Middle States Assessment: Stevens is On the Rise

Stevens is a member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, one of eight regional accrediting bodies for colleges and universities. This is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation. The evaluation helps the school determine whether any changes or improvements recently made are effective, and it outlines future plans and goals necessary to continue providing a quality education to its students. Evaluations are recommended to commence every ten years.

The most recent evaluation for Stevens began in June 2006, when it conducted its own self-study through February 2008 to examine all aspects of the university and its operations. All facets of the university participated, including the student body-the most important component of any institution. And administrators gain better understanding of student learning outcomes and the effectiveness of its resources by including students in the self-study.

After the self-study, a peer review team came to campus in April to conduct its own research. The visiting team chair was Anthony Collins, president of Clarkson University, and he was accompanied by eight other prestigious faculty and administrators from universities in our Middle Atlantic region. This was quite an exciting time and the campus was abuzz during their stay. Overall, the visiting team had quite a positive experience and the accolades poured in! They summarized their findings in the written report, saying, "Stevens is an institution on the rise and has made strides on many fronts during the past ten years."

According to Joe Stahley, assistant vice president for student development and vice chair of the Stevens Middle States Steering Committee, "One of the highlights for the visiting team was speaking to our students both in structured settings and spontaneous encounters around campus. The team was very impressed with their accomplishments, maturity, and their positive attitude about the Stevens experience."