The following chapters represent the final version of Wellesley College's self-study report, submitted to the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) in January 1999 as part of the ten-year accreditation process. Each chapter corresponds to a major area of institutional activity and to one of the eleven standards by which the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education assesses an institution's effectiveness. To view the eleven standards click here. Although the current NEASC Standards for Accreditation do not include an explicit staff standard, the College has included a twelfth chapter on staff because the Reaccreditation Steering Committee thought it was important to incorporate a staff perspective.

According to the guidelines on accreditation, the final report "should present a clear, concise and accurate picture of the institution as a dynamic entity with a sense of its history, an understanding of its present, and a vision of its future." Each chapter is expected to incorporate three perspectives, though they need not necessarily be separate sections:

• Description of the current status of the institution in the areas encompassed by each standard;
• Appraisal of the extent to which the institution meets the standard -- what are the strengths, concerns, hard questions?
• Projection for the future -- how can institutional strengths in the areas reviewed be enhanced? What actions are proposed over the next three to five years to remedy problematic areas?

The self-study is one of three components of the accreditation process. An on-site evaluation conducted by faculty and administrators from peer institutions will take place from February 21-24, 1999. For a list of members of the reaccreditation visiting team, click here. Finally, the Commission on Higher Education will review the self-study and the peer evaluators' report, and meet with the College's president to make recommendations about accreditation status and any areas for improvement during the fall of 1999.

Help information on downloading the files and the free Acrobat Reader is available here.

A copy is also available below in HTML format.

The individual chapters below may not be the final version of the report.

Table of organization for the College: PDF only.
Separate document from the main report.

Institutional Characteristics: PDF only
Available for viewing in the office of the Dean of the College

Preface
Reaccreditation Steering Committee
Principal Authors of Chapters

Self Study Overview

Standard 1: Mission

Standard 2: Planning and Evaluation

Standard 3: Organization and Governance

Standard 4: Programs and Instruction

Standard 5: Faculty

Standard 6: Student Services

Standard 7: Library and Information Services

Standard 8: Physical Resources

Standard 9: Financial Resources

Standard 10: Public Disclosure

Standard 11: Ethical Practices

Standard 12: Staff

Appendix

CIHE Data Forms:
Available for viewing in the office of the Dean of the College
Other financial information
Available for viewing in the office of the Dean of the College