Working Groups

Vassar has established seven working groups, each aligned with one of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education standards. Each working group is responsible for collecting evidence, analyzing institutional performance, and preparing a written report addressing its assigned standard.

Working groups include senior and junior faculty, administrators, staff, senior leadership officers, and student representatives. Each group is led by one chair or two co-chairs, all of whom also serve on the steering committee.

The steering committee has ultimate responsibility for the design and execution of the self-study process as well as transparent communication with all outside stakeholders. The steering committee will revise reports from working groups and prepare final versions of all reports, including the self-study design document, the self-study report and the evidence inventory. Though much of the data collection and analysis will be done in the working groups, the steering committee will organize and coordinate these efforts, establish lines of inquiry and data collection, provide accountability for working groups, and collect and edit their narrative reports. The steering committee will also coordinate communication among working groups and identify areas of overlap and common concern. All working group chairs and co-chairs will be on the steering committee, an organizational structure that will allow for efficient communication, a collaborative culture, and a more coordinated collection of documents and data.

Kelli A. Duncan
Dean of Strategic Planning and Academic Resources; Professor of Biology on the Patricia Shoer Goldman-Rakic ’59 Professorship Chair
Standard I: Mission and Goals

Shay Humphrey
Vassar’s General Counsel
Standard II: Ethics and Integrity

Christopher Bjork
Associate Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Education on the Dexter M. Ferry Jr Chair
Standard III: Design and Delivery of Student Learning Experience

Susan Hiner
Faculty Director of Research Development and Professor of French and Francophone Studies on the John Guy Vassar Chair
Standard III: Design and Delivery of Student Learning Experience

Thomas Porcello
Dean of Studies and Professor of Anthropology
Standard IV: Student Support Experience

Christopher White
Professor of Religion on the Andrew W. Mellon Chair in the Humanities
Co-Chair of Steering Committee; Standard V: Educational Effectiveness Assessment

Bryan Swarthout
Vice President for Finance & Administration
Standard VI: Planning and Resources

Yu Zhou
Professor of Geography
Standard VI: Planning and Resources

Wesley Dixon
Deputy to the President and Secretary to the Board of Trustees
Standard VII: Governance and Leadership

Brian Daly
Professor of Physics on the Ethel and Alexander Klemin Chair in Physics
Standard VII: Governance and Leadership

Amanda Goodman
Director of Administrative Affairs, President’s Office
Administrative Operations Lead

Biniam Tesfamariam
Director of Institutional Research & Strategic Decision Support
Co-Chair of Steering Committee

Victoria Grantham
Vice President for Communications
Strategic Communication Lead

Ulysses Bergel
VSA President’s Cabinet Member and Class of 2026
Standard III: Design and Delivery of Student Learning Experience; Student Representative

To ensure clarity and transparency about working group roles and responsibilities, all working group members are expected to:

1. Identify and collect forms of evidence that demonstrate Vassar’s compliance with the assigned standard.
2. Store and track collected evidence in the evidence inventory folder.
3. Utilize institutional effectiveness data to assess strengths and weaknesses.
4. Collaborate with other working groups and the steering committee where lines of inquiry overlap.
5. Produce outlines, preliminary drafts, and a final 10–15 page report analyzing the evidence and addressing each criterion of the assigned standard.

I. Mission and Goals

• Kelli Duncan (Chair)
  Dean of Strategic Planning and Academic Resources; Professor of Biology on the Patricia Shoer Goldman-Rakic ’59 Professorship Chair
• Sophia Harvey
  Associate Professor of Film; Advisor to the Class of ’26
• Luis Inoa
  Associate Dean of the College for Residential Life and Wellness
• Dennis Macheska
  Associate Dean of the College for Campus Activities

II. Ethics and Integrity

• Shay Humphrey (Chair)
  General Counsel
• Will Rush
  Director of Student Activities and Associate Director of Campus Activities
• Belinda Guthrie
  Assistant Vice President for Institutional Equity and Title IX Coordinator
• Margaret Hughes
  Admissions Counselor
• Jessica Barry
  Insurance and Legal Administrator, General Counsel Office
• Linda Wessberg
  Director of Human Resources Operations
• Arlene Sabo
  Director of Safety and Security

III. Design and Delivery of Educational Experience

• Chris Bjork (Co-Chair)
  Associate Dean of the Faculty; Professor of Education on the Dexter M. Ferry Jr Chair
• Susan Hiner (Co-Chair)
  Faculty Director of Research Development; Professor of French and Francophone Studies on the John Guy Vassar Chair
• Ulysses Bergel
  VSA Representative; Class of ’26
• Jamie Kelly
  Associate Professor of Philosophy
• Candice Lowe Swift
  Professor of Anthropology; Previous Special Advisor on Inclusion and Engaged Pluralism
• Angela Anderson
  Registrar
• Melissa Naitza
  Assistant Dean for Academic Administration

IV. Student Support

• Tom Porcello (Chair)
  Dean of Studies; Professor of Anthropology
• Stacy Bingham
  Associate Dean of the College for Career Development
• Mary Ellen Czesak
  Dean of First-Year Students; Senior Lecturer and Lab Coordinator of Biology
• Amanda Munroe
  Director of Restorative Practices for Engaged Pluralism
• Nicole Gao
  VSA Vice President, Class of ’27
• Jacqueline Perez
  Director of Student Financial Services
• Michelle Walsh
  Director of Athletics and Physical Education

V. Educational Assessment

• Christopher White (Chair)
  Professor of Religion on the Andrew W. Mellon Chair in the Humanities
• Elizabeth Lastra
  Assistant Professor of Art
• John Andrews
  Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology
• Bini Tesfamariam
  Director of Institutional Research and Decision Support
• Matt Schultz
  Director of First-Year Writing and the Writing Center; Adjunct Associate Professor of English
• Elizabeth Cannon
  Director of Community Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship

VI. Planning, Resources and Improvement

• Bryan Swarthout (Co-Chair)
  Vice President for Finance and Administration
• Yu Zhou (Co-Chair)
  Professor of Geography
• Jean Tagliamonte
  Assistant Vice President for Planning and Engagement, CIS
• Maxine Coleman
  Assistant Vice President for Facilities Operations
• Willa Vincitore
  Associate Vice President for Engagement
• Eric Eberhardt
  Associate Professor of Chemistry

VII. Governance and Leadership

• Wes Dixon (Co-Chair)
  Deputy to the President and Secretary to the Board of Trustees
• Brian Daly (Co-Chair)
  Professor of Physics on the Ethel and Alexander Klemin Chair in Physics
• Mita Choudhury
  Professor of History on the Evalyn Clark Chair
• Wendy Maragh Taylor
  Associate Dean of the College for Student Growth and Engagement
• Carlos Garcia
  Vice President for Technology and Human Resources; Chief Information Officer
• Julian Aguilar
  Academic Computing Consultant for Innovation and Entrepreneurship; past VSA President, Class of ’25

The steering committee will maintain regular communication with the campus community through:

• Website updates
• Campus-wide presentations
• Open forums
• Email communications
• Opportunities for comment and feedback

The reaccreditation process is intended to be inclusive, transparent, and participatory.