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

 

 

TO:                                  The Higher Education and Professional Practice Committee

 

FROM:                             Johanna Duncan-Poitier

 

 

SUBJECT:                        Master Plan Amendment: The State University of New York College of Technology at Canton Interinstitutional Program at Onondaga Community College

 

DATE:                              April 22, 2005

 

STRATEGIC GOAL:         Goal 2

 

AUTHORIZATION(S)        

 

Executive Summary

 

Issue for Decision

 

Should the Regents approve the proposed master plan amendment for the State University of New York College of Technology at Canton to offer an interinstitutional program at Onondaga Community College?

 

Proposed Handling

 

          This question will come before the HE & PP Committee on May 16, 2005, on its consent agenda, where it will be voted on and final action taken.

 

Procedural History

 

          Approval of master plan amendments by the Board of Regents is required by section 237 of the Education Law.  Because an interinstitutional program is a branch campus on the campus of another degree-granting institution, a master plan amendment is necessary to authorize its establishment.

 

Background Information

 

          The State University Board of Trustees, at its January 27, 2005 meeting, adopted a resolution to amend the State University Master Plan to authorize the State University of New York College of Technology at Canton (SUNY CT at Canton) to offer an interinstitutional program in Dental Hygiene on the campus of Onondaga Community College (OCC).  

 

From 1972 to 2004, OCC had a registered program in Dental Hygiene leading to the Associate in Applied Science degree.  The program was accredited by the American Dental Association (ADA).  SUNY CT at Canton is applying to ADA for program transfer, thus maintaining accreditation.  Onondaga Community College and the Fifth District Dental Society approached SUNY CT at Canton to reopen and operate the Dental Hygiene program at OCC.   The program meets the standards for registration as set forth in the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education.

 

Recommendation

 

The Regents should approve the proposed master plan amendment of the State University of New York, effective May 17, 2005, to authorize the SUNY College of Technology at Canton to establish an interinstitutional program on the campus of Onondaga Community College because it will assure an adequate supply of licensed dental hygienists in the north Central and Northern Regions of the State.

 

Timetable for Implementation

 

This approval will be effective until May 31, 2006, unless the Department registers the program prior to that date, in which case master plan amendment shall be without term.

 

 

The State University of New York

College of Technology at Canton

 

          The proposed interinstitutional program supports the State University of New York College of Technology at Canton’s mission to provide education in the health professions.  The College offers Bachelor of Technology programs in Health Services Management, Mortuary Services Management, and Veterinary Services Management and Associate in Applied Science programs in Nursing, Physical Therapy Assistant, and Occupational Therapy Assistant.  The College has requested registration of a Dental Hygiene program leading to the Associate in Applied Science degree.

 

Program

 

          From 1972 to 2004, Onondaga Community College (OCC) had a registered program in Dental Hygiene leading to the Associate in Applied Science degree.  Onondaga Community College and the Fifth District Dental Society approached SUNY CT at Canton to reopen and operate the Dental Hygiene program at OCC.  The program was accredited by the American Dental Association (ADA).  SUNY CT at Canton is applying to ADA for program transfer, thus maintaining accreditation.  The first-time success rates of OCC graduates on the national licensure examination for the last two years were 94 and 100 percent, respectively.

 

          The program meets the education requirements for licensure as a Dental Hygienist and for certification of licensed dental hygienists in restricted local infiltration anesthesia/nitrous oxide analgesia.  The 71-credit program includes 47 credits in dental hygiene theory and practice, 12 credits in science, 6 credits in social science, and 6 credits in English.

 

Enrollment

 

          Applicants must have a high school diploma, or its equivalent, with completion of Regents Biology, Chemistry, and Math A with 75 percent proficiency in both course and Regents exam.  Applicants who have not completed Regents courses must take equivalent courses offered by the college and achieve a minimum grade of “C” with an overall cumulative GPA of not less than 2.5.  The College will continue to admit 40 students (i.e., 20 new and 20 transfer) annually to the program. 

 

Faculty

 

          The program will continue to operate with a program chair, two full-time faculty, and adjuncts that are Registered Dental Hygienists and Dentists.  There is a Dental Hygiene Advisory Committee composed of six dentists and four dental hygienists that will continue to serve in this capacity with added representation from the Northern Region.         

Facilities

 

          The Dental Hygiene Clinic at OCC houses 34 clinical stations, two rooms for sterilization of equipment, a central supply area, a first-aid room, patient reception area, a consultation room that provides privacy, and a storage and laundry room.  Canton plans to upgrade the radiology unit and to purchase some new equipment.  The library resources at OCC are adequate to support the program.

 

Planning Review

 

          The programs at Monroe Community College (Rochester), Broome Community College (Binghamton), and Hudson Valley Community College (Troy) are too distant to serve the students and to assure an adequate supply of licensed dental hygienists for the Central and Northern Regions of the State.

 

          The Fifth Dental Society, the Onondaga County Dental Society, and the Oneida-Herkimer Dental Society are all supportive of Canton assuming oversight for this dental hygiene program.  The program will continue to assure an adequate supply of dental hygienists in these regions of the State.

 

          A canvass was conducted of all institutions in the Central and Northern Regions.  Of the two institutions that responded, both supported the proposed program.