THE BOARD OF
REGENTS
The
Board of Regents of The University of the State of New York held an executive
session on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 at 8:00 a.m. and held two public sessions on
Monday, March 22 at 9:00 a.m. and Tuesday, March 23, at 9:15 a.m. pursuant to a
call duly sent to each Regent.
MEETING OF THE FULL BOARD, Monday, March 22
Board Members in Attendance:
Robert M. Bennett, Chancellor
Adelaide L. Sanford, Vice Chancellor
Diane McGivern
Saul B. Cohen
Robert M. Johnson
Anthony S. Bottar
Geraldine D. Chapey
Arnold B. Gardner
Harry Phillips, 3rd
Joseph E. Bowman, Jr.
James R. Tallon, Jr.
Milton L. Cofield
John Brademas
Also
present were the President of The University and Commissioner of Education,
Richard P. Mills, the Counsel and Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs, Kathy
A. Ahearn, and the Secretary, Board of Regents, David Johnson. Regents James C. Dawson, Merryl H. Tisch
and Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez were absent and excused.
Chancellor
Bennett called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
ACTION
ITEMS
MOVED, that the Board of Regents convene in
executive session on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 at 8:00 a.m. for the purpose of
discussing matters leading to the appointment of a particular person and for the
purpose of discussing litigation strategy.
Motion by: Vice
Chancellor Adelaide L. Sanford
Seconded by: Regent James R. Tallon, Jr.
Action: Motion
carried unanimously
Summary of the February 2004 Meeting
BR (A) 2
MOVED,
that the Summary of the February 2004 Meeting of the Board of Regents of
The University of the State of New York be approved.
Motion by: Regent Anthony S. Bottar
Seconded by: Regent Geraldine D. Chapey
Action: Motion carried unanimously
State Education Department February
2004 Fiscal Report
BR (A) 3
The
Board received the February 2004 Fiscal Report for review and acceptance.
General
fund accounts are in structural balance.
With one exception, all revenue accounts are in balance, allowing for
normal reimbursement delays and the planned use of prior year balances. The exception is the Office of the
Professions where the imbalance this year will be corrected next year through
increased fee revenue through new professions or reduced expenditures.
MOVED,
that the Board of Regents accept the February 2004 State Education
Department Fiscal Report as presented.
Motion by: Regent Geraldine D. Chapey
Seconded by: Regent Joseph E. Bowman, Jr.
Action: Motion
carried unanimously
DISCUSSION
ITEMS
Commissioner's Report to the Board of
Regents
The
Commissioner's written monthly report focused on eight subject areas: State Aid; AYP Report on Special Education;
Continued Discussion of Middle Level; College Admission Requirements for Home
Instructed Students; School Report Card Data; Developing Leaders: Leadership Academy II; Continuing Review of
Assessment Topics; and, Research on Effectiveness of Teacher Preparation in New
York State.
During
discussion, Board members requested information on the modified temporary license
program, including in New York City the reporting and non-reporting of
vacancies. Chancellor Bennett stated
that a Board discussion on this subject would be scheduled in May.
2005-2006 Budget Development Process
BR (D) 1
The
Board reviewed the steps and timetable in the 2005-2006 budget development
process: review the existing three-year
initiatives against established initiative outcomes and evaluation criteria
(March 2004); evaluate the 2005-2006 initiatives proposed by the program
offices using the established criteria in the Regents Standing Committees (June
2004); discuss the proposed 2005-2006 budget initiatives with the Full Board of
Regents (July 2004); and, act on the "Bluebook" 2005-2006 Budget
Proposal (September 2004).
School Report Card Data
BR (D) 3
The Board reviewed significant
trends in the school report card data, distributed by the Department to the
public on March 17.
The trends in the 2002-2003
statewide school report card data show:
more students are taking and passing Regents exams at 65, even as five
exams are required; 96 percent of the seniors in the 1999 cohort met the
Regents English exam requirement in four years; the majority of students in all
racial/ethnic groups scored over 55 on the Regents English exam after four
years, but an achievement gap continues by race/ethnicity; as many students
scored 55 or higher on the Regents Math A exam in 2003 as took the Math I exam
in 1996; in 2002-2003, 14.9 percent of grade 9 students were held back because
they were not prepared for high school work; the number of high school
graduates has remained stable and the percentage of students earning Regents
diplomas has increased significantly since higher standards were adopted in
1996; while Hispanic and Black students in the 1998 graduation rate cohort have
the lowest graduation rate after four years, they also have the largest
percentage still enrolled and working toward diplomas; more students are
getting a Regents diploma, requiring a 65 passing score on eight exams; and, elementary
and middle school achievement is improving among all types of schools and all
racial groups compared to 1999 results, with more students achieving all the
standards in elementary English and math and middle school math, while fewer
students are achieving all the standards in middle school English.
