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Meeting of the Board of Regents | May 2007

Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 11:00pm

sed seal                                                                                                 



 



 



THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

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

 


TO:


FROM:

Johanna Duncan-Poitier

 

 


SUBJECT:

Master Plan Amendment: State University of New York College of Technology at Alfred, Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) in Information Technology: Network Administration


DATE:

May 1, 2007

 


STRATEGIC GOAL:

Goals 2 and 4


AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

 


SUMMARY


 


Issue for Decision (Consent Agenda)

 

Should the Regents authorize the amendment of the master plan of the State University of New York College of Technology at Alfred, Alfred, New York in order for the college to independently offer a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) degree in Information Technology: Network Administration?



Reason for Consideration



 

              Required by State regulation.

 


Proposed Handling

 

              This question will come before the Higher Education and Professional Practice Committee at its May 2007 meeting where it will be voted on and action taken.  It will then come before the full Board at its May 2007 meeting for final action.

 


Procedural History

 

              The State University of New York College of Technology at Alfred has requested amendment of its master plan to offer a Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech.) degree in Information Technology: Network Administration.  This action is required because of the breakup of the consortium through which this program was offered. 

 


Background Information


 

In 1908, the legislature authorized the New York State School of Agriculture to be located on the Alfred University campus. In 1941, that school was awarded junior college status and renamed the New York State Agricultural and Technical College at Alfred. In 1948 State University of New York College of Technology at Alfred was created as a separate institution with a separate campus. SUNY Alfred offers Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.), Associate in Occupational Studies (A.O.S.), Associate in Science (A.S.), Associate in Arts (A.A.), Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.), Bachelor of Science (B.S.), and Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) degrees in more than 70 majors in the fields of agriculture, business, health, vocational and engineering technologies as well as in the liberal arts and sciences.



Effect on Other Institutions


 

              A canvass was conducted of institutions of higher education in the Western Region of New York State.  There were no responses.

 


Recommendation

 

              The Department has determined that the proposed program, if approved, would meet the standards for registration set forth in the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education.

 

              It is recommended that the Board approve the amendment of the master plan of the State University of New York College of Technology at Alfred to authorize the College to offer a Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech.) degree in Information Technology:  Network Administration.  This amendment will be effective until May 31, 2008, unless the program is registered by the Department prior to that date, in which case master plan amendment shall be without term.

 


Timetable for Implementation

 

              If the Board approves this amendment, the Department will register this program.





Information in Support of Recommendation

 


 

The Bachelor of Technology degree in Information Technology: Network Administration has been offered at SUNY Alfred since 2000 under the auspices of the UCT Alliance consortium.  SUNY Alfred has been teaching the courses with its own faculty and is seeking to offer the program independently.

 

The program is connected with the mission of the SUNY Colleges of Technology.  SUNY Alfred has many existing offerings in business and computer-related fields. The Information Technology: Network Administration program supports the mission of the College by providing technical education to support the economy of the region and New York State by providing a competent professional workforce.  Through performance and reputation in the field, graduates of this program have and will continue to contribute to SUNY Alfred’s 2000 Memorandum of Understanding with SUNY, and future MOU’s, which will reflect SUNY Alfred’s strategic goal of national recognition as a college of technology.


 

The Bachelor of Technology degree in Information Technology: Network Administration prepares graduates to enter the workforce as IT professionals with a special emphasis in networking.  Courses in software, hardware, and interoperability, as well as technical IT electives, general business coursework, and an extensive internship experience, provide students with both a breadth of skills and in-depth knowledge in a chosen area of specialization.

 

The curriculum for the Information Technology: Network Administration degree program covers network and database design, security, and administration; knowledge of computer systems; programming and web page development; software integration and interoperation; project management skills; and the ability for students to specialize in one of these areas through program electives.  An extensive internship is also required to provide all graduates with some “on-the-job” training and experience.  In addition to well-rounded general education requirements, students in the program obtain basic business skills in areas such as economics, accounting, management, and communications.

 

The program is unique because it simultaneously provides knowledge breadth in information technology and general business principles and allows students to self-select an area for in-depth studies through professional and open electives.  In addition, graduates are able to “hit the ground running” because they are immersed in courses within their major immediately and provided experiential learning opportunities through a required internship experience in the Information Technology: Network Administration program.

 

Admissions requirements specific to the Information Technology: Network Administration program include completion of Math A and B and a recommendation for either a composite ACT score of 21 or a combined SAT (critical reading and math) score of 1000.

 

 

Enrollment in the program is currently 78 students (2 part-time), and is projected to grow slightly during the next five years to about 90 students (4 part-time).

 

Facilities, equipment, a diverse group of qualified faculty members, and sufficient support systems for faculty and students already exist at SUNY Alfred for offering the Information Technology: Network Administration program under the auspices of the UCT Alliance consortium authority for the past six years.  The department has ten full-time faculty members and uses two adjunct faculty.  Three faculty members hold a Ph.D. (in information technology, computer science, and human factors engineering) and have industry experience.  The seven remaining faculty members hold a related master’s degree and have industry experience in information technology, programming, network administration, web development, or a combination.  Faculty has the latest technology, equipment, and support resources needed to deliver the Information Technology:  Network Administration Bachelor of Technology degree program.  There are three networking labs in the Department, two of which were refurbished with new computers in 2006.  SUNY Alfred has a campus-wide policy to replace laboratory computers every five years.

 

The College is committed to augmenting its current collection of IT related publications as courses are further developed and needs identified.  The Hinkle Library has added the following IT resources since the Network Administration program started: over 20 IT books over the past three years; the netLibrary collection of e-books for viewing by SUNY Alfred faculty and students; and access to additional search engines (a total of nine are now available) for viewing abstracts and full-text articles from trade and academic journals.  The Hinkle Library also provides resources through SUNY Connect, and the staff will continue to offer students targeted workshops in support of curriculum needs.

 

Employment opportunities for graduates are expected to be excellent based on employment trends for the 65 graduates from the program during the previous four years, with an average of over 90 percent obtaining employment prior to graduation or transferring to another institution for further education.  Projections through 2012 for high-skill employment growth (18.3 percent) in information technology provided by the New York State Department of Labor’s January and February 2005 issues of Employment in New York State also indicate a very strong future job market for IT professionals.

 

Separate registration of this program offered entirely by SUNY Alfred will be in addition to the UCT Alliance consortium program currently registered.  SUNY Alfred has been successfully offering the program using its own faculty for six years.