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:	New York Academy of Art: One-Year Extension of Period of Institutional Accreditation Technical Career Institutes: One-Year Extension of Period of Institutional Accreditation
DATE OF SUBMISSION:	February 18, 2005
PROPOSED HANDLING:	Action
RATIONALE FOR ITEM:	The Regents must act in order to modify an accredited institution’s period of accreditation
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goal 2
AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

 

 

SUMMARY:

 

 

Two Regents-accredited higher education institutions, the New York Academy of Art and Technical Career Institutes, seek extensions of the expiration dates of their period of accreditation from May 21, 2005 to May 21, 2006.  Both institutions participated in the 2001-02 transitional procedure to confirm compliance with the Regents accreditation standards, pursuant to §4-1.5(a) of the Rules of the Board of Regents.  §4-1.5(a)(6) provides that, for transitional reviews, “Unless otherwise limited by the accreditation action of the commissioner and the Board of Regents, such accreditation action shall extend for a five-year period to the next scheduled accreditation action following a scheduled comprehensive review, as prescribed in subdivision (b) of this section . . .” The Regents found each institution to be in substantial compliance with the accreditation standards; however, they granted three-year accreditation periods instead of the five-year maximum, and set conditions for each institution.

 

 

 

 

 

  The status of the conditions set for each institution is as follows: 

 

New York Academy of Art (NYAA).  On May 22, 2002, the Regents extended NYAA’s institutional accreditation for a period ending on May 21, 2005, and set the following two conditions:

 

1.     The school must submit a long-range financial plan with measurable goals by October 1, 2002, with reports on the progress made toward those goals by October 1, 2003, and June 15, 2004.

 

·       NYAA did not submit a long-range financial plan with measurable goals by October 1, 2002.  In August 2004, NYAA’s Board of Trustees hired a new executive director who has begun to develop the plan.  Staff believe that NYAA now is proceeding with reasonable speed to prepare its plan and that it will be in place in the fall of 2005.

 

2.     Additionally, the school must submit quarterly operating budget reports through June 30, 2004.

 

• Staff have found that financial procedures are being systematized and checks and balances put in place.  NYAA submitted its budget and balance sheet; these are under review by the Department’s Office of Audit Services.

 

Technical Career Institutes (TCI).  On May 22, 2002, the Regents extended TCI’s institutional accreditation for a period ending on May 21, 2005, and set six conditions.  TCI has satisfied the conditions as described below:

 

1.     Modify the mission statement so that it reflects present operations, curricula, a long-range plan, and future goals with the appropriate emphasis on liberal arts and the actual extent of theoretical elements of instruction.  Publish the revised mission statement in the catalog.

 

• TCI adopted a revised mission statement and published it in the catalog and on its Web site.

 

2.     Develop and implement a comprehensive assessment plan.

 

·       TCI developed a comprehensive assessment plan and implemented it with the introduction of Student Satisfaction, Graduation/Exit, Staff, and Faculty surveys.

 

3.     Develop and implement a comprehensive library plan sufficient to support, in terms of breadth, depth, and currency, all curricula offered by TCI.

 

• TCI developed and has begun to implement a comprehensive library development plan.  Activities completed include complete cataloging of the collection, initiation of customer satisfaction and demographic surveys, creation of a library Web site with an on-line catalog and databases, implementation of an information literacy program, and faculty training.

 

4.     Document the complete student complaint process.

 

• The student complaint process is now published in the Student Handbook.

 

5.     Develop and implement a plan to increase the communication lines throughout the Institute with all affected constituencies giving input and feedback.

 

• TCI now is a Candidate for Accreditation with the Middle States Association. Middle States’ self-study process encompasses all TCI constituencies.  Once it achieves Middle States’ accreditation, TCI will assess which activities it will continue.  TCI also has a newsletter that is published at least once per term.

 

6.     Develop and implement an academic advising process to assure that students are adequately informed and documentation of the training and involvement of faculty in that process. (sic)

 

• TCI developed an academic advising process, published a faculty academic advisement guide, and implemented the process.

 

In each case, extension of the period of accreditation to May 21, 2006, will make it possible to schedule peer review visits in the fall of 2005, followed by appearances before the Regents Advisory Council on Institutional Accreditation in the spring of 2006 and recommendations for Regents action no later than the May 2006 Regents meeting.     

 

Recommendation: I recommend that the Board of Regents take the following action:

 

VOTED, effective March 15, 2005, that the expiration date for the period of institutional accreditation for the New York Academy of Art and Technical Career Institutes be extended from May 21, 2005 to May 21, 2006.