MEETING OF THE FULL BOARD, Tuesday, March 23
Board Members in Attendance:
Robert M. Bennett, Chancellor
Adelaide L. Sanford, Vice Chancellor
Diane McGivern
Saul B. Cohen
Robert M. Johnson
Anthony S. Bottar
Merryl H. Tisch
Geraldine D. Chapey
Arnold B. Gardner
Harry Phillips, 3rd
Joseph E. Bowman, Jr.
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
James R. Tallon, Jr.
Milton L. Cofield
John Brademas
Also
present were the President of The University and Commissioner of Education,
Richard P. Mills, the Counsel and Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs, Kathy
A. Ahearn, and the Secretary, Board of Regents, David Johnson. Regent James C. Dawson was absent and
excused.
Chancellor
Bennett called the meeting to order at 9:15 a.m.
ACTION ITEMS
Election of
the Officers of the Board
The Board met in public session to
elect its Chancellor and Vice Chancellor for the period April 1, 2004 through
March 31, 2007. The elections followed
procedures adopted by the Board in February 1995.
MOVED, the
nomination of Chancellor Robert M. Bennett for the office of Chancellor.
Motion by: Vice Chancellor Adelaide L.
Sanford
Seconded by: Regent Saul B. Cohen
MOVED, that
nominations for Chancellor be closed.
Motion by: Regent Robert M. Johnson
Seconded by: Regent Anthony S. Bottar
Action: Motion
carried unanimously
Following the nomination and
an opportunity for the candidate to make a statement and receive comments and
questions from his colleagues, the Board voted by paper ballot. Regent Anthony S. Bottar and Regent Merryl
H. Tisch were designated as Tellers.
Chancellor Robert M. Bennett was
re-elected Chancellor by unanimous vote of the members of the Board, the term
of office to be April 1, 2004 through March 31, 2007. The paper ballot vote count was 15-0.
MOVED, the
nomination of Vice Chancellor Adelaide L. Sanford for the office of Vice
Chancellor.
Motion by: Chancellor Robert M. Bennett
Seconded by: Regent Milton L. Cofield
MOVED, that the
nominations for Vice Chancellor be closed.
Motion by: Regent Robert M. Johnson
Seconded by: Regent Joseph E. Bowman, Jr.
Action: Motion
carried unanimously
Following the nomination and an
opportunity for the candidate to make a statement and receive comments and
questions from her colleagues, the Board voted by paper ballot. Regent Anthony S. Bottar and Regent Merryl
H. Tisch were designated as Tellers.
Vice Chancellor Adelaide L.
Sanford was re-elected Vice Chancellor by unanimous vote of the members of the
Board, the term of office to be April 1, 2004 through March 31, 2007. The paper ballot vote count was 15-0.
Acceptance of Funds
Vice Chancellor Adelaide
L. Sanford, on behalf of the Hines and Sanford families, presented Chancellor
Robert M. Bennett with a check in the amount of $10,000 for the purpose of
establishing awards for research and study of the African experience in New
York State, The Americas and the Diaspora.
An award will be presented annually or as appropriate at a Regents
monthly meeting.
On behalf of the members of the
Board of Regents, Chancellor Bennett accepted the funds.
Appointment
of Assistant Commissioner of Vocational and
Educational
Services for Individuals with Disabilities
BR (A) 4
MOVED, that the Board of Regents
approve the appointment of Edward W. Placke as Assistant Commissioner for
Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities,
effective April 22, 2004.
Motion by: Regent Saul B. Cohen
Seconded by: Regent Diane McGivern
Action: Motion
carried unanimously
Resolution
in Honor of Doris T. Garner
Commissioner Richard P. Mills
presented a Resolution honoring Doris T. Garner for her twenty-four years of
outstanding service with the State Education Department and her contributions
to higher education in the State.
The Resolution is attached as
Appendix III.
DISCUSSION
ITEMS
Update on SED Leadership Academy
BR (D) 2
Certificates
were presented to the graduates of the Department's Leadership Academy II.
