A recent warning from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education related to Penn State's accreditation does not involve the academic quality of Penn State or its programs. The University's accreditation remains intact and its leaders are confident they will satisfy the commission's concerns.
"This warning has no bearing on our educational programs or the integrity of those programs," said Penn State President Rodney Erickson. "What's being looked at are issues of governance, integrity and institutional resources related to the fallout from the child sexual abuse scandal involving former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky."
Erickson said the warning seeks documentation of steps the University will take and has already taken to ensure compliance with the MSCHE's standards. The MSCHE is questioning three of 14 standards (listed above) and asks the University to provide full documentation by Sept. 30 via a monitoring report.
Middle States is the organization that accredits degree-granting colleges and universities in the Middle States region, which includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and several other locations.
Erickson said the University has already addressed numerous issues, such as leadership and its governance structure, and continues to work on other areas of concern. A team from MSCHE will visit Penn State in October to assess the University's progress and then prepare a report that the University will have an opportunity to review. MSCHE will then decide if it should remove the warning, keep it in effect, or take other action.
"I am completely confident that we will fully demonstrate our fiscal stability, as well as our commitment to integrity, appropriate governance and new leadership," Erickson said.
For more information on the Middle States process and recent actions relative to the University, visit http://www.psu.edu/vpaa/accreditation.htm. For answers to more questions related to this action and the Middle States Commission, go to http://live.psu.edu/story/60750.