University receives positive Middle States report

Binghamton University received a positive Middle States review, and reaccreditation will likely come in February, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Jean-Pierre (Peter) Mileur told the University Council during its Nov. 19 meeting.

“When you cut through the bureaucratese and the technical language, essentially this report was an A+,” Mileur said. “The practices of the University were highly praised.”

Reaccreditation takes place every 10 years by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. An accreditation team visited the campus in early November and met with members of the University Council, the Strategic Planning Committee and other constituents, Mileur said. The team made its initial assessments and its chairman read a draft before leaving the campus. The University will receive a final document soon and have the opportunity to respond.

“Under these circumstances, I anticipate that we will make a minimal response: basically, ‘thank you very much,’” Mileur said.

The accreditation team offers three levels of comments: requirements, recommendations and suggestions. The University only received suggestions from the team, Mileur said.

“They were technical in nature,” he said. “For example, there is a suggestion that we expand our existing risk-assessment efforts.”

Mileur stressed that the accreditation team does not look at the University by program, but focuses on how well the University is run.

“Is the University properly structured? Does it handle its money well? Are the relationships between the University and its various advisory and governing entities rational and effective?” Mileur cited as examples of what the team might examine.

“This campus is extremely well run by professional standards and is exemplary in the way it handles the budget process,” added Mileur, who praised Vice President for Administration James Van Voorst and Vice Provost for Strategic and Fiscal Planning Michael McGoff for steering the University through the budget process.

That successful budget process was emphasized during the meeting when Interim President C. Peter Magrath told council members that there are no plans for retrenchment at the University.

“There will be no retrenchment this year and there will not be any retrenchment for the next year,” he said. “Beyond that, I am moderately optimistic. We have our situation under control here.”