{"id":9,"date":"2023-01-23T22:52:04","date_gmt":"2023-01-23T22:52:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/middle-states-reaccreditation\/?page_id=9"},"modified":"2026-03-26T20:25:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:25:01","slug":"self-study-design","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/reaffirmation-of-accreditation\/self-study-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-Study Design"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pl-9\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-9-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-9-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-9-0-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-image panel-first-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-image so-widget-sow-image-default-c67d20f9f743-9\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"sow-image-container\">\n\t\t<img \n\tsrc=\"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2024\/02\/MSCHE-Logo-v2-300x300.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2024\/02\/MSCHE-Logo-v2-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2024\/02\/MSCHE-Logo-v2-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2024\/02\/MSCHE-Logo-v2-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2024\/02\/MSCHE-Logo-v2-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2024\/02\/MSCHE-Logo-v2.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" title=\"MSCHE Logo v2\" alt=\"Logo for SMCM Middle States Self-Study 2025. Features icons of a ribbon, people, a multicolored circle of figures, and a building with columns above the text.\" \t\tclass=\"so-widget-image\"\/>\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><div id=\"panel-9-0-0-1\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_text panel-last-child\" data-index=\"1\" >\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p>Over the course of the spring 2023 semester, the Steering Committee prepared the design\/structure of our self-study analysis, which will be the key work of the upcoming academic year (2023-24). Generally-speaking, SMCM has opted to use an approach to the self-study process that is organized according to the individual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msche.org\/standards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MSCHE Standards<\/a>. Within that approach, SMCM will be framing its analysis of our work through consideration of the institutional priorities that were developed this semester.<\/p>\n<h2>The Self-Study Design<\/h2>\n<p>The draft of the Self-Study Design (SSD) document was completed and shared with MSCHE on April 25, 2023. Following the campus visit from our MSCHE VP Liaison, Dr. Terence Peavy, on May 9, 2023, a final version with minor editorial changes was submitted on May 10, and this version was accepted by MSCHE on May 15. <a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1blrFsFBRdCsi7TV6GqU_IltrBNV9uYpg\/view?usp=share_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here or below left to read a copy of the final SSD<\/a>\u00a0(SMCM log in required). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2026\/03\/SMCM-Self-Study-Design-Snapshot-Apr-2023-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here or below right to read a short two-page &#8220;snapshot&#8221; (PDF)<\/a> giving the highlights of the SSD.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-77 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2023\/05\/SSD-Final-Thumbnail.png\" alt=\"Text on a gray background reads: &quot;Self-Study Design submitted to Middle States Commission on Higher Education May 10, 2023.\" width=\"350\" height=\"135\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2023\/05\/SSD-Final-Thumbnail.png 350w, https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2023\/05\/SSD-Final-Thumbnail-300x116.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-72\" src=\"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/reaffirmation-of-accreditation\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2023\/05\/SSD-Draft-Snapshot-Thumbnail.png\" alt=\"A blue slide with black text: &quot;St. Mary's College of Maryland Reaffirmation of Accreditation Self-Study Preparation Visit May 9, 2023&quot; followed by &quot;Self-Study Design Snapshot&quot; in italic.\" width=\"401\" height=\"154\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2023\/05\/SSD-Draft-Snapshot-Thumbnail.png 396w, https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2023\/05\/SSD-Draft-Snapshot-Thumbnail-300x115.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Institutional Priorities<\/h2>\n<p>Four institutional priorities were developed by the steering committee, and refined through campus conversations and outreach involving feedback from faculty, staff, students, and administrators.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-76 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2023\/05\/Priorities-recolor.png\" alt=\"The four priorities\" width=\"991\" height=\"272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2023\/05\/Priorities-recolor.png 991w, https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2023\/05\/Priorities-recolor-300x82.png 300w, https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2023\/05\/Priorities-recolor-768x211.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 991px) 100vw, 991px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The institutional priorities are meant to be a focus of the institution that will be analyzed as part of the self-study; they invoke the foundational elements of our identity and mission. They are intended to be forward-looking, to focus on institutional improvement, and to be aligned with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/about\/mission\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SMCM mission<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/president\/strategic-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the strategic plan<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msche.org\/standards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Middle States standards<\/a>. Thus, priorities are as mission-central goals that we are continually working toward; we will report on our progress on them in the self-study. This distinguishes them from the strategic plan pillars, which are narrower and contain objectives that represent new directions for the institution in the next several years.<\/p>\n<h2>Aligning Strategic Planning and Self-Study<\/h2>\n<p>During the 2022-2023 year, SMCM faculty, staff, administrators, and students engaged in the development of a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/president\/strategic-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Strategic Plan<\/a>. The Board of Trustees <a href=\"https:\/\/inside.smcm.edu\/news\/2023\/05\/st-marys-college-maryland-board-trustees-approves-strategic-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">approved the 2023-2026 plan<\/a>, The Rising Tide, on May 12, 2023. The four pillars of the plan will be implemented beginning in Fall 2023. We will continue to update this section to communicate how these two core processes will serve and guide the SMCM community in the years to come.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over the course of the spring 2023 semester, the Steering Committee prepared the design\/structure of our self-study analysis, which will be the key work of the upcoming academic year (2023-24). Generally-speaking, SMCM has opted to use an approach to the self-study process that is organized according to the individual MSCHE Standards. Within that approach, SMCM<a class=\"tribe-events-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/reaffirmation-of-accreditation\/self-study-design\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" > Find out more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":119,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-9","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/reaffirmation-of-accreditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/reaffirmation-of-accreditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/reaffirmation-of-accreditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/reaffirmation-of-accreditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/119"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/reaffirmation-of-accreditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/reaffirmation-of-accreditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":195,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/reaffirmation-of-accreditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9\/revisions\/195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/reaffirmation-of-accreditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}