Luly Fernández and the accreditation team

December 13, 2010. Greenville, RI. Mater Ecclesiae College, the formation center for Regnum Christi consecrated women in the United States, recently completed its four-day assessment visit by NEASC (the New England Association of Schools and Colleges), one of the six regional accreditation bodies in the United States. Since receiving candidacy status in 2004, Mater Ecclesiae College has been working closely with NEASC to achieve official recognition as an accredited college. NEASC’s last visit, a “focused visit” occurred in 2008.

During each visit, members of the NEASC visiting team evaluate the institution based on eleven standards, addressing the areas of mission and purpose; planning and evaluation; organization and governance; academic program; faculty; students; library information and technology resources; physical resources; financial resources; public disclosure; and integrity.

Prior to the most recent visit, the college conducted a self-study to evaluate how well it is meeting each of the eleven standards and to demonstrate the progress it has made in each of these areas. The study proved to be a very comprehensive evaluation of Mater Ecclesiae’s progress over the last few years, identifying both current strengths and areas needing further development.

The 2010 visit consisted of a demanding schedule for the accreditation team, composed of Dr. Pamela Reed, Dr. Nancy Kline, Dr. Robert Lively, Dr. Steven MacLeod, and Mr. Joseph Fagan. They arrived on the evening of November 7th for an initial banquet prepared and served by the students that ended with a performance of the Mater Ecclesiae College Choir singing original pieces composed by the students and available on the choir’s CDs. Attending the banquet on behalf of the college were President Luly Fernández and Vice-president Daire Ryan, as well as other chief administrative officers, faculty and staff. Among the board representatives were the former board member and Bishop Emeritus of Providence, RI, Bishop Louis Gelineau, Caroline Wilders, and Louise O’Callahan.

Over the next three days, the NEASC team held numerous meetings with board members, chief administrative officers, faculty, staff and students as it evaluated the college’s progress over the course of the past five years. The chief administrative officers, who attended the Wednesday morning meeting in which the team gave a brief summary of its main observations, report that the principal observations were both clear and fair.

The final step in acquiring initial accreditation will occur in spring 2011, when President Fernández attends a general meeting of NEASC’s Board of Trustees in order to answer any further questions they might have. The trustees will then vote on whether or not to grant Mater Ecclesiae initial accreditation. Mater Ecclesiae College is looking forward to this moment with high hopes and is already beginning to follow up on the visiting team’s recommendations.