NEASC Accreditation

Important Links:

• NEASC Website
• NEASC Standards
• NEASC Self-Study Guidelines
• 2012 Committee Structure and Visit Timeline
• Self-Study for Reaccreditation Spring 2012
• 2007 5th Year Report
• 2002 Self-Study Documents: Overview, Standard 1, Standard 2, Standard 3, Standard 4, Standard 5, Standard 6, Standard 7, Standard 8, Standard 9, Standard 10, Standard 11

Westfield State University is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE) of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Accreditation is a status granted to educational institutions or programs that have been found to meet or exceed stated criteria of educational quality. Accreditation in the United States is voluntary, non-governmental, and self-regulatory. Accreditation evaluation by the NEASC Commission on Institutions of Higher Education is a decennial activity undergone by virtually every college and university in the region.

Accreditation has two fundamental purposes - to assure the quality of the institution or program, and to assist in the improvement of the institution or program. The NEASC CIHE Accreditation Process consists of three distinct components: institutional self-study, visiting team on-site evaluation, and commission review and action.

WSU was first accredited by NEASC in 1957, and its most recent accreditation renewal took place in 2002.  NEASC will visit the campus again in April 2012, and in preparation for that visit, the University has begun the self-study process. The institutional self-study is a comprehensive and rigorous self-examination, using the Standards for Accreditation as a guide. (There are eleven Standards; they may be reviewed in their entirety via the links located at the top of this page in the "Important Links" section.) The self-study challenges the institution to measure and verify its achievements, and identify ways in which the institutional objectives may be better achieved. It provides a vehicle for the institution to reflect on its strengths and weaknesses. The self-study describes what the institution does, appraises how well what it does achieves its objectives, and projects the future actions that will be necessary to either continue or strive to achieve its objectives. Thus, long after the self-study has been completed, it may be used as an integral part of an ongoing institutional planning process.

The visiting team on-site evaluation, typically a three day visit by a team of peer evaluators who are faculty and administrators from similar accredited institutions, seeks to assess the institution in light of the self-study that it has prepared with respect to the Standards for Accreditation. The conclusions of this evaluation are summarized in a written report that addresses not only the institution's successes in fulfilling its mission, but also areas where improvements should be made. This report is considered to be advisory to the Commission.

During the 2010-2011 academic year, the WSU NEASC Steering Committee and a group of eight Task Forces will undertake the preliminary phases of the institutional self-study, and a draft document will be circulated for review and discussion by the campus community during the Fall 2011 semester.  A timeline and overview of the Steering Committee and Task Force structure and membership are available via links located at the top of this page in the "Important Links" section. Questions about the process may be directed to Steering Committee co-chairs Elizabeth Preston and Enrique Morales-Diaz.