Anne Arundel Community College is preparing for reaccreditation, scheduled for March 12-15, 2023.
AACC is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), which maintains quality assurance for degree-granting colleges and universities in the mid-Atlantic region. The commission is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and accredits more than 500 colleges and universities.
To be accredited by Middle States, we must assess the strengths and weaknesses of current programs and institutional effectiveness against our own mission and goals and the Standards for Accreditation set by MSCHE. To provide evidence that we meet these standards, the college must participate in a comprehensive self-study every eight years. Along with identifying potential areas for improvement, the self-study aims to ensure current and future students, faculty, staff and the public that we are providing a high quality educational experience for students.
Learn more about the Middle States Commission.
The key component of the reaccreditation process is the self-study. The self-study review enables us to engage in an in-depth, comprehensive and reflective assessment process to identify institutional priorities, as well as, opportunities for improvement and innovation. This detailed internal examination of our institution involves volunteers from across the college community including administrators, faculty, staff and students.
We must provide the commission a report that they, along with a team of peers from other institutions, will review. The peer reviewers will come to our campus for several days to complete their own assessment and speak with several members of our community. The reviewers then take their report to the commission members, who will ultimately decide if we are reaccredited.
As the leadership team for the self-study, the steering committee oversees many tasks. The committee is comprised of members from all over the college.
The committee members are:
The accreditation process is an open one and we are dedicated to sharing updates with our college community periodically through this webpage. We have a variety of teams consisting of faculty, staff and students who are working together through the accreditation process. Students, faculty and staff will receive updates as needed. Check this page often as we will ask for feedback from the college community as we continue through the self-study process!
Timeline | Progress |
---|---|
Fall 2022-Spring 2023 |
The president will send the final copy to the MSCHE evaluation chair prior to their scheduled visit. During this time, further preparation of the site visit is being worked through. |
Spring 2023 |
MSCHE evaluation team visits AACC. After their visit, they will submit a team report and the president of AACC will respond. |
Summer 2023-Fall 2023 |
MSCHE will determine reaccreditation status. |
For comments and questions about the accreditation process, email middlestates2023@aacc.edu.