it requires institutions, like York College, to investigate and document the areas in which they are doing well, and the areas in which there is room for improvement. An external accreditor, in our case, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, reviews the institution’s own assessment of its performance, and makes its own suggestions about where the institution is doing well, and where it can do better.

York is already accredited. Why is reaccreditation necessary?

Because many things can change in higher education, including budgets, personnel, understandings of best practice, and government policies and mandates, institutions aren’t just accredited once. Rather, institutions must be regularly reaccredited to show that they are keeping up with trends in higher education, and continuing to seek ways to best serve their students and the wider institutional community.

Who decides that York received reaccreditation?

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) is a body made up of representatives of many higher education institutions, and has existed for over 100 years. MSCHE sets the standards for accreditation, and works with institutions to ensure that they meet those standards. As you can see below, the standards place the student experience at the center of an institution’s reaccreditation, and aim to ensure an that students’ education at an institution is planned with integrity and continuous improvement in mind. The standards are as follows:

1. Mission and Goals

2. Ethics and Integrity

3. Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience

4. Support of the Student Experience

5. Educational Effectiveness Assessment

6. Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement

7. Governance, Leadership, and Administration

Who does the work of getting York reaccredited?

The process of reaccreditation is a complex and lengthy one, and many members of the college community participate. The process is led by a team of faculty and administrators appointed by York College’s President, and many other faculty and staff members, and students, participate in gathering information, analyzing it, and supporting their findings with evidence collected from across the college.

Are any students involved in the reaccreditation process?

Students are welcome to become involved in the reaccreditation process. While it is typically led by faculty and administrators because of the significant amount of time involved—time that students are devoting to their studies—students voices are a very important part of the process. Members of York’s Student Government Association (SGA) are included in the Working Groups which evaluate York’s performance with respect to the Standards, and York’s students will be consulted and be invited to give feedback at many points in the reaccreditation process.

Students who would like to learn more, or get involved, should contact Dr. James Salnave, Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students.

How long does the reaccreditation process take?

The reaccreditation process takes two years. Those two years are spent designing and implementing a Self-Study, having the Self-Study document reviewed and evaluated by representatives of peer institutions that are members of MSCHE, and responding to that review and evaluation. The College's Self-Study process will officially kick-off in Fall 2025 and will conclude in Spring 2027.

Who benefits from the reaccreditation process?

Everyone at York College benefits from the reaccreditation process. Most directly, students because they cannot receive federal financial aid if the institution is not accredited. Furthermore, their credits may not transfer, and employers and licensing boards may not recognize their degrees. More broadly, reaccreditation ensures that the institution’s programs, policies and practices meet externally agreed-upon standards of quality, and that the institution is continually monitoring and assessing its performance to make sure it is doing the best it can do for its students and broader community.

Ways You Can Participate

Town Hall Schedule