Academy
participants are required to complete an application project as part of a
team. Representatives of each of the
five teams presented a brief summary of their project topic: Conceptual Design for the Use of Technology
in the State Assessment Program; Strategies to Recruit Public School Students
into Teaching; Project Management; Using a Balanced Scorecard to Manage VESID's
Vocational Rehabilitation Procurement Processes; and, The Power of USNY.
Preview of April Monthly Meeting
The
Board received an overview of activities scheduled during the monthly meeting
in Buffalo on April 19-20. These
include: discussions on teaching and
teacher education with area college presidents, deans of schools of education
and public school administrators; visits to community collaborative education
programs; visits to a series of public schools; and, a public business meeting.
STANDING
COMMITTEE REPORTS
MOVED,
that the reports from the Regents Standing Committees be approved as submitted.
Motion by: Regent Anthony S. Bottar
Seconded by: Regent Joseph E. Bowman, Jr.
Action: Motion
carried unanimously
During
discussion of the Committee meetings, Regent Robert M. Johnson, Chair of the
Committee on Quality, requested that Board members submit proposed topics for
the annual retreat in July for discussion at the May Committee on Quality
meeting.
REGENTS COMMITTEE ON
ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, SECONDARY
AND CONTINUING
EDUCATION-VOCATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICES FOR
INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES
Regents
Anthony S. Bottar and Merryl H. Tisch, Co-Chairs of the Committee on
Elementary, Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education-Vocational and
Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities, presented on behalf of
the Committee the following written report.
Your EMSC-VESID
Committee held its scheduled meeting on March 22, 2004. Regent Dawson was absent and excused.
ACTION
ITEMS
Charter Applications
·
Your Committee recommends approval of the charter
applications relating to elementary, middle, secondary and continuing
education. [BR (A) 1]
State Plan
·
Your Committee recommends approval of the amendment to the
State Plan for Vocational Rehabilitation and Supported Employment. [EMSC-VESID (A) 1]
Charter Schools
·
Your Committee recommends approval
of the proposed charters for the following charter schools: Girls Preparatory Charter School of New
York, CSD #1; and KIPP Tech Valley Charter School, Albany. [EMSC-VESID (A) 2]
·
Your Committee recommends approval
of the proposed charter for the following charter school: Oracle Charter
School, Buffalo. The vote was 5 approve
and 1 oppose (Regent Bowman).
[EMSC-VESID (A) 2]
·
Your Committee recommends approval
of the proposed revisions to the charters of the following charter
schools: Genesee Community Charter
School at the Rochester Museum and Science Center, Rochester; and Roosevelt
Children's Academy Charter School, Roosevelt.
[EMSC-VESID (A) 2]
MATTERS
NOT REQUIRING BOARD ACTION
Building capacity to improve
performance of limited English proficient/English language learners [EMSC-VESID (D) 1]
Committee
members discussed a number of issues:
the persistent problem of recruiting certified teachers; early childhood
intervention for English language learners; use of distance learning and
technology in providing instruction in districts where there are teacher
shortages; call to teaching forums for ESL and bilingual education teachers;
options for exiting the NYSESLAT testing program; the educational needs of
incarcerated English language learners; issues involving newly arrived English
language learners with limited or interrupted formal education; and potential
of support by the business community in providing scholarships for
students. The Committee asked for data
on the performance of students who take State assessments in native languages.
Board members and Department staff will receive copies of studies/articles
cited by Regent Cortés-Vázquez for review and analysis. Data on English-speaking students from
Caribbean countries will be provided to the Committee in April or May. Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo addressed the
Committee about the importance of working together to meet the needs of English
language learners.
Review of other states' approaches
to using State assessments to meet graduation requirements [EMSC-VESID (D) 2]
The
Committee asked for more information on the processes and experiences of other
states in developing State assessments.
Committee members noted that, as the Board reviews broad policy topics
relating to assessment, it will need to determine the avenues to pursue
further, i.e., an assessment system that is objective vs. subjective, policies
that may affect small numbers of students, etc.
Federal strategy to address
adequate yearly progress for students with disabilities [EMSC-VESID (D) 3]
The
Committee asked to be kept informed on this issue as well as other concerns
identified in implementing the No Child Left Behind legislation.
