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Since the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) implemented its new accreditation standards, a wide range of Standard VII (Governance, Leadership, and Administration) issues have been flagged for further reporting in conjunction with the Annual Institutional Update (AIU).

Standard VII states:

The institution is governed and administered in a manner that allows it to realize its stated mission and goals in a way that effectively benefits the institution, its students, and the other constituencies it serves. Even when supported by or affiliated with governmental, corporate, religious, educational system, or other unaccredited organizations, the institution has education as its primary purpose, and it operates as an academic institution with appropriate autonomy.

Standard VII covers the governance structure, governing board, CEO or President, Administration, and periodic assessment of the effectiveness of those elements. The most commonly cited issues are:

• Periodic assessment of the Board’s performance and effectiveness of its procedures: 50% of citations
• Clearly articulated/transparent governance structure that outlines roles and responsibilities: 33% of citations
• Systematic procedures for evaluating administrative units and for using assessment data to enhance operations: 17% of citations