Middle States Reaffirms Ocean County College Accreditation

TOMS RIVER – Ocean County College is proud to announce that its accreditation has been reaffirmed by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), confirming that the College is now in compliance with all seven standards for accreditation: (I) Mission and Goals; (II) Ethics and Integrity; (III) Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience; (IV) Support of the Student Learning Experience; (V) Educational Effectiveness Assessment; (VI) Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement; and (VII) Governance, Leadership, and Administration.

An initial Notification of Non-Compliance Action, issued by MSCHE on June 29, 2023, stated that the College did not provide sufficient evidence of compliance with Standard VII (Governance, Leadership, and Administration). The College responded immediately by documenting evidence of compliance with Standard VII while addressing Middle States’ concerns and highlighting OCC’s approach to governance under the leadership of its new president, Dr. Pamela Monaco, who took office on July 1, 2023.

In January 2024, the College submitted a monitoring report to Middle States demonstrating evidence that OCC has achieved and can sustain ongoing compliance with Standard VII. A team of MSCHE representatives visited the campus in February to verify the evidence and assess progress. Ocean County College remained accredited while on warning.

The notice of reaffirmation was issued on June 27, 2024. President Monaco thanked the faculty and staff for their hard work, stating in her email, “We worked hard throughout the year to build in better structures for shared governance and made many changes to make sure we were meeting the standard; all the changes were needed and have made the College stronger.”

As part of the ongoing accreditation process, Ocean County College will submit a monitoring report on March 3, 2025, to demonstrate the sustainability of the implemented corrective measures, as required by MSCHE.

For more information about the accreditation process at Ocean County College, visit ocean.edu/about-us/the-office-of-institutional-planning-effectiveness-and-compliance/accreditation.