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| Dr. Sheila M. Adamus |
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| Dr. Brian J. Bartolini |
An eight-member team representing the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC) will visit and evaluate Providence College on October 14-17. The visit is the culminating occurrence in the College’s effort to receive reaccreditation from NEASC.
While not mandatory, accreditation is a critical benchmark for academic institutions. Accreditation stamps a school as one that provides educational quality. The process takes place every 10 years; PC was last accredited in 1997.
The College’s planning efforts for this fall’s visit by NEASC began nearly two years ago with the establishment of a Self-Study Steering Committee (SSSC). The 12-member committee is co-chaired by Dr. Sheila M. Adamus, associate professor of chemistry and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Dr. Brian J. Bartolini, associate vice president for academic affairs.
The SSSC has been assisted in the research and writing of the self-study document that will guide the NEASC visiting team by more than 80 members of the College community. The self-study participants—comprised of administrators, faculty, staff, and students—sat on one or more of nine standards teams.
The draft of the self-study was completed this past spring and shared with members of the College community, who were invited to comment on the document. It was revised and presented to the chair of the NEASC visiting team, Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J., the president of Marquette University, who made a preliminary visit to PC in May.
The draft was finalized during the summer and sent to visiting team members. The 85-page self-study and other information related to the NEASC process are available on a reaccreditation Web site by clicking here.
With the exception of Father Wild, the visiting team’s members represent seven colleges and universities in New England. After meetings and discussions with constituents throughout the College, they will write individual reports and submit them to Father Wild. A preliminary report will be presented to the College at the end of the visit. The College will write a written response to the findings later this semester.
A ruling on reaccreditation by NEASC’s Commission on Institutions of Higher Education is expected late next spring.