ACOE Accreditation Review 2021

NECO Community,

As part of the process for reaccreditation, NECO was required to prepare a self-study for the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE). The self-study included a narrative report focusing on eight standards:

1. Mission, Goals and Objectives
2. Curriculum
3. Research and Scholarly Activity
4. Governance, Accreditation, Administration and Finances
5. Faculty
6. Students
7. Facilities, Equipment and Resources
8. Clinical Management and Patient Care Policies

The ACOE appoints a team of peer reviewers to visit our campus and assess our performance according to the above set of standards at least every eight years. This team visited our campus to conduct on site input from the NECO community. Dr. Bina Patel, Director of International Programs, Professor, and Faculty Chair, Dr. Sandra Mohr, Dean of Academic Resources and Administration, and Dr. Morris Berman, Adjunct Professor, lead our efforts in developing the report and managing the site visit.

Community involvement in this reaccreditation process is essential to presenting a self-study report that is comprehensive, introspective, and reflective of the NECO environment. We encourage your participation. We have developed a site that includes information on the working committees reviewing the eight standards for accreditation, the opportunities for community input, and timeline. Further updates on the visiting team members, self-study report, and communications from ACOE were communicated as they become available. At any time during this process, members of the community could write to the self-study planning team using the Share Your Input form on the website.

Thank you to those that participated and we look forward to our next successful site visit by the ACOE!

Howard Purcell, OD, FAAO
President and CEO

Self-Study Working Committees

Self-Study Co-Chairs
Dr. Sandra Mohr, EdD, Dean of Academic Resources and Administration; Dr. Morris Berman, OD, MS, Adjunct Professor; Dr. Bina Patel, OD, Director of International Programs, Professor, and Faculty Chair

ACOE Standard Working Groups

 

ACOE Standard	Team Lead	Team Members
Standard 1: Mission, Goals, and Objectives	Traci Logan	Traci Logan, Erik Weissberg, Gary Chu, Sandra Mohr, Kristen Brown, Howard Purcell
Standard 2: Curriculum	Erik Weissberg	Erik Weissberg, Steve Koevary, Gayathri Srinivasan, Kristen Brown, Morris Berman
Standard 3: Research	Jane Gwiazda	Jane Gwiazda, Thanasis Panorgias
Standard 4: Governance, Administration, Finance	Traci Logan	Joanna Hurier, Traci Logan, Howard Purcell, Pano Yeracaris, Bina Patel
Standard 5: Faculty	Barry Kran	Stacy Lyons, Aurora Denial, Amy Moy, Barry Kran
Standard 6: Students	Kirsten Kirby	Kristen Tobin, Ron Ferrucci, Kirsten Kirby, Christina LaChance
Standard 7: Facilities	Heather Edmonds	Ben Feingold, Shawne Gilles, Heather Edmonds
Standard 8: Clinical Management and Patient Care	Kristen Brown	Amy Moy, Tim Bossie, Kristen Brown

Community Input

Extensive feedback support and input from NECO’s diverse community is vital to the reaccreditation self-study process.
In preparing for our October 2021 review by ACOE, faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents, and the wider community were invited to share their input via the online form or directly contacting the various internal committees. Separate Town Hall meetings with Faculty/Staff, Alumni, Students, and Board of Trustees were conducted in June 2021 to describe the accreditation process and to solicit feedback on the self-study draft.

ACOE Invitation for Public Comments

New England College of Optometry (NECO) is next scheduled for a reaccreditation visit by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) in October 2029. The ACOE is the specialized accrediting body for optometry that provides quality assurances concerning educational preparation of members of the optometric profession.
NECO is continuously engaged in a process of self-study addressing the ACOE Standards for Accreditation. An evaluation team will visit campus to gather evidence that the self-study is thorough and accurate.

The public is invited to submit comments to:
Director of the Council at ACOE
Accreditation Council on Optometric Education
243 N. Lindbergh Boulevard
Floor 1 St. Louis, MO 63141
314-991-4100
www.theacoe.org

Public comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of the program and the ACOE standards. Comments must be received 30 days prior to the program’s scheduled site visit date and must be signed by the sender.