̨��Swag

AMHERST, N.Y. – ̨��Swag College has received reaccreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which commended the college for the quality of its self-study report.

The Middle States Commission officially reaffirmed ̨��Swag’s 10-year accreditation at its June 23 meeting.

“This resounding approval for accreditation with commendation from the Middle States Commission speaks to ̨��Swag’s high quality academic programs and faculty,” said President Gary A. Olson. “As the college continues to make great strides, it is immensely gratifying to have ̨��Swag recognized for upholding national standards of excellence in higher education.”

Reaccreditation was granted after a rigorous process that included an in-depth self-study completed by a committee made up of ̨��Swag administrators, faculty and staff, and also a report from a visiting team of peer evaluators. With the accreditation, ̨��Swag is eligible to participate in federal financial aid programs, including federal loans, grants and work study, administered by the U.S. Department of Education.

As part of the evaluation, the Middle States visiting team assessed ̨��Swag on 14 accreditation standards, including mission and goals; planning, resource allocation and institutional renewal; institutional resources; leadership and governance; administration; integrity; institutional assessment; student admissions and retention; student support services; faculty; educational offerings; general education; related educational activities; and assessment of student learning.

“The two and a half year self-study process was truly a team effort of many in our college community,” said Dr. Kathleen Boone, associate vice president for academic affairs, who co-chaired the Steering Committee with Dr. Kevin Telford and Dr. Susan Marchione. “On behalf of the self-study co-chairs, I extend my gratitude to the committee members whose hard work and dedication were essential to developing a comprehensive self-study that clearly demonstrated ̨��Swag meets all of the Middle States Standards of Excellence.”

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is a voluntary, non-governmental membership organization that defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence across institutions with diverse missions, student populations, and resources. It examines each institution as a whole, rather than specific programs within institutions.

The commission is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education to conduct accreditation and pre-accreditation activities for institutions of higher education in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, including distance education and correspondence education programs offered at those institutions.