Strategy for implementing Regents
Policy Statement on Middle-Level Education
[EMSC-VESID (D) 4]
The
Committee asked for a cost/benefit analysis on the proposed strategy. The Committee also asked that we emphasize
that all students are expected to achieve the intermediate level of the 28
State Learning Standards by the end of grade 8. The question-and-answer document will continue to be refined.
Joint meeting of Regents
EMSC-VESID and HE&PP Committees
Proposed amendment to Section 3.47
of the Rules of the Board of Regents and Section 100.10 of the Commissioner's
Regulations relating to requirements for the conferral of a college degree and
the home instruction of students of compulsory attendance age and college
study [EMSC-VESID/HE-PP (D) 1]
REGENTS COMMITTEE ON HIGHER
EDUCATION AND
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Regent
Diane McGivern, Chair of the Committee on Higher Education and Professional Practice,
presented on behalf of the Committee the following written report.
Your Committee on
Higher Education and Professional Practice held its scheduled meeting on March
22, 2004. All Committee members were
present.
ACTION
ITEMS
PROFESSIONAL DISCIPLINE CASES
Your Committee
recommends that the reports of the Regents Review Committees, including
rulings, findings of fact, determinations as to guilt, and recommendations, by
unanimous or majority vote, contained in those reports which have been distributed
to you, be accepted in 7 cases,
except that one member abstained in two cases, as hereinafter set forth. In addition, your Committee recommends, upon
the recommendation of the Committee on the Professions, that 21 consent order
applications and 11 surrender applications be granted.
In the cases under
calendar numbers 18550 and 18551, Regent Geraldine D. Chapey abstained.
These recommendations are made
following the review of 39 cases
involving 12 registered professional nurses, three certified social workers,
three licensed practical nurses, two certified public accountants, two licensed
practical nurses who are also registered professional nurses, two massage
therapists, two veterinarians, one architect, one architect professional
corporation, one audiologist, one chiropractor, one dentist, one land surveyor,
one land surveyor professional corporation, one pharmacist, one physical
therapist, one professional engineer, one respiratory therapy technician.
CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS
Your Committee recommends that the
Regents approve an amendment to the absolute charter of Practical Bible College
to change the corporate name to “Davis College.” [BR (A) 1]
Your Committee recommends that the
Regents approve that an absolute charter in the first instance be granted to
St. Joseph's College of Nursing at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center. [BR (A) 1]
Your
Committee recommends that the Regents approve an amendment to the master plan
of Rochester Business Institute, Rochester, effective March 23, 2004,
authorizing the Institute to offer an Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.)
degree program in Homeland Security Specialist. This amendment will be effective until March 31, 2005, unless the
Department registers the program prior to that date, in which case master plan
amendment shall be without term. [HE & PP
(CA) 1]
Your
Committee recommends that the Regents approve an amendment to the master plan
of D’Youville College, effective March 23, 2004, authorizing the College to
offer an Ed.D. program in Educational Leadership. This amendment will be effective only until March 31, 2005,
unless the Department registers the program prior to that date, in which case
master plan amendment shall be without term.
[HE & PP (CA) 2]
Your Committee recommends that the Regents approve the Report of the
Committee on the Professions regarding Licensing Petitions. [HE & PP (CA) 3]
Your
Committee recommends that the Regents approve the following appointments and
reappointments to the State Boards for the Professions: [HE & PP
(CA) 4]
State Board for Chiropractic - appoint
Humayun J. Chaudhry (Commack), Stephen T. Eble (Mt. Kisco), Jay A. Okin (Rye
Brook), and Todd R. Olson (Pelham) each for a term beginning April 1, 2004 and
ending March 31, 2009
State Board for Massage Therapy - appoint
Cheryl A. Flynn (Syracuse) for a term beginning April 1, 2004 and ending March
31, 2009
State
Board for Medicine - reappoint Nathan G. Kase (New York) for a term
beginning April 1, 2004 and ending March 31, 2009
State
Board for Nursing - appoint Prissana Alston (Dix Hills) for a term
beginning April 1, 2004 and ending March 31, 2009
State
Board for Podiatry - reappoint Bob S. Biller (Oceanside), Jignasa Joshi
(Roslyn), Donna T. Landi (Brooklyn), and Richard Montag (Melville) each for a
term beginning April 1, 2004 and ending March 31, 2009
State
