The Middle States Commission on Higher Education -- the unit of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools that accredits degree-granting colleges and universities in the Middle States region -- has reaffirmed accreditation for Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Penn College President Davie Jane Gilmour received notification recently that the commission reaffirmed the college's accreditation in sessions held June 26-27. The commission also commended the college for its progress since the previous accreditation action and for the quality of the report detailing the college-wide, two-year self-study initiative.

The voluntary, self-regulatory peer-review process takes place every 10 years. Penn College was last accredited by Middle States in 1992. In March, the commission sent a team of peer evaluators -- consisting of nine officials from similar colleges and universities -- to Penn College for an on-site review that is a required component of the Middle States reaccreditation process.

In the Middle States accreditation process, an institution's educational programs, processes and resources are evaluated to assure compliance with agreed-upon quality standards. The self-study process includes input from faculty, staff and students, as well as business-and-industry representatives and community members.

The faculty and administrators who coordinated the Middle States self-study effort at Penn College were: Doreen W. Shope, chairwoman; Tom F. Gregory, vice chairman; Mark D. Noe, information literacy chairman; Brett A. Reasner, overview chairman; Mary A. Sullivan, outcomes assessment chairwoman; and Alfred M. Thomas II, internal governance and planning chairman.

For information about the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, visit http://www.msache.org on the Web. For information about Penn College, visit http://www.pct.edu.

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