GCC President James M. Sunser Appointed to Second Term as Middle States Commissioner

Batavia, NY (01/13/2021) — "There are few compliments in the world of higher education that compare to being selected to serve the Commission on Higher Education," said Dr. James M. Sunser. "Being elected to serve a second term as Chair of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an honor, privilege and responsibility I will carry with me each step of the way."

The Commission on Higher Education is a voluntary, non-government membership association that assures institutional accountability as well as improvement and innovation through the rigorous application of standards within a peer review process. Authorized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council on Higher Education the Middle States Commission of Higher Education (MSCHE) awards accreditation to each institution who successfully undergoes the multi-stage review process which must be repeated every ten years. Currently, the MSCHE oversees 598 colleges and universities within New York State, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Effective January 1, 2021 and continuing through December 31, 2021 the MSCHE Executive Committee will include Dr. James M. Sunser, President of Genesee Community College, reelected as Chair of the Commission along with Vice-Chair Dr. Davie Gilmour, President of Pennsylvania College of Technology. Joining the Executive Committee to fill two vacancies are Dr. Valerie D. Lehr, Professor of Gender Studies at St. Lawrence University and Dr. Susan D. Looney, J.D., President of Reading Area Community College.

Dr. Sunser assumed his duties as President and Chief Executive Officer of SUNY Genesee Community College on August 1, 2011. Prior to his appointment at SUNY GCC, he held several senior level positions at SUNY Onondaga Community College over a 22-year period after serving as an administrator at Syracuse University for five years. On behalf of MSCHE, Dr. Sunser has chaired or served on numerous Decennial Review Teams. In addition to his service as a Peer Reviewer, he was a member of the Steering Committees that reviewed, recommended and worked on changes to MSCHE's accreditation standards, process and cycle. He served on the MSCHE Rebranding Committee that was charged with creating a new messaging platform for the Commission in 2019. He has also served as a presenter at MSCHE's Chairs and Evaluators workshops and during the Commission's Annual Conference. Dr. Sunser also held the position of Chair of the MSCHE in 2020 and Vice-Chair in 2019.

For more information or photographs contact Vice President, Development and External Affairs Justin Johnston at 585-345-6809, or via email: jmjohnston@genesee.edu.

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Editor's Note:

A photograph of Dr. James Sunser, President of Genesee Community College is available at:

https://marketing.genesee.edu/images/JSunser20.jpg

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