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By Jacquie Powers
The final version of Cornell's Periodic Review Report (PRR), required as part of the routine cycle of university reaccreditation activities, was approved unanimously by the board of trustees at its regular meeting last week.
The university is required to submit a PRR at the midpoint of the 10-year reaccreditation cycle. The report, due in June, is required of all post-secondary institutions under the jurisdiction of the Middle State's Association Commission on Higher Education (MSA/CHE).
The PRR will be the basis for the commission's deliberations on the continuation of Cornell's accreditation status. Most recently, Cornell was "reaccredited without condition" following a self-study site visit in 1991.
Ronald G. Ehrenberg, vice president for academic programs, planning and budgeting, chairs an oversight group that has been working since early August to prepare the PRR. A draft version of the report was presented to the campus community for review and comment in November. The final version incorporates most of those comments.
Accreditation of a post-secondary educational institution by one of six regional accrediting agencies is a necessary prerequisite for institutions to receive federal funding. MSA/CHE is the regional accrediting agency for all post-secondary institutions in Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Republic of Panama and the Virgin Islands.
Cornell's PRR assesses where the university has been going over the past five years, analyzes the current situation and looks at where the institution is headed. In early May, MSA/CHE will notify Cornell of the two individuals, generally from peer institutions, who review the PRR. By Aug. 1, the reviewers will provide Cornell with a copy of their analysis of the PRR. In early September, Cornell will submit its institutional response to the reviewers' analysis to MSA/CHE. In mid-September, the reviewers will give their confidential recommendation on continuing Cornell's accreditation status to MSA/CHE.
In October, MSA/CHE's PRR committee will analyze the reviewers' report, Cornell's response and the reviewer's confidential recommendation, and will formulate a recommendation on accreditation status to MSA/CHE's board. MSA/CHE's board will meet in November 1996 to act on the recommendation of the PRR committee, and Cornell will be notified of the result in December 1996.
Full text of the final Periodic Review Report (PRR) is available electronically at | Cornell Chronicle Front Page | | Table of Contents | | Cornell News Service Home Page |