Accreditation

Bates College is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Bates is also accredited by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and the American Chemical Society.

What is the 2000 Self-Study?

All institutions of higher education engage in the reaccreditation process as part of a normal and periodic review. In order renew its accreditation status, Bates conducts an intensive self-study every ten years. The major value of the self-study process is that it provides the College the opportunity to evaluate itself by its own standards and to set new goals and directions for the next decade. The review offers the College the opportunity to demonstrate and document that it meets and exceeds certain minimum standards; it promotes a period of reflection about the institution's strengths and weaknesses; and it provides a way to validate the effectiveness of institutional planning and learning outcomes. The self-study report describes what Bates does, appraises how well it accomplishes its goals, and makes projections about the future directions and needs of the College. The self-study is central to improving the quality of the College, and it will used as an integral part of the ongoing planning process.

Bates was initially accredited by NEASC in 1929 and its accreditation was last renewed in 1990. The current reaccreditation review began during the 1999-2000 academic year with an extensive self-study that involved many members of the Bates community. The institutional self-study culminated with a multi-day site visit by a team of outside experts in November 2000. NEASC uses the self-study and the observations of the visiting team as a basis for renewing accreditation status for another decade. The report of the visiting team adds a fresh outside perspective on the extent to which the College has succeeded in fulfilling its institutional mission.

The Bates institutional self-study report addresses several topics of particular significance to the College as well as each of the 11 standards of accreditation mandated by NEASC. For example, the self-study report takes into account many of the issues and priorities that have been established in the work of the Goals 2005 strategic planning process. Bates has been reaccredited until 2010. 

From November 12 to 15, 2000, a visiting team led by President John McCardell Jr. of Middlebury College visited Bates and met with many faculty, staff, and students. At the conclusion of the visit, the team presented its preliminary findings at a meeting open to the entire Bates community.  On April 20, 2001, the NEASC Commission on Institutions of Higher Education met and voted to continue the accreditation of Bates College, with the next comprehensive evaluation to be scheduled for Fall 2010.  As part of NEASC practice, Bates issued a fifth-year interim report in 2005 to explore progress since the 2000 visit.

Further details about the standards of accreditation are available in these pages and through the NEASC web site.