Every ten years, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) requires Houghton College to conduct an extensive review on different aspects of the college. Houghton completed its last review in 2005; the next, already in progress, will reach completion in 2015.
The review is labeled a self-study, conducted by Houghton for the benefit of Houghton. The MSCHE website describes the review as “a voluntary, non-governmental, membership association” and contains a manual asserting the commission’s fourteen “characteristics of excellence” that affiliated institutions strive to meet.
Each institution is required to create a missions statement. Each characteristic of excellence in turn must line up with that statement. One standard of excellence specified by the manual reads, “The human, financial, technical, facilities, and other resources necessary to achieve an institution’s mission and goals are available and accessible.”
The MSCHE provides a resource containing similar information collected by other institutions involved in the commission. Any previous MSCHE study conducted at a given institution may be accessed through the website at any time.
In order to facilitate the self-study process, Houghton collected what is called the Self-Study Steering Committee, comprised of both students and faculty. Paul Young, Chair of the Self Study Steering Committee, works with the president and the dean of the college to select the students and faculty who serve as members.
The committee then works to collect information. Young said, “We’re doing what’s called a comprehensive review… we’re looking at every one of the fourteen standards to see how well Houghton meets the standards.”
During the self-study, the committee appoints seven groups of information gatherers, each of which gather information on two of the fourteen standards. “They are responsible for gathering information, then analyze what the information means, evaluate it, and write a chapter for the final report,” said Young. Each chapter consists of analysis of evidence in regards to how well Houghton is meeting the specified objectives, and will in turn make recommendations based on that evidence.
According to the Self-Study Design, a document created by Young to outline the purpose and instructions of the Self-Study Steering Committee, each group must “locate existing evidence, collect new evidence as necessary, and analyze evidence relevant to the research questions assigned to the group” as well as “answer each research question, identifying issues critical to Houghton College.”
One of the seven groups, for example, collects information on faculty and educational offerings. Some research questions outlined by the design analyze the qualification of specific faculty in their current roles, current hiring practices and their effectiveness, as well as the efficiency of educational offerings.
Houghton uses the information found through conducting the self-study to improve certain aspects of the college that may prove lacking. In the last survey, results suggested that a full time institutional research position was necessary to Houghton. In 2007, that change was enacted.