Middle States Pays Visit

A 10-member team from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education team arrives at Howard today, the start of a four-day examination  to determine whether the university’s accreditation should be renewed for another 10 years.

The visit will begin with a welcoming reception  in Armour J. Blackburn at 6 p.m. , which is headed by Nancy Cantor, the chancellor and president of Syracuse University in Syracuse, N.Y.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the team will conduct interviews with every on-campus and department official within the university.

Students from each school will also be interviewed over the course of these few days, including student council presidents from each school and college, possible random student interviews and Howard University Student Association President and Vice President Bryan Smart and Jerome Joseph.

Smart said he hopes the accrediting process will strengthen Howard’s academic program.

“Accreditation is imperative,” Smart said. “It simply gives Howard the chance to evaluate the things that are done within the university. We, as a university, have been evaluating ourselves for the last couple of years now, and it is all in support of making Howard a better place.”

The other members of the team are David Cheng, assistant dean for research and planning at Columbia University; Peter Englot, associate vice president for public affairs at Syracuse University; Jeffrey Gray, vice president for student affairs at Fordham University; Julie E. Hamlin, executive director at Maryland Online; Joyce Jarrett Endowed, former provost at Hampton University; Wayne Jones, chair of department of chemistry at SUNY at Binghamton; Stanley Nyirenda, director of institutional research, assessment and evaluation at University of Maryland Eastern Shore; Ronald Paprocki, vice president for fiscal affairs at University of Rochester; Robin Jenkins, director of educational licensure commission Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

In between interviews, the evaluation team will tour and evaluate facilities and areas around campus. Some students have expressed that although they’re confident Howard will perform well, they are a little worried that some of the essential things are not up to high standard.

Julian Johnson, a freshman political science major, said he is concerned about the inspection of facilities. “I’ve visited other campuses before and have seen their dorm rooms, and they’re so nice – much nicer than ours. I hope that does not affect us,” Johnson said.

Although Johnson is worried, he feels that this will be a call to students to start speaking up and fixing these problems. “If you know you’re university is troubled in some areas, it should just make you want to work that much harder to fix it,” he said.

On Friday, Nov. 6, the evaluation team, plus the Howard University accreditation team, will meet in the School of Business auditorium at 10:00 a.m., to discuss what the findings were over the course of the three days.

MSCHE evaluation team will present what was observed, what are positive aspects about the university, improvements that need to be made and a number of other major points.

A written report will be released two to three weeks shortly following the presentation on Friday that will be a detailed report of the overall evaluation determining whether Howard will receive accreditation.

Sam Conner, a senior radio, television and film major, said he hopes that Howard lives up to all of the hype  the university has generated over the years to avoid the possibility of losing accreditation and meaningful degrees.

“It’s not that I don’t think we won’t be on our ‘A’ game,” Conner said, “but it’s very important that we make a great impression on them for our futures.”
 

1 comments

Steve McCall

Tue Nov 3 2009 09:42

I'm still puzzled that the personnel from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education team would even award Howard University accreditation for a wide range of systemic issues. First, you have library (i.e., the Undergraduate Library [UGL]and Founders alike) that's clearly does not meet any standard of what a "research level I" should encompass. Case in point, the air quality in the UGL is most horrendous due to the extremely poor circulation(lack thereof) and not including the inability to have a consistent temperature throughout the library. Second, you have numerous electrical outlets that's exposed to the point that a student could be electrocuted(knock on wood!!!). Third, the UGL does not have sufficient tables and desks in which it would allow for students to actually cultivate his/her intellectual capacity. Finally, on the UGL, the security operations is second-rate by any measure including private security lack of professionalism and the decrepit monitoring equipment. Not including they (i.e., the Middle States Commission on Higher Education team)should walk the entire stacks in the UGL and experience the high heat index that is the norm for this area while the "so-called" library Administrator's just accept this and not rectify this long ongoing issue.)

Further, if the personnel the Middle States Commission on Higher Education team actually visited the any of the academic buildings(i.e., unannounced that is), they would be really shocked as to what they would see in the form of "managed chaos" from an operational perspective(i.e., deshelved classrooms, non-functioning water fountains, non-functional SMART rooms, etc...).

From a pure security standpoint alone, based upon all of the students who have been robbed, assaulted, raped, shot, and harrassed[by students and non-students alike] on campus and not including the "dangezone" like issues from the various parking lots. For those who may dissent, I would like for them to ask any female student how safe do they feel walking out to the parking lots when the sunsets. As a result, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education team should issue an injunction that requires Howard University to immeidately install state of the art surveillance cameras covering all parking lots, the library, and any other university property that will be monitored by "trained" personnel. In order to cover such costs, Howard University can defray such costs by redirecting the monies earmarked for the yearly buffonnery Homecoming activities.

Finally, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education team should actually spend time talking to students who are not part of the "Howard University" mouthpieces(i.e., most of the student leaders who maintain the status-quo even though they know such problems exists) in an effort to hear the "Realities" of Howard University to have an intellectually honest framework of Howard University.

In sum, until such changes occur, Howard University will be "reaccredited" and the status quo will continue while all of the students will suffer because a "few" so-called University Administrator's are more conccerned about continuing a "myth" while fattening their wallets/purses at the expense of those whom for which they serve, the Howard University students.

P.S. It is my hope the the Middle States Commission on Higher Education team would venture over to the "cold war" like language lab, the chemistry buildings with the archaic equipment and the engineering building, etc....

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