Program Reviews and Disciplinary Program Accreditations

Undergraduate academic departments at SUNY New Paltz that do not follow accreditation guidelines by discipline-specific organizations conduct program reviews every five to seven years. Program reviews include an in-depth self-study conducted by the department followed by an external review by evaluators from other SUNY and non-SUNY campuses. The evaluators review the self-study; examine the facilities; and meet with campus faculty, staff, and students to analyze the quality of academic programs and offer suggestions for improvement.

Discussions between the offices of Strategic Planning & Assessment and Human Resources, Diversity, & Inclusion (HRDI) have resulted in a more streamlined process that will make the process less time-consuming for SUNY external reviewers. Because information cannot be shared between SUNY institutions, SUNY external reviewers were required to complete a large number of forms in order to participate in the program review. The number of forms has now been reduced from 17 to 12.

In the spring of 2022, six departments conducted successful program reviews. These were:

• Black Studies, chaired by Weldon McWilliams
• Economics, chaired by Edith Kuiper
• Geology, chaired by Frederick Vollmer
• History, chaired by Hamilton Stapell
• Languages, Literatures, & Cultures, chaired by Isidoro Janeiro
• Physics & Astronomy, chaired by Amy Bartholomew.

In spring 2022, three accreditations and one certification were granted. These included:

• The Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) which reaccredited the MS Speech-Language Pathology program
• The Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) which accredited the School of Education
• CACREP which accredited the MS Clinical Mental Health Counseling and MS School Counseling programs
• The College Reading & Learning Association’s (CRLA) International Tutor Training Program team which recertified the Center for Student Success (CSS) for Level 1 tutoring

Academic program reviews and accreditations are a valuable way to examine, assess, and strengthen the quality of academic programs. This is beneficial to both programs and students by fulfilling state requirements and assuring institutional quality.

Upcoming program reviews and accreditations for the next five years appear below.