HLSCC’s accreditation reaffirmed

The H Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) has had its accreditation reaffirmed by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). 

This enables students to easily move on to higher education elsewhere in the world. 

Speaking at a recent sitting of the House of Assembly, Education Minister Sharie De Castro said the achievement is a culmination of hard work by the college’s administration, the staff, and the faculty. 

She said the college was first accredited by the MSCHE in June 2015, and as a newly accredited institution, it was required to seek reaffirmation of its accreditation within five years. 

“The Self-Study Report, entitled We Will Rise represented the college’s plans to recover from the impacts of the 2017 hurricanes and financial challenges, and provided evidence for the assessment of HLSCC’s compliance with MSCHE’s Requirements of Affiliation and Standards of Accreditation,” De Castro said. 

“The Self-Study Report addressed areas such as Mission and Goals; Ethics and Integrity; Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience; Support of the Student Experience; Educational Effectiveness Assessment; Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement; and Governance, Leadership, and Administration,” she added. 

Commendations

The report was submitted in the Spring of 2020 and due to COVID-19 restrictions, a virtual site visit was conducted in December 2020. The college received commendations in six of seven standards and was required to submit a Supplemental Information Report pertaining to Standard VI – Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement.  

“Following the submission of that supplemental report in September 2021, another virtual site visit was conducted in April 2022, where the college was found in compliance with Standard VI and reaffirmation was recommended to the commission,” the Education Minister said. 

“The decision was made by the Middle States Commission on June 23, 2022, to reaffirm the College’s accreditation until 2028. The reaffirmation indicates that HLSCC has met the Requirements of Affiliation and Standards of Accreditation of MSCHE. This enables our students to continue to transfer easily to institutions in the United States and elsewhere,” she added. 

De Castro noted that the college’s accreditation status supports its efforts in building partnerships with other institutions and organizations. 

“Following reaffirmation, the college was able to announce its membership in the Fulbright Awards Programme administered by the UK Fulbright Commission. The College will now offer for the first time the Fulbright BVI Scholar Award at HLSCC in the Fall of 2023,” she said. 

“The award at HLSCC is for a professor based at an institution in the United States to spend six months at the Paraquita Bay campus. During this time, they will teach courses to HLSCC students and may conduct workshops, public lectures, seminars, and other activities related to their field of expertise. Applicants will be reviewed by the College in conjunction with the Fulbright Commission before a selection is made,” the minister continued. 

De Castro explained that HLSCC also recently completed a rebranding exercise and is currently building a local and regional marketing campaign focusing on offerings in marine, maritime, culinary, and hospitality programmes.  

“All of these recent successes align with the launch of the college’s 2022 – 2027 strategic vision, Charting Our Course. That plan delineates the college’s objectives for this five-year period under the following strategic goals: Teaching and Learning, Student Access and Success, Community & Partnerships, Institutional Effectiveness & Organisational Development and Resources & Facilities,” the Education Minister said.