LA PLATA, Md. – The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) voted June 27, 2024 to fully reaffirm College of Southern Maryland’s (CSM) accreditation through 2032. This accreditation demonstrates CSM’s excellence in maintaining high-quality educational integrity and standards for its students.
“I applaud the excellent teamwork of our administration, faculty, staff, students and Board of Trustees who worked tirelessly to ensure a successful outcome during our reaccreditation process,” said CSM President Dr. Yolanda Wilson. “We know that this reaffirmation reflects our legacy of academic excellence, student-centered support, and fiscal accountability. We are grateful for a rigorous peer review process that encourages us to reflect on our institutional areas of strength and growth. And we will continue to strive for continuous improvement because of our unwavering commitment to our students and our desire to seek ways to advance student success and workforce development through our mission.”
“It was a pleasure to work with our faculty, staff and students who rallied to conduct a comprehensive two-year self-assessment as well as meet with the Middle States’ evaluators during their site visits,” said CSM Division of Operations and Planning Vice President Dr. Bill Comey. Comey serves as the accreditation liaison between CSM and MSCHE.
Every eight years, the college participates in a comprehensive reaccreditation process with MSCHE. As part of this process, the college embarks on a self-study that includes an in-depth analysis and reflective assessment based on MSCHE’s seven Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation. These standards include mission and goals, ethics and integrity, design and delivery of student learning experience, support of the student experience, educational effectiveness, planning resources and institutional improvement, and governance, leadership and administration.
During this peer review process, faculty, staff and students gathered data through interviews with key stakeholders; performed assessment and analysis of key college-wide reports; and reviewed federal, state, and college policies and procedures.
The MSCHE evaluation team visited the college in March, issuing an oral report that affirmed the college is meeting the seven standards for institutional and educational effectiveness required for reaccreditation. The self-study and valuable discussions with MSCHE will contribute to CSM’s new five-year Strategic Plan that will launch this August. Students who attend an institution that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting organization are eligible to participate in federal student aid programs.
Middle States is a voluntary, non-governmental, membership association that defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence across institutions with diverse missions, student populations, and resources. Middle States, through accreditation, mandates that its member institutions meet rigorous and comprehensive standards, which are addressed in the context of the mission of each institution and within the culture of ethical practices and institutional integrity expected of accredited institutions. To learn more, visit https://www.msche.org/institution/0155/.
To learn more about CSM’s accreditations and the self-study process, visit https://www.csmd.edu/about/accreditation/index.html.
