WYE MILLS – Chesapeake College is celebrating affirmation accreditation by the Middle States Commissions on Higher Education and a laudatory report that did not include requirements.

“In my over 30 years of experience in higher education I have never seen a reaffirmation without condition or requirement. We all at Chesapeake can take great pride in this recognition of our excellence and quality as an anchor institution for the Eastern Shore,” said Chesapeake College President Clifford P. Coppersmith.

The report included several commendations for Chesapeake. Among the commendations were praise for keeping tuition low, continuing successful financial aid audits, and implementing diversity goals in hiring and enrollment.

There were also kudos for student outcomes such as the high yearly pass rate on the national nursing licensure exam and improved student scores in developmental English.

Points of collegial advice from the report are already included in Chesapeake’ new strategic plan, according to Dr. Coppersmith. This plan addresses expanding enrollment projections, conducting holistic assessments of online course experiences, and enhancing time-to-degree audits to support student success and institutional growth.

The leadership team of Dr. Chandra Gigliotti, Dr. Charles Lartey and Dr. Juliet Smith drove the three-year self-study process and development of the new strategic plan. Chris Hall, Lori Riley and Kristi Floyd were also key contributors to the self- study. In addition to faculty and staff, process participants also included the Board of Trustees, students, and community members.

“The three-year process of conducting the self-study gave everyone at Chesapeake the opportunity to look outside of their daily work at the overall operation of the institution.  The experience was insightful for all who participated,” said Dr. Gigliotti. “The site team visit reaffirmed that our self-study was accurate in our compliance to the standards, and the Commission agreed.”

For more information on how Chesapeake College is addressing these key strategic areas and to view the full strategic plan, please visit www.chesapeake.edu/peakeplan.