Anderson and Swanson Present at Conference

Alfred State College President Dr. John M. Anderson and ASC Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Jayne Swanson recently presented at the Middle States Commission on Higher Education 2011 Annual Conference which focused on Quality Assurance through Accreditation.

Titled “Tying It All Together: An Integrative Model for Strategic Planning, Budget Allocation, and Institutional Effectiveness,” the presentation offered a best-practice model of collaborative strategic planning used at the college. Anderson and Swanson reviewed the “homegrown” creation and implementation of the college’s strategic plan which includes goals, strategies, actions, desired outcomes, key performance indicators, and actual results.

The speakers illustrated their presentation with accompanying dashboard data, budget allocations, and communication channels and venues that make possible continuous improvement at Alfred State College. The pair also presented documents, dashboards, templates, the Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness Web site, and an accreditation SharePoint site, supporting the fundamental elements of MSCHE Standard 2.

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is the unit of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools that accredits degree-granting colleges and universities in the Middle States region, which includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and several locations internationally.

The Commission is a voluntary, non-governmental, membership association that defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence across institutions with diverse missions, student populations, and resources. It examines each institution as a whole, rather than specific programs within institutions. MSCHE is dedicated to quality assurance and improvement through accreditation via peer evaluation. Middle States accreditation instills public confidence in institutional mission, goals, performance, and resources through its rigorous accreditation standards and their enforcement.

Anderson, the 11^th president of Alfred State College, assumed his responsibilities at the College in 2008. Prior to assuming the presidency at Alfred State, Anderson had served as executive vice president and provost at Hartwick College in Oneonta since 2004. In addition, he also served as interim vice president for student life at the college.

Prior to this position, Dr. Anderson served as vice president of academic affairs at SUNY Institute of Technology and provost and vice president for academic affairs at Alfred State College. For the eight years prior, Dr. Anderson held several administrative positions at Alfred State, including vice president for institutional advancement, dean of student development, and vice president for student services. Over the years, he has worked as a consultant for several entities, including the Middle States Association, NYS Department of Education and the SUNY Delegation to Turkey. Anderson has a PhD in education from Cornell University, an MA in physics from SUNY Geneseo, a BA in physics from SUNY Brockport, and an AS in math and science from Westchester Community College. He also received post-graduate education at Harvard University, University at Buffalo, and Alfred University.

Swanson joined the Alfred State staff in 2009 as director of assessment and professional development; she was named associate vice president in 2011. She works with all levels of administration to assure that college-wide assessment and professional development activities address and improve overall college effectiveness relating to student outcomes assessment, teaching and learning efficiencies, accreditation, institutional effectiveness, and budgeting and planning processes.Swanson holds three degrees in sociology: the doctorate from SUNY @ Buffalo, and master and bachelor degrees from Wichita State University.