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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.

Attachment

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.

The compliance report includes the draft report, the College’s response to it, and the Department’s recommendation with respect to accreditation action. Based on the self-study and other pertinent material, the team's report, and the College’s response, the Department concurs with the recommendations of the site visit team and recommends renewal of accreditation with condition for five years.

The Honorable the Members of the Board of Regents