The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) activities are moving forward full-throttle. Since the BCCC Self-Study Design (SDD) was introduced during the January 2023 Professional Development sessions, the College’s seven MSCHE Standard Working Groups have been working diligently. The Self-Study Design serves as a guide of our self-study process, including the final Self-Study Report and supporting evidence to demonstrate compliance with the Standards of Accreditation and Requirement of Affiliation. Please review the SDD to learn more about the College’s process.

I’m very pleased with the progress as we have begun to develop the framework of the Self-Study Report. I’d like to thank VP Burrell, Ms. Hawkins, and Dr. Ross for their leadership and extend my sincere gratitude to the dedicated members of each Working Group for your tireless efforts to attend weekly meetings, submit (and sometimes resubmit) over 100 requests for evidence to faculty and staff across the institution, and effectively manage a plethora of documents in TEAMS. You are true examples of BCCC pride. Keep up the good work. The Communication & Events Committee started meeting this month and is making great strides to frame creative ways to engage faculty, staff, students and community partners in the process. The Verification of Compliance Working Group is also meeting to outline the foundation for the College to demonstrate how it meets relevant federal regulations.     

I’m inviting the College community to join me 4:00pm Friday, February 24, 2023, to learn first-hand about the Self-Study work to date, including the timeline of upcoming events and how you will be involved in the future. Use this link to join the webinar session Friday: https://bccc-edu.zoom.us/j/96119032148.

                Best.

Debra L. McCurdy, PhD
President
Baltimore City Community College
2901 Liberty Heights Avenue,
Baltimore, MD 21215
410-462-7799
dlmccurdy@bccc.edu

Good Afternoon Faculty & Staff:

Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) is thriving, and we are well on our way to successfully realigning the institution through the work of our dedicated employees and institutional commitment to keep students at the forefront of everything we do. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) 2023-2024 Self-Study Evaluation is a key component of our student-centric mission. The Self-Study Evaluation will allow BCCC to demonstrate how the institution meets the accreditation standards, reinforces our commitment towards continuous improvement, and strengthens our approach toward serving students and the community. BCCC will rise to the occasion as we have time and time again.

It is with this same confidence that I ask you to serve as a member of the College’s MSCHE Working Group/Committee. You have been selected from the many talented faculty and staff at BCCC because of your demonstrated efforts to live the College’s mission, vision and core values. Serving will allow you to lend your voice to the important work needed to illuminate how BCCC aligns with MSCHE’s Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation. The newly identified members for Working Groups (III, V, VII), Verification of Compliance Working Group, and Communication & Events Committee.

 I.  Standard III Working Group

1. Dr. Sherrie Anna Brown, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs 

II.  Standard V Working Group

1. Duane Norwood, Special Programs Coordinator/Mayor’s Scholars Program 

III. Standard VII Working Group

1. Ishwor Aryal, Director of Enterprise Applications 
2. Melissa Baldwin, Assistant Bursar/Assistant Director of Student Accounting

IV.  Communication & Events Committee 

1. Michael Berends, Director of Marketing (Co-Chair) 
2. Tracie Williams, Director of Public Relations/Community Outreach (Co-Chair) 
3. Dr. Julianna Hawk, Coordinator of Social Sciences  
4. Deborah Moore, Director of Math & Science Upward Bound 
5. Richard Miles, General Manager, WBJC Radio Station 
6. Jason Quick, Graphic Artist

V.  Verification of Compliance Working Group 

1. Lyllis Green, Chief Internal Auditor (Chair)
2. Saleem Chaudhry, Director of Financial Aid 
3. Marshall Goodwin, Director of Public Safety
4. Sharon Stoddard, Registrar

Plan to attend the Group/Committee meetings to receive additional information to begin work on the College’s Self-Study. A list of Steering Committee & Working Group members is located in the College’s Middle States communication and document management platform in Teams/SharePoint.

Ms. Becky Burrell, Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, Research and Planning, is leading the coordination of the Self-Study Evaluation. Ms. Eileen Hawkins, Director of Institutional Research, and Dr. Courtney Ross, Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions, will serve as the co-chairs of the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee co-chairs will contact you with additional information and to schedule a meeting to orient you to your role.

Note: Meetings subject to change.

See the BCCC Self-Study Design which articulates the College’s strategy to prepare the Self-Study. A more detailed Timeline for the Standards 1-7 Working Groups is located in the platform to understand the current efforts of the Working Groups.

Thank you for all you do to serve BCCC and our students!!

Regards,

Debra L. McCurdy, PhD
President
Baltimore City Community College
2901 Liberty Heights Avenue,
Baltimore, MD 21215
410-462-7799
dlmccurdy@bccc.edu

Good Afternoon BCCC Faculty & Staff:

The Baltimore City Community College’s (BCCC) Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) Core Planning Team met over this past summer to draft the framework for the Self-Study Design. During the professional development opening week on August 15, 2022, BCCC launched the College’s 2023-2024 Middle States Self-Study Evaluation. The MSCHE presentations in August included an overview of the Middle States Standards for Accreditation (see attachment), a history of the College’s institutional more recent accreditation activities, and a summation of the Self-Study Design process and timeline. The Self-Study Evaluation will allow BCCC to demonstrate how the institution meets the accreditation standards, reinforces our commitment towards continuous improvement, and strengthens our approach toward serving students and the community.

Preparing for the Self-Study Evaluation will require “all hands on deck” and involve various engagements with faculty, staff, students and key partners from the community over the next year and a half. Dr. Laura Cripps, Vice President for Academic Affairs, now serves at the College’s MSCHE Accreditation Liaison Officer. She and Ms. Becky Burrell, Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, Research and Planning, will provide executive level support for the Steering Committee and Working Groups, representing the seven (7) standards for accreditation.

The College has selected a group to serve as Steering Committee members who will convene at 3:45pm to 5:00pm Friday, October 14, 2022. The Steering Committee will be charged to draft the Self-Study Design and lead the seven Working Groups. The College is required to submit the Self-Study design by October 25, 2022. The Self-Study Design is developed by the institution to serve as a guide for the self-study process. Once the Self-Study Design is submitted and feedback is received from Middle States, BCCC will begin implementing our Self-Study Evaluation process over several months.

Dates for the Self-Study submission and campus visit will be determined by Middle States. Periodic updates and information will be communicated to faculty, staff, students, and other College stakeholders on a regular basis.

The best is yet to come!

Regards,

Debra L. McCurdy, PhD
President
Baltimore City Community College
2901 Liberty Heights Avenue,
Baltimore, MD 21215
410-462-7799
dlmccurdy@bccc.edu