Board for Public Accountancy - reappoint David Joseph Hasso
(Wynantskill) and Nicholas J. Mastracchio, Jr. (Glenville) each for a term
beginning May 1, 2004 and ending April 30, 2009
State Board
for Respiratory Therapy - appoint Paul L. Goldiner (Larchmont) for a term
beginning April 1, 2004 and ending March 31, 2009
Your
Committee recommends that the Regents approve the following appointments and
reappointments as extended members to the State Boards for the Professions for
service on licensure disciplinary and/or licensure restoration and moral
character panels and the following appointments and reappointments to the State
Committee for Professional Assistance:
State Board for Athletic Trainers - appoint
Louann Kuntz (Albany) as an extended member for a term beginning April 1, 2004
and ending March 31, 2009
State Board for Massage Therapy - appoint
Cynthia R. Black (Newfield) as an extended member for a term beginning April 1,
2004 and ending March 31, 2009
State Board for Medicine -
reappoint Charles C. Gibbs ((Rainbow Lake) and Ralph J. Lucariello (Bronxville)
as extended members each for a term beginning April 1, 2004 and ending March
31, 2009
State Board for Optometry -
reappoint Murray Fingeret (Hewlett) and William F. O'Connell (Scarsdale) as
extended members each for a term beginning April 1, 2004 and ending March 31,
2009
State Committee for Professional Assistance - appoint
K. Balasubramanian
(Latham), Annie B. Smoke (Dewitt), and Richard T. Young (Hoosick Falls) each
for a term beginning March 23, 2004 and ending March 22, 2009 and reappoint
David W. Bowie (Albany), John G. Knowles (Tully), and Suzanne Stanton
(Syracuse) each for a term beginning January 1, 2004 and ending December 31,
2008 and Edward R. Hammock (Queens) for a term beginning May 1, 2003
and ending April 30, 2008
APPROVAL ITEMS
Your
Committee recommends that the Regents approve the proposed emergency amendments
to sections 80-1.3, 80-2.1, 80-3.8, 80-3.9, and 80-5.17 of the Regulations of
the Commissioner of Education relating to pathways to certification in the
classroom teaching service, effective March 30, 2004. The Committee revised Section 4 of the proposed regulation
creating a pathway for licensed speech language pathologists to achieve
certification. Under the revised
proposal, candidates for a professional certificate must complete three years
of experience as a teacher of speech and hearing handicapped, rather than two
years of experience as initially proposed.
[HE & PP (A) 1]
Your Committee recommends that the Regents approve
the proposed emergency amendments to sections 80-1.2, 80-2.12, 80-2.13, 80-3.1,
80-3.5, 80-4.3, 80-5.6, and 80-5.13 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of
Education relating to technical changes in requirements for certification in
the classroom teaching service, effective March 30, 2004. [HE & PP (A) 2]
MATTERS NOT REQUIRING BOARD ACTION
Your Committee discussed several topics of interest,
including:
Examining the Pathways for Teacher
Preparation [HE &
PP (D) 1]
Your Committee discussed with Professor James Wyckoff the independent
research project he is heading that will examine teacher preparation
pathways at CUNY and approximately 10 independent colleges. Professor Wyckoff and his colleagues will be
looking at the attributes of teacher education programs at these institutions
and their impact on issues including the preparation of quality teachers, as
evidenced by gains in student learning in the New York City public schools, and
retention of teachers. The research will
assess the role that traditional and nontraditional pathways into teaching play
in both improving the quality of the teacher workforce and equalizing the
distribution of highly qualified teachers across urban schools.
Full-time/Part-time faculty and Faculty Load Requirements
for Teacher Education Programs
Your Committee discussed the requirement in
regulation concerning the percentage of teacher education programs that must be
taught by full time faculty and the requirement concerning faculty load. Staff recommends that the Board allow
flexibility in those requirements for institutions that have achieved
accreditation of their teacher education programs and whose programs meet or
exceed the 80% pass rate requirement for their graduates. It was agreed that staff would report back
to the Committee with additional information that could assist the committee in
further analyzing this requirement and its impact on the quality of teacher
preparation programs.
Implementation of the New Illegal Practice Law [HP & PP (D) 2]
Your Committee was provided an update on the steps being taken to
implement the new Illegal Practice law.
Major aspects of the law and what it does, proposed strategies to ensure
that the law is implemented successfully, as well as challenges being faced
were all discussed.
