THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

 

TO:	Higher Education and Professional Practice Committee
FROM:	Johanna Duncan-Poitier
SUBJECT:	Technical Career Institutes: One-Year Extension of Period of Institutional Accreditation
DATE:	February 24, 2006
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goal 2
AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

SUMMARY

 

Issue for Decision

 

Should the Board of Regents extend the period of institutional accreditation of Technical Career Institutes from May 21, 2006 to May 21, 2007?  The institution’s current period of accreditation will expire on May 21, 2006.

 

Reason for Consideration

 

Pursuant to Sections 4-1.3(b) and 4-1.5(a)(6) of the Rules of the Board of Regents, a grant of accreditation expires on the date set in the Regents vote unless the Board acts to set a new expiration date.  U.S. Department of Education staff has advised the Department that, because the Regents grant of accreditation includes an expiration date, the Department may not modify the date administratively.  The Board must vote to change an expiration date. 

 

Proposed Handling

 

This question will come before the Higher Education and Professional Practice Committee at its March meeting where it will be voted on and action taken.  It then will come before the full Board at its March meeting for final action.

 

Procedural History

 

The Regents Advisory Council on Institutional Accreditation voted at its January 27, 2006 meeting to recommend to the Regents the extension of Technical Career Institutes’ period of accreditation to May 21, 2007.

 

 

Institutional Information:  Technical Career Institutes (TCI), New York, is a proprietary degree-granting institution.  Guglielmo Marconi founded TCI in 1909 as the Marconi Institute.  The Board of Regents authorized TCI to confer degrees in 1972.  It offers Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) and Associate in Occupational Studies (A.O.S.) programs in the discipline areas of business, engineering, the health professions, and the physical sciences.  The Board of Regents has accredited TCI since 1972.  The last accreditation review took place in 2001-02.  On May 22, 2002, the Regents found TCI to be in substantial compliance with the accreditation standards with six conditions and granted a three-year accreditation period with condition instead of the five-year maximum. TCI satisfied the conditions when the Regents acted on March 15, 2005 to extend the term of TCI’s accreditation from May 21, 2005 to May 21, 2006 to avoid a conflict with a scheduled review by the Middle States Association. Middle States subsequently granted accreditation to TCI, which now holds both Middle States and Regents accreditation.

 

Reason for Recommendation:  In September 2005, a team of peer reviewers and staff visited TCI as part of a review for renewal of institutional accreditation.  TCI has the team’s draft report and is preparing its response to the findings.  The site visit team found TCI to be in compliance and has recommended the renewal of accreditation with condition.  On September 18, 2005, the day before the visit, however, TCI was purchased by EVCI Career Colleges, Inc., owner of Interboro Institute, and new officers have been named as President, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Vice President for Admissions and Marketing.  An extension of the period of accreditation to May 21, 2007 will make it possible to schedule a second peer review visit in the fall of 2006 to assess the effect of the change of ownership and the new administration. This would be the last possible extension of the 2002 grant of accreditation, which may not exceed five years.

 

Recommendation

 

It is recommended that the Board extend the term of accreditation of Technical Career Institutes from May 21, 2006 to May 21, 2007.

 

Timetable for Implementation

 

The extension would be effective May 21, 2006 and would expire on May 21, 2007. Before that date, the Department will make an accreditation peer review visit and the Regents Advisory Council will make a recommendation to the Board of Regents on renewal of TCI’s accreditation.