Middle States Reaccreditation Self-StudyU p d a t e a n d R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s1Middle States Self-Study Executive CommitteeOctober 2023“Middle States” Reaccreditation• Johns Hopkins University has been continuously accredited since 1921 by the Middle StatesCommission on Higher Education (MSCHE or Middle States), a voluntary, nongovernmental, peer-based membership association dedicated to promoting standards of excellence and improvement inhigher education.• Accreditation by Middle States enables the University to establish eligibility for participation infederal financial aid programs administered by the US Department of Education and to receiveresearch funding from federal agencies.• Institutions are re-accredited by Middle States on an 8-10 year cycle.• Johns Hopkins is being evaluated for re-accreditation in 2023-24.• Reaccreditation consists of an extensive institutional self-study process that culminates in a writtenself-study report. The report and MSCHE’s accreditation standards will serve as the basis for on-siteevaluation by a team of peer evaluators.2Accreditation Cycle3JHU Self-Study and Peer Evaluation• The JHU Self-Study is being co-chaired by Janet Schreck, Senior Associate Vice Provost forAcademic Affairs, and Douglas Mao, Russ Family Professor in the Humanities.• Chris Eisgruber, President of Princeton University, is chairing our Peer Evaluation Team. Teammembers also confirmed.• Peer Team Evaluation Visit is scheduled for November 5 – 8, 2023• SAIS Europe Bologna campus visit took place on October, 3-4, 2023• The Self-Study Steering Committee and Working Groups completed evaluation and reportingbetween April and December 2022, leading to a first draft that was shared for review with selectedgroups in April.• Feedback from internal stakeholders and President Eisgruber informed a second draft shared withthe community in late August.• Following endorsement by the Board of Trustees, the university submitted the finalized self-studyreport to Middle States on September 22, 2023.4JHU Self-Study TimelineNOV 2021 MAR2022APR2022MAY2022JUN2022JUN – SEPT2022OCT2022DEC2022JAN-FEB2023MAR -APR2023JUN2023JUL-AUG2023AUG-SEP2023SEP2023NOV2023DEC20235Attend self-study instituteName andcharge SteeringCommittee andwork groupsSelf-Studywebsite anduniversitycommunicationSubmit Self-StudyDesign to MiddleStates liaisonHost Middle Statesliaison preparatoryvisitWork Groups beginanalysesProgressupdates fromwork groupsWork Groupssubmit reportsand evidenceTri-chairscompose Self-Study first draftReview anddiscussion ofcomplete firstdraftEvaluation TeamChair preliminaryvisitFinal institutionalapproval of Self-StudySelf-Study draftavailable to theJHU communityfor commentsSubmission ofFinalized Self-Study andComplianceReportEvaluation TeamVisitMSCHE meets todetermineaccreditationactionFirst SteeringCommitteemeetingWe are here!Self-Study Recommendations6Notes Regarding Self-Study Report• JHU selected the standards-based self-study approach, which means that the self-study report isorganized according to the Middle States Standards of Accreditation and Requirements forAffiliation.• Middle States requires universities to provide evidence to support evaluation and assertions. Thisevidence is included in an evidence inventory that will be accessible to the peer evaluation team viahyperlinked footnotes.• While the self-study provides opportunity for celebration of accomplishments, it is also meant to bean authentic assessment of strengths and weaknesses.• Recommendations in the self-study should reflect targeted areas of improvement that willmeaningfully impact the institution.7
Chapter 1
Mission and Goals Recommendations
- Ensure that goals set forth in the
Ten for One, theSecond JHU Roadmap on Diversity, Equity, andInclusion, the Second Committee on Undergraduate Education report, and other strategicstatements continue to guide decision-making and resource allocation at Johns Hopkins in thecoming years.8
Chapter 2
Ethics and Integrity Recommendations
- Continue to assess the university’s success in realizing the
Second Roadmap goals, using toolssuch as the climate survey conducted in spring 2023, and to develop initiatives and allocateresources in consideration of assessment results.9
Chapter 3
Design & Delivery of the Student Learning Experience
- Fully execute all elements of the CUE2 undergraduate curricular reform, including establishment of
an instructional framework ensuring that all students acquire the six foundational abilities namedin the CUE2 report’s first recommendation.
- As outlined in
Ten for One, enhance Johns Hopkins’s already world-class graduate andpostdoctoral programs by leading in the invention of new models of instruction, mentorship, andprofessional preparation.
- Develop and implement a plan for routine assessment and evaluation of master’s programs at the
university level, leveraging recommendations from the UPCEA external evaluation and successfulmodels such as the PhD program review process.10
Chapter 4
Support of the Student Experience
- Continue to assess the outcomes of the first phase of SSEI and adjust initiatives accordingly. Fully
support SSEI’s focus, in its second phase, on improving advising technology, developing anintegrated digital experience platform for students, and identifying a replacement for its currentstudent information system.
- Identify and address undergraduate and graduate student challenges in recognizing, locating, and
accessing the variety of services and forms of support available to them.11
Chapter 5
Educational Effectiveness Assessment
- Fully implement the JHU CLR vision and continue to evaluate its effectiveness.
- Adopt a standard mechanism for incorporating program learning objectives into the university
course catalogue so that these are easier for students to locate.
- Homewood schools: In consultation with the UCLA and the director of institutional assessment,
develop tools, consonant with the JHU CLR framework, for assessing student acquisition of thefoundational abilities outlined in the report of the Second Committee on UndergraduateEducation.12
Chapter 6
Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement
- Establish a partnership between the central Technology Solutions Working Group and Johns
Hopkins’s schools to develop an integrated approach to the selection and deployment of ITsolutions.
- To ensure that Johns Hopkins remains at the forefront of research worldwide, upgrade core
facilities and shared infrastructure and develop a unified assessment and planning program fornew research investments.
- Enhance the student experience, advance academic priorities, and strengthen community
connections via a visionary reimagining of the Homewood physical environment in the form of theHomewood Campus Master Plan.13
Chapter 7
Governance, Leadership, and Administration
- Evaluate recent enhancements of campus constituencies’ contribution to decision-making (via new
bodies such as the Cross-Institutional Student Advisory Committee, the Staff Advisory Council, andthe Johns Hopkins University Council) for their effectiveness in supporting the university’s missionand improving the work life and general well-being of students, faculty, and staff.14Next steps• November 5-8, 2023, the university hosts President Eisbruber’s evaluation team.• November 15, 2023 Evaluation Team draft report to institution.• November 22, 2023 institution provides corrections to any factual errors.• November 27, 2023 Evaluation Team submits report to Middle States with copy to the institution.• December 4, 2023 Institution submits response to report.• December 9, 2023 Evaluation Team Chair submits confidential brief to Middle States• Early 2024, Middle States issues re-accreditation action with any concomitant recommendations orrequirements15