Baruch College Reaccredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Dear Baruch Community,

On June 25, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), which has accredited Baruch College since 1968, voted to reaffirm Baruch’s accreditation. The commission also made recommendations for future action (see Baruch College’s statement of Middle States accreditation status here).

I want to congratulate the entire Baruch College community on this significant achievement. This vote affirms the outstanding work of our faculty, staff, and administrators as well as of the engagement and success of our diverse and resilient student body.

Middle States accreditation is an enormous undertaking designed to promote self-reflection and evaluation. Over the course of 27 months, between January 2018 and March 2020, the Baruch College community gathered data and assessed how and how effectively we are serving our mission and meeting our goals. Among other milestones, those conversations resulted in a comprehensive 129-page institutional report and a multiday site visit by the MSCHE Evaluation Team in early March, just days before the College transitioned to distance learning and remote working.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the scores of administrators, faculty, staff, and students who participated in this process. The institution owes a debt of gratitude to Self-Study Co-Chairs Rachél Fester, assistant provost for assessment, accreditation, and institutional effectiveness; Cheryl Smith, associate professor of English; and Dennis Slavin, associate provost and assistant vice president, for their excellent work.

Building on This Momentum: The Task Force for the Future

As your new president, I am committed to building upon Baruch’s outstanding record of success. The Self-Study process provided Baruch with an opportunity to identify strengths, discuss challenges, and articulate institutional priorities. The newly formed Task Force for the Future will not only harness those insights but also the lessons we are learning from the pandemic and the national reckoning on racial injustices and social inequalities.

Working together, we will help Baruch College lead public higher education in the challenging times to come. Please feel free to contact me at President@baruch.cuny.edu with your thoughts.

Sincerely,

S. David Wu
President, Baruch College