2021-2022 Activities

FIT has begun planning for its 2021-2022 reaccreditation. The self-study process is an opportunity to bring the community together to celebrate our achievements and identify ways to improve.  We will be sharing information on this page to keep you updated and we invite your involvement and input. In addition, we have created a dedicated e-mail for any questions, comments, or concerns regarding the process: [email protected] .  

Middle States Self-Study News & Updates

Fall 2021 Update: As the semester began, the Steering Committee met to review Self-Study recommendations and the draft.  In mid-September, it was sent to Dr. Brown for review.

The draft was posted for the FIT community to review and comment on MyFIT.  Two town halls are scheduled, for December 14^th and 16^th. 

FIT will host a virtual meeting with the Middle States review team chair in late November to prepare for the visit in March 2022.

Fall 2020 and Spring/Summer 2021 Update: In Fall 2020, Working Groups continued to gather evidence and discuss how FIT meets the Middle States Standards.  In the late spring of 2021, all Working Groups submitted drafts of their chapters to the co-chairs.  In the summer, the co-chairs merged the drafts into a single document, editing it to ensure consistency, to decrease repetition, and to craft a single voice.  Recommendations by Working Groups were combined to highlight the common issues identified in multiple chapters.

Spring 2020 Update: In the spring semester, the Steering Committee continued to meet and prepare for a visit from Dr. Kushnood Haq, the Middle States VP assigned to FIT who guides institutions in the early stages of their self-study process. Dr. Haq visited campus on February 26th and met with students, faculty, staff, and two members of the Board of Trustees. Dr. Haq also met with the Steering Committee to review and provide helpful feedback on FIT’s Self-Study Design, as well as answer questions. The visit was successful and helped to engage the campus in the process.  

Based on Dr. Haq's feedback, we have made minor revisions to the Self-Study Design and it has now been formally approved by MSCHE.   It can be viewed here: FIT's Self-Study Design.

When FIT moved to remote operations as a result of  the COVID pandemic, the Working Groups had to adjust their processes and deadlines. However some Working Groups have been able to continue to collect and evaluate evidence, and some  progress will be made up over the summer.    By July 15 ^th , each Working Group plans to have its initial list of evidence for each Standard.    The Co-Chairs appreciate the amount that the Working Groups were able to accomplish during this incredibly challenging semester.  

Fall 2019 Update: The Steering Committee kicked off its first meeting in August, after Convocation.  One of its initial tasks was to think about what we would like FIT to get from this process.  Obviously, we want to demonstrate how FIT meets Middle States Standards. We also want to tie this work to the new strategic plan that is forthcoming at the end of this year.  Perhaps most importantly, we want to engage members across the campus as much as possible. We think this will help strengthen the FIT community as faculty, staff and students learn more about what is happening across all areas and provide input to the self-study.  We are a large enough campus that it can be hard to avoid being “siloed” in your own program or division or office. Being a part of this project, hopefully, will help people feel included and better understand the decisions made across the institution. These thoughts about what we hope to accomplish through this process are discussed in the self-study design document.

In late October, the co-chairs, Carolyn Comiskey and Rebecca Bauman, as well as FIT’s Accreditation Liaison Officer, Yasemin Jones, attended a two-day Self-Study Institute run by Middle States to help us organize this process.  After that, the Steering Committee worked to draft the rest of the self-study design document and plan for the formation of the Working Groups. By the end of the term, the document was drafted and Working Groups formed. We will share the document with the community in the spring, after feedback from Middle States

Spring 2020 Update:  In the spring semester, the Steering Committee continued to meet and prepare for a visit from Dr. Kushnood Haq, the Middle States VP assigned to FIT who guides institutions in the early stages of their self-study process. Dr. Haq visited campus on February 26th and met with students, faculty, staff, and two members of the Board of Trustees. Dr. Haq also met with the Steering Committee to review and provide helpful feedback on FIT’s Self-Study Design, as well as answer questions. The visit was successful and helped to engage the campus in the process.  

Based on Dr. Haq's feedback, we have made minor revisions to the Self-Study Design and it has now been formally approved by MSCHE.   It can be viewed here: FIT's Self-Study Design.

When FIT moved to remote operations as a result of  the COVID pandemic, the Working Groups had to adjust their processes and deadlines. However some Working Groups have been able to continue to collect and evaluate evidence, and some  progress will be made up over the summer.    By July 15 ^th , each Working Group plans to have its initial list of evidence for each Standard.    The Co-Chairs appreciate the amount that the Working Groups were able to accomplish during this incredibly challenging semester.