The UPR-Río Piedras Campus Self-Study process embraces the theme: Commitment to Institutional Excellence and Empowerment for Continuous Improvement.
Introduction
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) and must be reviewed by and demonstrate compliance with the Secretary of Education’s Criteria for Recognition. MSCHE appeared before the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) on March 2, 2023, where the committee recommended renewal for five years. Through the accreditation process, MSCHE mandates institutions to meet rigorous and comprehensive standards, which are addressed in contest of the mission and within the culture of ethical practices and institutional integrity of accredited institutions.
As an institutional accreditor, MSCHE requires evaluation of all aspects of the institution holistically, including modality of instruction, and everything done in the name of the institution, including all academic programs and services, fall within their scope of accreditation. MSCHE is proud of the role it serves in verifying the quality of higher education through peer review, assessment, and evaluation. MSCHE is accountable to those it serves, including institutions, states and federal government, and the public.
MSCHE Contact
1007 North Orange Street
4th Floor, MB #166
Wilmington, DE 19801
Phone: 267-284-5011
The UPR-Río Piedras Campus Self-Study
Every eight years, the UPR-RP engage in a self-study, embracing a valuable peer-evaluators report during a culminating site visit. The last Self-Study Report of the UPR-RP was submitted in January 2016; with the last accreditation reaffirmation in 2019. During the academic year 2024-2025, the UPR–RP will submit the next Self-Study Report to demonstrate sustained compliance with the Requirements of Affiliation and Standards of Excellence. The on-site visit will occur on the Spring Semester 2025.
On April 2022, the UPR-RP Campus Chancellor appointed the Executive Committee, charging the Deanship for Academic Affairs responsible of the coordination of the Institutional Steering Committee. The Self-Study Design presented in this document, is the result of a participative and critical reflective process of the Executive and the Self-Study Steering Committees, which includes eight Working Groups, and the recommendations of the governance structure within campus.
The Self-Study Report will address the “Standard Based Approach”, organized by standards with the four institutional priority areas of the UPR-RP Strategic Plan, Commitment 2018-2023, integrated within the Standards, where appropriate. The responsibilities of the organizational structure, including the executive committee, steering committee, and working groups by standards, institutional accreditation coordinator, accreditation liaison officer (ALO), and the chair and co-chair of each group, are described. The guidelines for reporting, timetable, communication plan, evaluation team profile, as well as the evidence inventory strategies, are also presented.
The Self-Study Report, as the roadmap for the reaffirmation of the UPR-RP’s accreditation, embraces the theme: Commitment to Institutional Excellence and Empowerment for Continuous Improvement.