Meeting of the Board of Regents | February 2009

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

 

 

TO:	Higher Education Committee
FROM:	Johanna Duncan-Poitier
SUBJECT:	Briarcliffe College:  Regents authorization for the College to award the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree and master plan amendment authorizing the College to offer a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree program in Criminal Justice at the Bethpage and Patchogue Campuses
DATE:	February 27, 2009
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goals 2 and 4
AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

SUMMARY

 

Issue for Decision

             

Should the Board of Regents authorize Briarcliffe College – Bethpage and Patchogue Campuses to award the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree and approve a master plan amendment authorizing Briarcliffe College – Bethpage and Patchogue Campuses to offer the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree program in Criminal Justice?

 

Reason for Consideration

 

              Required by State regulation.

 

Proposed Handling

 

The question will come before the Higher Education Committee at its March 2009 meeting where it will be voted on and action taken.  It will then come before the full Board at its March 2009 meeting for final action.

 

 

 

 

 

Procedural History

 

Regents authorization of the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree is required because Briarcliffe College is not currently authorized to award that degree title.  Master plan amendment is necessary as the proposed program will be the College’s first baccalaureate degree program at each campus in the discipline of Social Sciences.   

 

Background Information

             

Briarcliffe College seeks to award the Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice at its campus at 1055 Stewart Avenue, Bethpage, NY in Nassau County and at its branch campus at 225 West Main Street, Patchogue, NY in Suffolk County.  The Regents approved a master plan amendment for the College to offer an Associate in Science degree program in Criminal Justice at its April 2003 meeting.  At its January 2009 meeting, members of the Regents Higher Education Committee asked for additional information in regard to the College’s transfer policies, the number of students enrolled in the College’s Associate program already employed in the criminal justice field, the placement rate and transfer information for the Associate program graduates, and the type of jobs for which the College anticipates its baccalaureate program will prepare its graduates.

 

Recommendation

 

              It is recommended that the Board of Regents authorize Briarcliffe College – Bethpage and Patchogue campuses to award the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree and approve a master plan amendment to authorize the College to offer a B.S. degree program in Criminal Justice.

 

Timetable for Implementation

 

If the Board approves the degree authorization and the master plan amendment, the Department will register the program and the College will proceed to recruit and enroll students.  This amendment will be effective until March 31, 2010, unless the program is registered by the Department prior to that date, in which case master plan amendment shall be without term.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Information in Support of the Recommendation

 

Regents authorization of the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree is required because Briarcliffe College is not currently authorized to award that degree title.  Master plan amendment is necessary as the proposed program will be the College’s first baccalaureate degree program at each campus in the discipline of Social Sciences.   

 

              At its January 2009 meeting, members of the Regents Higher Education Committee had additional questions about the program.  The College was asked to provide responses to the questions:

 

• What is the College’s transfer plan for graduates of other college associate degree programs?

 

Entrance requirements to the institution (for transfer students) are consistent with freshman admissions standards.  Students who transfer credits have their official transcripts thoroughly reviewed. No course with a grade below a C is transferable. Students cannot transfer more than 50 percent of a degree program.  Courses are reviewed for academic rigor and student learning outcomes consistent with courses offered at the College.

 

The College also has articulation agreements with local high schools including Barry Tech and Western Suffolk BOCES for graduates of their high school criminal justice programs who wish to attend Briarcliffe College.

 

Briarcliffe College has articulation agreements with St. John’s University and Adelphi University for graduates of its A.S. in Criminal Justice degree program who wish to continue on at other institutions.  It also has articulation agreements with Colorado Technical University and American InterContinental University.

 

• What is the placement rate for graduates of the College’s associate degree program in Criminal Justice?  How many of its graduates transferred to other colleges? 

 

Graduates employed are dictated by an industry standard known as time frame.  Each time frame will have a different placement rate.  For the August 2007 – July 2008 time frame, Briarcliffe College graduated 133 students in the associate degree program in criminal justice. Of those graduates,

 

• 38 students were placed in a category known as waivers (not available for employment assistance) because they were furthering their education (31 students), they had medical leave (2 students), they were on active duty in the military (3 students), or they are voluntarily not seeking/are uninterested in continuing pursuit in criminal justice (2 students).

 

• 35 students are employed in their field of study;
• 37 students cannot be verified because of no forwarding contact information or unable to contact;

 

• 17 students are working out of field and/or are not seeking assistance; and

 

• 6 students are currently being assisted by Career Services.

