Meeting of the Board of Regents | November 2009

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

TO:	The Joint Committee on HE & EMSC
FROM:	Joseph P. Frey
SUBJECT:	Initial Institutional Accreditation of the American Museum of Natural History, Richard Gilder Graduate School
DATE:	November 3, 2009
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goal 2
AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

SUMMARY

 

Issue for Decision

Should the Board of Regents grant accreditation to the American Museum of Natural History, Richard Gilder Graduate School?

 

Reason(s) for Consideration

             

              Required by State regulation.

             

Proposed Handling

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

Procedural History

In October 2007, the American Museum of Natural History, Richard Gilder Graduate School applied for institutional accreditation by the Board of Regents and the Commissioner of Education pursuant to Subpart 4-1 of the Rules of the Board of Regents.  It submitted its self-study in 2009.  In March 2009, a peer review team visited the Graduate School.  The Department issued its final report on the application for accreditation in October 2009.  On October 30, 2009, the Regents Advisory Council on Institutional Accreditation voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Regents accredit American Museum of Natural History for a five-year period. Neither the Graduate School nor the Deputy Commissioner of Higher Education appealed that recommendation to the Commissioner.

Background Information

American Museum of Natural History is a chartered independent institution located in Manhattan, New York County, awarding the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree offering a program in Comparative Biology.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Board of Regents accredit the American Museum of Natural History, Richard Gilder Graduate School for a period of five years ending on November 17, 2014.

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 the deliberation and decision. 

Timetable for Implementation

If the Board of Regents grants institutional accreditation to the American Museum of Natural History, that accreditation will go into effect immediately.  On the basis of that action, the Department will renew the registration of the Graduate School’s program.  The American Museum of Natural History will be required to submit accreditation data reports annually and a mid-term self-study report.

Attachment

Information in Support of Recommendation

 

Peer Review Visit.  In preparation for a visit by a peer review team, American Museum of Natural History prepared a self-study following the requirements for self-studies in the Handbook of Institutional Accreditation.  On March 30, 2009, a peer review team visited the Graduate School.  It examined the self-study and other documents; met with the faculty, students, and the president, dean, and other administrators; examined the facilities and academic, research, and administrative resources; and observed a class.  It made one recommendation and recommended accreditation for five years, without condition, in order to give American Museum of Natural History sufficient time for at least one class to graduate before its next peer review.

Peer Review Team Recommendation: Accreditation for a period of five years.

              The Department transmitted the team’s draft compliance review report to American Museum of Natural History, providing it 30 days to prepare a written response correcting factual errors and addressing any other aspect of the report.  The draft report, American Museum of Natural History’s response, and the Department’s preliminary recommendation for accreditation action became the final compliance review report.

               Regents Advisory Council Review.  As required by Subpart 4-1, the Department transmitted the final compliance review report, including its preliminary recommendation for accreditation action, for consideration by the Regents Advisory Council on Institutional Accreditation.  (The Advisory Council is established in §3.12(d) of the Rules of the Board of Regents “to review applications for accreditation and renewal of accreditation pursuant to Part 4 of this Title, and such other matters as the department may ask it to review, and make recommendations to the Regents and the commissioner based on its review.”)  The Department’s preliminary recommendation was:

Department’s Preliminary Recommendation:  Accredit for a period of five years.

              On October 30, 2009, the Advisory Council met to consider American Museum of Natural History’s application and to make a recommendation to the Board of Regents on its accreditation.  In a public meeting, it met with representatives of the Graduate School, the chair of the peer review team, and the staff coordinator of the accreditation review.  Following presentations by American Museum of Natural History, the team chair, and the staff coordinator; questions; and discussion, the Advisory Council unanimously made the following recommendation to the Board of Regents on accreditation action:

Regents Advisory Council Recommendation: Accredit for a period of five years.

              Commissioner’s Review.  Neither American Museum of Natural History nor the Deputy Commissioner of Higher Education appealed the Advisory Council’s recommendation.  Therefore, pursuant to Subpart 4-1, the Commissioner adopted the Council’s recommendation as his recommendation to the Board of Regents.

Commissioner’s Recommendation:  Accredit the American Museum of Natural History, Richard Gilder Graduate School for a period of five years ending on November 17, 2014.

              The attachment to this item sets forth the range of accreditation actions authorized under Subpart 4-1 of the Rules of the Board of Regents.       

Attachment

 

 

Rules of the Board of Regents

 

Subpart 4-1, Voluntary Institutional Accreditation for Title IV Purposes

§4-1.2 Definitions.

As used in the Subpart:

(a) Accreditation means the status of public recognition that the Commissioner of Education and the Board of Regents grant to an educational institution that meets the standards and requirements prescribed in this Subpart.

(b) Accreditation action means accreditation, accreditation with conditions, probationary accreditation, approval of substantive changes in the scope of accreditation, and denial, revocation, or termination of accreditation.

(c) Accreditation with conditions means accreditation that requires the institution to take steps to remedy issues raised in a review for accreditation, and provide reports and/or submit to site visits concerning such issues, provided that such issues do not materially affect the institution’s substantial compliance with the standards and requirements for accreditation. 

(d) Adverse action or adverse accreditation action means suspension, withdrawal, denial, revocation, or termination of accreditation or preaccreditation.

(q) Probationary accreditation means accreditation for a period of time, not to exceed two years, during which the institution shall come into compliance with standards for accreditation through corrective action.