THE
STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY
OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234 |
TO: |
The Honorable the Members of the Board of Regents |
FROM: |
Johanna Duncan-Poitier |
COMMITTEE: |
Higher Education and Professional Practice |
TITLE OF
ITEM: |
The King’s College: Confirmation of Compliance with the Standards for Accreditation in Part 4 of the Rules of the Board of Regents and Renewal of Institutional Accreditation with Condition |
DATE OF
SUBMISSION: |
December 20, 2004 |
PROPOSED
HANDLING: |
Action |
RATIONALE FOR
ITEM: |
Action on The King’s College application for renewal of institutional accreditation is needed because the College has designated the Board of Regents and the Commissioner of Education as its nationally recognized accrediting agency |
STRATEGIC
GOAL: |
Goal 2 |
AUTHORIZATION(S): |
|
SUMMARY:
The King’s College, New York City, seeks
renewal of its institutional accreditation by the Board of Regents and the
Commissioner of Education, pursuant to the standards and procedures set forth in
Part 4 of the Rules of the Board of Regents. The King’s College is a
Regents-chartered independent college offering an Associate in Arts (A.A.)
degree program in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, and Bachelor of Science
(B.S.) degree programs in Organizational Management, Business Management, and
Childhood Education. The College was initially established in Briarcliff Manor
and was authorized to confer degrees in 1955. The Regents have accredited it since
1955. It ceased operation in
December 1994 due to financial difficulties. However, the College’s charter remained
in force. In 1999, it sought and
received approval of a charter amendment and master plan amendment to establish
the College in its new location in New York City.
The College’s institutional accreditation,
based on a transitional review conducted in 2001, was for a period of three
years extending to March 18, 2005.
The conditions imposed based on that review - to develop a strategic
plan, a formal faculty governance structure, and a system to track student
achievement - were all met within the specified
timeframe.
In November 2004, following a review of the
College’s self-study, a team composed of peer reviewers, a staff member, and a
staff review coordinator visited the College as part of the review for renewal
of institutional accreditation to assess the College's compliance with the
standards for institutional accreditation.
Department staff and the peer reviewers drafted the compliance review
report of their findings and recommendations. The Department transmitted the draft
report to the College for review and comment. The team's overall assessment was
that the College had made significant progress since the prior review and was in
substantial compliance with the standards for accreditation. Based on the perception that the College
is still in a period of transition, the team recommended that the College’s
accreditation be renewed for a period of five years with the following
conditions:
1.
The College
must submit a progress report by June 30, 2006, on the effectiveness of the
institutional assessment plan in supporting the mission and meeting
institutional goals.
2.
The College
must submit a progress report by June 30, 2006, on the development of new
programs of study and an evaluation of student outcomes in the existing
curricula, to include a survey of student views of the new
curricula.
The College accepted the recommendations in the draft report and noted the measures that had been or were already in the process of being implemented in response to many of the suggested actions.
Upon receiving The King’s College’s comments, the Department prepared a final report, including its recommendation for accreditation action, and transmitted it to the Regents Advisory Council on Institutional Accreditation for consideration. (The Regents Advisory Council is established in §3.12(d) of the Rules of the Board of Regents.)
The Advisory Council met on December 10, 2004. It considered the Department’s recommendation for accreditation action and the self-study and report underlying that recommendation; met with representatives of the College; and, following discussion, agreed with the Department’s conclusion that The King’s College is in substantial compliance with the standards for accreditation. The Department’s summary of the renewal review and recommendation for accreditation action is attached to this item.
The Advisory Council unanimously endorsed the Department’s recommendation that the Regents renew The King’s College’s accreditation with conditions for a period of five years. Neither the College nor the Deputy Commissioner has appealed the Advisory Council’s recommendation.
The Department agrees with the findings and recommendations of the Regents Advisory Council on Institutional Accreditation and recommends that the institutional accreditation of The King’s College be renewed for five years with conditions.
Regents with a conflict of interest, or the appearance of a conflict of interest, on this application are asked to recuse themselves from participating in this deliberation and decision.
Recommendation: I join the Regents Advisory Council on Institutional Accreditation in recommending that the Regents take the following action:
VOTED, that the Board of Regents renew the institutional accreditation of The King’s College, effective March 18, 2005, for a period beginning immediately and ending on March 17, 2010, with the following conditions:
1.
The College
must submit a progress report by June 30, 2006, on the effectiveness of the
institutional assessment plan in supporting the mission and meeting
institutional goals.
2.
The College
must submit a progress report by June 30, 2006, on the development of new
programs of study and an evaluation of student outcomes in the existing
curricula, to include a survey of student views of the new
curricula.
Summary of the Renewal of Accreditation
Review of
The King’s
College
and
Recommendation to
The Regents Advisory Council on Institutional Accreditation
Item for Consideration: December 10, 2004
The King’s College, 350 Fifth
Avenue, Empire State Building, New York, New York County, has been reviewed for
compliance with the standards of institutional accreditation by the Board of
Regents and the Commissioner of Education and for renewal of its institutional
accreditation.
Recommendation on Accreditation
Action: Renew
accreditation with condition.
Period of accreditation: 5 years.
Institutional
Information: The
King’s College is a Regents-chartered independent college offering an Associate
in Arts (A.A.) degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics and Bachelor of
Science (B.S.) degrees in Organizational Management, Business Management, and
Childhood Education. The College
was initially established in Briarcliff Manor, New York, and was authorized to
confer degrees in 1955. The Board
of Regents has accredited The King’s College since that date. It ceased operation in December
1994 due to financial difficulties.
However, the College’s charter remained in force. In 1999, it sought and received approval
of a charter amendment and master plan amendment to establish the College in its
new location in New York City.
Institutional accreditation was extended in 2001 with condition for a
period of three years. The College
satisfied all conditions within the two-year period specified. At the time of the November 2004 visit,
the College had an enrollment of 263 students: 224 full-time and 39 part-time
students. The faculty consists of 11 full-time and 17 part-time
members.
Reason for
Recommendation: Following
review of the institution’s self-study, a team visited The King’s College on
November 16, 2004, for renewal of accreditation. It was the team's overall
assessment that the College was in substantial compliance with the standards for
accreditation. The team recommends
that the accreditation of The King’s College be renewed for five years with the
following conditions:
·
Submit a
progress report by June 30, 2006, on the effectiveness of the institutional
assessment plan in supporting the mission and meeting institutional
goals.
·
Submit a
progress report by June 30, 2006, on the development of new programs of study
and an evaluation of student outcomes in the existing curricula, to include the
results of a survey of student views on the new
curricula.
The Department transmitted the draft report
to The King’s College for review and comment. In its response, the College made
corrections of fact and generally accepted the recommendations in the draft
report, indicating areas where the College has already undertaken the suggested
activities.