Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) is the first community college established in New York State, founded in 1946. With campuses in Utica and Rome, MVCC serves over 19,000 credit and non-credit students annually through more than 80 academic programs and hundreds of workforce training opportunities. The College is deeply committed to accessibility, equity, and student success, offering pathways to careers or further education.

MVCC is a proud member of the SUNY system and supports its community through partnerships, cultural events, athletics, and programs like Guided Pathways, FastTrack, and College-Community-Connection (C3). The College also offers innovative initiatives in entrepreneurship, leadership development, correctional education, and support for students with disabilities.

Self-Study Priorities

MVCC's Strategic Planning Process involves a futurist council called HawkVision, an Annual Planning Council, a Diversity Council, a Strategic Enrollment Management Task Force, and an Institutional Effectiveness Council. MVCC’s Mission and Strategic Framework are measured through 10 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). MVCC's Strategic Framework has five pillars with related metrics that drive the annual plan. These are the College’s strategic goals, which will be used as institutional priorities for the MSCHE self-study process.

• Priority 1: Increase Student Completion
• Priority 2: Strengthen The Educational Pipeline
• Priority 3: Advance Diversity and Inclusiveness
• Priority 4: Develop The Workforce and Community
• Priority 5: Improve Operational Excellence

Intended Outcomes and Approach

The major outcomes expected from the Self-Study are as follows:

1. Demonstrate how MVCC currently meets the Commission's Standards for Affiliation (Fourteenth Edition) and provides evidence by standard in alignment with the Evidence Expectations by Standard; and
2. Leverage periodic assessments through each standard, using assessment results for continuous improvement and innovation to ensure levels of quality for constituents and the attainment of the institution's priorities, mission, and goals; and
3. Engage the institutional community in an inclusive and transparent self-appraisal process, including analysis of a range of data, including disaggregated data, to ensure students are appropriately served and institutional mission and goals are met; and
4. Identify, through an evaluative analysis, both strengths and weaknesses within College initiatives that are specifically designed to meet the five strategic goals and share findings with the teams overseeing these initiatives.

Self-Study Approach

MVCC has chosen to adopt the comprehensive Self-Study review model and will utilize the lens of the College Mission Statement and Strategic Framework to focus the work to examine compliance with the Middle States Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation.

In fall 2023, MVCC formed a workgroup to review and organize documentation required for MSCHE accreditation. This team identified key resources aligned with the updated (July 2023) MSCHE Evidence Inventory. Their work will guide the Steering Committee and Working Groups, ensuring that evidence is collected, stored, and reported consistently. This collaborative effort supports a strong foundation for the self-study process and helps demonstrate compliance with accreditation standards.