Proposed Amendment to the Rules of the Board of Regents
and the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education Relating to Requirements
for the Conferral of a College Degree and the Home Instruction of Students of
Compulsory Attendance Age and College Study
[HE & PP and EMSC-VESID (D) 1]
The HE & PP and EMSC-VESID
Committees met in joint session to discuss with staff the proposed amendment to
establish alternatives to the
requirement that a candidate for a college degree hold a high school diploma or the equivalent, and to provide pathways for students to attend college
while still of compulsory school age.
REGENTS COMMITTEE ON CULTURAL EDUCATION
Regent
Robert Johnson, presented on behalf of James Dawson, Chair of the Cultural
Education Committee, the following written report:
Your
Committee on Cultural Education had its scheduled meeting on March 22, 2004 in
the Regents Room, State Education Building.
Regents Johnson, Bowman, Cortés-Vázquez and Tallon were present. Regent
Dawson was absent and excused.
ACTION
ITEMS
Your
Committee reviewed the summary recommendations with respect to charter
applications. Items listed under
Cultural Education were recommended for approval.
REGENTS COMMITTEE ON QUALITY
Regent
Robert M. Johnson, Chair of the Committee on Quality, presented on behalf of
the Committee the following written report.
Your
Committee on Quality held its scheduled meeting on March 22, 2004. Vice Chair
Cortés-Vázquez and Regent Bowman were present.
Chancellor Bennett and Vice Chancellor Sanford also attended.
APPROVAL
No items were recommended for
formal approval by the Regents.
MATTERS NOT REQUIRING BOARD ACTION
The Committee discussed three items:
l
Your Committee continued its conversation about the USNY
Convocation, with a focus on the format for the event and the criteria for
selecting whom to invite.
The Convocation must be forward looking and focus on how the assets of
USNY can be applied effectively and innovatively to closing critical gaps
related to student achievement, educational opportunity, and access to
educational and cultural resources.
While plenary sessions may be useful for setting the context for the
day, most of the Convocation should be spent in interactive group discussions
of promising strategies and new institutional collaborations to address closing
the gaps.
Staff will collaborate with the external Convocation Planning Advisory
Committee and the Quality Committee to prepare an assessment or analysis of the
current situation as background to inform the conversation during the
Convocation.
Your Committee confirmed that the
Convocation would be held in the Main Education Building in Albany. This will necessitate that participation in
the event be by invitation and that the invitation list be capped at 150
people. Some invitations will be
reserved for key stakeholders who are not members of USNY, such as legislative
leaders, Governor’s staff, or other State agency executives. Staff will begin compiling the list of
potential invitees from among USNY institutions using the following criteria:
ü
Is
actively engaged in issues concerned with closing gaps related to student
achievement, educational opportunity, and access to educational and cultural
resources.
ü
Has
demonstrated experience in collaboration across USNY institutions to solve
difficult issues.
ü
Taken
together, the participants must reflect both the diversity of the many
institutions that comprise USNY and the diversity of the State.
ü
Participants
should include both institutional leaders and highly effective practitioners.
Staff will consult with the external Convocation
Planning Advisory Committee and solicit suggestions from the Board in its work
to compile the invitation list.
l
Your Committee received an update on the USNY Technology
Policy and Practices Council:
ü
Don
Jacobs, Director for Applied Technologies in Education from the University at
Buffalo and Dr. Ellen Meier, Co-Director, Center for Technology and School
Change at Columbia University have agreed to serve as the Council’s Co-Chairs.
ü
Regents
Bowman and Johnson will soon talk with the Co-Chairs to set the first meeting,
confirm the Council’s initial focus, establish tentative deliverables, and set
timelines.
The
Council’s initial work should be to identify the State’s technology assets in
terms of infrastructure and electronic content as well as the capacity to
create additional electronic content.
This work should be advanced in time for use at the Convocation, since
technology promises to be an effective tool for dealing with certain aspects of
gap closing strategies.
l
Your Committee also discussed the annual Board retreat. Topics suggested for the agenda are:
ü
Assessment of the changes to Board structure and the conduct
of meetings put into place at last year’s retreat. Possible outcomes include: further refinements of this current
approach, move to shorter monthly meetings, or establish an annual schedule of
longer, but less frequent Board meetings.
ü
Update of the Strategic Plan, last revised in January 2000.
ü
Discussion of the topics included on the issues list
developed at the last retreat for which the Board has not yet devoted time to
consider.
Staff will
find a local site, possibly SUNY at Albany.
Staff will also develop a proposed agenda for both the retreat and a
highly truncated July business meeting
that allows the Board adequate time for thoughtful deliberation during
the retreat.
