Background Information
Acronym: MSCHE
Address:  3624 Market Street
City:  Philadelphia
State:  Pennsylvania
Zip:  19104-2680
E-mail:  info@msche.org
Web Address:  http://www.msche.org

Forum Contact Person
Name and Title:  Oswald M.T. Ratteray, Associate Director
Phone:  (267) 284-5000
Fax:  (215) 662-5501
E-mail:  oratteray@msche.org

Mission Statement
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) evaluates degree-granting institutions of higher education, based on standards developed by the colleges and universities that are members of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools; accredits institutions which meet those standards; assists institutions in as many ways as possible to improve their programs and services; and works closely with other organizations in promoting educational improvement. (See our Web site for a full description of our purposes and the scope of our activities.)

Organizational Background/Description
The Commission on Higher Education, established in 1919, is a functionally autonomous unit of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, which was established in 1887.

Information Literacy Goals, Areas of Interest, Publications, Standards, etc.
The Commission began its information literacy initiative in 1989, growing out of a much earlier and narrower emphasis on bibliographic instruction in libraries. Information literacy now is an important part of Characteristics of Excellence in Higher Education (2002), the Commission's primary statement of standards. It also is reinforced and explained in Developing Research & Communication Skills: Guidelines for Information Literacy in the Curriculum (2003) and in workshops and conferences held each year.