The College

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• Institutional Accreditations/Approvals
• Program Accreditations/Approvals
• Selected Institutional Memberships
• College Mission Statement
• College Shared Values Statement
• Policy on Non-Discrimination
• College History

Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.*

Approved by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education

Authorized to grant the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts in American Studies, Bachelor of Arts in English, Bachelor of Liberal Studies, Bachelor of Science in Applied Forensic Science, Bachelor of Science in Bereavement Studies, Bachelor of Science in Biology, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Bachelor of Science in Child Development, Bachelor of Science in Communications, Bachelor of Science in Computer Animation, Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Science in Fashion Design, Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising, Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design, Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Tourism Management, Bachelor of Science in Human Services, Bachelor of Science in Interior Design, Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Technology, Associate in Arts, and Associate in Science

Authorized under Federal law to enroll nonimmigrant students

* The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc., a non-governmental, nationally recognized organization whose affiliated institutions include elementary schools through collegiate institutions offering post-graduate instruction.

Accreditation of an institution by the New England Association indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality periodically applied through a peer group review process. An accredited school or college is one which has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation.

Accreditation by the New England Association is not partial but applies to the institution as a whole. As such, it is not a guarantee of the quality of every course or program offered, or the competence of individual graduates. Rather, it provides reasonable assurance about the quality of opportunities available to students who attend the institution.

Inquiries regarding the status of an institution’s accreditation by the New England Association should be directed to the administrative staff of the school or college. Individuals may also contact the Association at: Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, 209 Burlington Rd., Suite 201, Bedford, MA 01730-1433.

Bachelor of Science Programs in Fashion Design, Graphic Design, and Interior Design
Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design

Bachelor of Science Program in Interior Design
Accredited by the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research

Veterinary Technology (Bachelor of Science) and Veterinary Technician (Associate in Arts) Programs
Accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association

Child Development Program with Educator Preparation Option in Early Childhood: Teacher of Students with and without Disabilities, PreK-2 (Bachelor of Science)
Approved by the Massachusetts Department of Education

Dental Hygiene Program (Associate in Arts)
Accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation

Funeral Service Program (Associate in Science)
Accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education

American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers
American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities
American Camping Association
American College Health Association
American Dental Association
American Library Association
Association of American Veterinary Technician Educators
Association for Collegiate Business Schools and Programs
Association of Governing Boards
Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers
Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
College and University Professional Association for Human Resources
Council for Advancement and Support of Education
Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences
Council for Interior Design Accreditation (formerly Foundation for Interior Design Education and Research)
Council for Opportunity in Education
Council of Independent Colleges
Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
Massachusetts Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
Massachusetts Campus Compact
Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium
Minuteman Library Network
Museum of Fine Arts
National Academic Advising Association
National Association for Campus Activities
National Association for College Admission Counseling
National Association of College and University Business Officers
National Association of Colleges of Mortuary Science
National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
National Association of Schools of Art and Design
National Association of Student Personnel Administrators
National Collegiate Athletic Association
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
New England Faculty Development Consortium
New England Resource Center for Higher Education
Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce

Mount Ida College provides a diverse community of learners a challenging education that blends the liberal arts with professional preparation. We dedicate our energy, imagination, and resources to empowering all students to achieve academically and contribute responsibly in a changing world.

The Mount Ida College community promotes a culture of academic engagement, shared responsibility, effective communication, and active collaboration that embraces the challenges, commitments and opportunities associated with lifelong learning, personal excellence, and civic duty. We value a dynamic learning community based on respect, active professionalism and intellectual curiosity among our students, faculty and staff.

Shared Values Statement Based on the Following Definitions:

Community, the fostering of a shared and holistic experience, building trust, communication, having a sense of civic responsibility, not only for Mount Ida, but also for the world around us, and caring about one another

Academic Engagement, dedicating our efforts to the quality and rigor of our academic enterprise

Respect, for diversity, for opinions, for everyone’s contribution, for each other as human beings

Active Professionalism, including encouragement and support for individual development for everyone, and academic and professional integrity (honesty, trust and cooperation)

Intellectual Curiosity, which includes involvement in teaching and learning by everyone across the campus, creating a passion for life-long learning, and fostering everyone’s innate curiosity and creativity

Mount Ida College is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in its educational programs, activities and employment practices. It is the policy of the College not to discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, color, age, religion, or handicap.

Mount Ida College is an accredited, private co-educational institution, located on a 72-acre suburban campus, 8 miles (13km) west of Boston.

Mount Ida College was established in 1899 as a private women’s high school, located in several Victorian mansions on Mount Ida Hill in Newton Corner. In 1907, founder Dr. George Franklin Jewett began to experiment with advanced studies in the school, which quickly evolved into one of the first junior colleges in New England. By the 1920s, the college division enrolled as many students as the secondary school. In 1939, Mount Ida College relocated to its present site, the historic Robert Gould Shaw estate in Newton. Over the next forty-three years, Mount Ida College continued to develop as a post-secondary institution and, under the leadership of Dr. William Carlson and his son Dr. F. Roy Carlson, the College began to attract students from across the nation and globe.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the curriculum was influenced by the increasing demand for career and occupational training. The mission of the College at that time was to provide educational programs that would prepare graduates either to pursue careers or to transfer to four-year institutions for further education. During the following two decades, the student population continued to diversify, becoming co-educational in the 1980s. Mergers with three other institutions of higher learning resulted in continued record growth.

Mount Ida College currently operates under four charters: its own (1899); the Chamberlayne School and Junior College (1892); the Coyne School of Electricity and Engineering (1896); and the New England Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences (1907).

Mount Ida College long recognized the need to improve transfer opportunities for junior and community college graduates. In 1982, under the leadership of President Bryan E. Carlson, it opened a Senior College Division and began offering bachelor degree programs. The intent was to maximize transfer of previously earned academic credits by accepting the associate degree as a unit of study rather than on a course-by-course basis.

The College launched a new era in April 2000 with the appointment of Dr. Carol J. Matteson as the fifth president. Under Dr. Matteson’s leadership, Mount Ida College is once again undergoing substantial transition as a baccalaureate institution that also offers the associate degree in select fields of study. Today, the College offers bachelor and associate degree programs in some twenty-five areas of study.

Mount Ida College presently is organized into the following operational areas: Office of the President, Academic Affairs, Finance and Administration, Enrollment Management, and Student Affairs. The Academic Affairs area houses four schools and one academic institute:

• School of Animal Science
• School of Arts and Sciences
• School of Business
• School of Design
• New England Institute (NEI)