 

The placement rate for this most current time frame is currently 36.84 percent and is deceptively low.  Placement rates are negatively affected for several reasons including: a) student waivers (students who continue their education at a new degree level, military personnel, medical, etc.); b) an institution’s inability to track students after graduation to confirm career-related employment (an industry challenge); c) some graduates are waiting to complete further certifications, waiting to sit for certain entrance exams, etc. prior to committing to employment (i.e., civil service exams, police academy entrance exams, psychological profiles, etc.); d) some students redirect their passion after graduation and choose an unrelated field for altruistic, materialistic or other reasons; and e) the remaining students are exploring employment opportunities in the field.  The current placement rate will continue to increase as additional waivers are processed, students are located and verified, and students enter the work force in criminal justice.  Because this is the most recent time frame that includes recent graduates, the number is expected to be low at this time.  For prior time frames, the College has averaged between 54 percent and 68 percent placement rates in criminal justice.

 

This College’s employment rate compares favorably with employment rate information the Department’s Office of Research and Information Systems (ORIS) collects for institutions receiving Perkins funding.  The most recent data (2007) shows that the statewide average employment in field rate for criminal justice programs of these institutions is 25.9 percent, as compared to Briarcliffe’s rate of 36.84 percent.

 

Of the 31 students furthering their education, 5 graduates are enrolled in another degree program at Briarcliffe College (3 students in the Bachelor of Business Administration degree program, 1 student in the Networking and Computer Technology degree program, and 1 student in the Office Technologies – Legal degree program).

 

The remaining 26 graduates are enrolled at other, mostly area, colleges in a variety of disciplines including 19 students in criminal justice, 3 others in law-related fields of study, and 3 students in other non-related fields of study.  The colleges include:

 

 

• What types of jobs do the College’s graduates of its Associate in Science in Criminal Justice receive?  Where are they employed and in what capacity? 

 

Multiple types of careers are available to A.S. in Criminal Justice graduates, both in the private and public sector, including those focusing on social services and law enforcement.  Relative to the former, graduates obtain entry level employment in corrections, counseling, juvenile justice, casework, administration, probation and parole, and victim advocacy.  Employers here include state and federal corrections facilities, county jails, precinct houses, prison camps, youth correction facilities, shelters, group homes, non-profit organizations, and immigration and naturalization services.

 

Relative to the latter, graduates obtain entry level employment in patrolling, investigating, forensics, probation, and security.  Employers here include city/government organizations and agencies including fire, police, corrections, and prevention; and private industry including security, investigation, education, non-profit organizations, and business and retail (stores, malls, firms, etc.).

 

Students graduating in June 2008 from the criminal justice associate’s degree program are now employed in loss prevention at various retail establishments (Old Navy, TJ Maxx, AJ Wright, Best Buy, Sears, Fairway etc.); employed as police officers with the NYPD; employed with security firms (Building Star, Allied, Strategic); employed as caseworkers (Magna Care, LI Fund for Women & Children, SCO Family Services, Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, and Developmental Disabilities); and employed at law firms assisting with investigations. Other cohorts of graduates have similar pathways including security/loss prevention, case work management, corrections, probation, law enforcement, paralegal, investigation, mass transit authority, homeland security, and general administration.  

 

In light of the current economic and political changes facing this country, it is projected that these areas of employment will be greatly enhanced and expanded.  In order to advance in their careers, a higher degree is required, especially in law enforcement.

 

An associate degree provides for mostly entry level positions.  A baccalaureate degree would provide not only opportunities to enter the field but would allow the flexibility to apply for management positions as well as for advancement for those already in the field.

 

• How many students enrolled in the associate degree program are already in the criminal justice field (i.e., security guards, police, fire fighters)?

 

The College does not inquire or collect information about a prospective student’s current place of employment.  However, an informal query was conducted in response to the Board of Regents question.  Of the 347 students enrolled in the associate’s program, 228 responded to the question.  Twenty-eight of the respondents are currently employed in some capacity in the criminal justice field.

 

• What are the types of jobs for which the College anticipates its baccalaureate program will prepare its graduates?

 

The B.S. in Criminal Justice will provide opportunities for graduates in the following career fields:

 

Adjudication Hearing Officer

Case Worker

Police Officer

Court Advocate/Administrator

Loss Prevention Officer

Security Guard

Investigator

Correctional Treatment Specialist

Federal Probation/Parole Agent

Consumer Safety Officer

Game Law Enforcement Officer

Secret Service Agent

Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms Agent (ATF)

Federal Bureau Investigation Agent (FBI)

United States Postal Inspection Agent

Criminal Justice Administrator                                                   

Criminal Justice Planner                                                

Juvenile Corrections Administrator                                

Corrections Administrator                                              

Corrections Facilities Manager                                      

Community and Social Service Manager                      

Fish and Wildlife Administrator                                            

First Line Supervisor - Corrections  

First Line Supervisor - Law Enforcement

Counter Intelligence Agent

Intelligence Analyst/Specialist

Immigration Customs Enforcement Agent

Customs and Border Protection Officer

Intrusion Detection Analysis

Computer Forensic Specialist

Environmental Protection Agency Officer