Meeting of the Board of Regents | November 2009

Summary

Issue for Decision (Consent Agenda)

              Should the Board of Regents approve a master plan amendment for DeVry College of New York allowing the College to move its campus from Queens to Manhattan and to open an extension center in Queens?

Reason(s) for consideration

Required by State regulation.

Proposed Handling

The question will come before the full Board at its November 2009 meeting where it will be voted on and action taken.

Procedural History

In July 2009, DeVry College of New York (DCNY) submitted a proposal requesting approval to move its campus from Long Island City, Queens to Manhattan, and to open an extension center in Queens. The proposed move requires master plan amendment because it entails a move of the main campus to a different county.

General Information

DCNY proposes to move its main campus from 30-20 Thomson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens County, to a new location at 180 Madison Avenue, Manhattan, New York County. Over the last 80 years, at least four New York City Region colleges or universities - St. John’s University, Long Island University, New York Institute of Technology, and Fordham University - have moved either their main campuses or branch campuses from one county to another. The most recent of these was LIU’s charter amendment of 1980, which recognized the relocation of the University’s principal office to Brookville, Nassau County.   

              On August 13, 2009, a peer review team visited the current DeVry campus in Queens to assess the College’s plan for the proposed move. Two Department staff also participated in the visit. Prior to the visit, the team members reviewed the master plan amendment submitted to the Department, as well as other documentation about the College, its registered programs, and its current facilities. During the visit, the team met with the president and other members of the College administrative team, senior and junior faculty, staff, and students, as well as a vice president of the parent company, DeVry, Inc. It also inspected classrooms, administrative offices, and library facilities at the current location.

              The College has developed an implementation plan for the move which will involve minimal inconvenience or interruption to students. This is a two-stage move that anticipates relocating into two floors of the new site in July 2010, followed by a second stage move to the remaining three floors in January 2011. The planning process includes a three-year financial projection, enrollment projections, and architectural drawings of the new space. The College estimates the cost of relocating to Manhattan to be $5.5 million in capital expenditures, including development costs, telecommunications, exterior signage, furniture and equipment, and a 10 percent project contingency. Capital expenditures for the proposed move, as well as for relocation to the proposed Queens extension center (at a location yet to be determined), will be subsidized by DeVry, Inc.                                                 

Background Information

              DeVry College of New York (DCNY) is a wholly owned subsidiary of DeVry Inc., and was established in Long Island City, NY, in 1999 as the DeVry Institute of Technology. The College states as its mission, “To foster student learning through high quality, career-oriented education integrating technology, science, business and the liberal arts.”

              In 2008, DeVry Institute of Technology merged with the Keller Graduate School of Management, founded in 2004, to form the current DeVry College of New York. The College currently offers nine undergraduate degree programs in business, technology and healthcare technology. The Keller Graduate School of Management of DCNY offers three master’s degree programs in business and management. The College, including the Keller Graduate School of Management, as part of DeVry University headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, IL, is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association (NCA). In addition, DCNY’s baccalaureate programs in Computer Engineering Technology and in Electronics Engineering Technology, are accredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET.

              In its current location in Queens, DeVry College of New York shares a building with three public high schools and LaGuardia Community College. Commuting options providing access to the Queens location from the other boroughs and from Westchester County and New Jersey are very limited and inconvenient. In addition, amenities near the current location (eating, shopping, etc.) are almost nonexistent. This location is also in the heart of an industrial area in Queens, making commuting by car very difficult both in terms of a high volume of traffic and limited parking facilities. To offset this situation, DeVry currently offers a shuttle bus to the College from the nearest subway station.

              The current Long Island City campus features ten lecture laboratories, nine classrooms, two seminar rooms, administrative and faculty offices, as well as common space, including the library, bookstore, testing and tutoring facilities, and student commons and game room, totaling 61,000 square feet. This square footage includes a central atrium, which is lost space for which the College also pays rent. At the proposed new location, square footage is comparable, but there will be no lost space.

              The College’s lease on its Long Island City campus is set to expire in January 2013. The current real estate market in Manhattan has provided the College with an opportunity to move to a better, more convenient location which will provide improved space and facilities to both current and potential students. The proposed move to Manhattan would put DeVry in the middle of the mid-town area of Manhattan and make it easily accessible from a number of subway and bus lines. The facilities plan for the proposed new location includes a total of five floors: two floors for classrooms, one floor for faculty and staff offices, one floor for the library, testing, lecture laboratories and the Keller Graduate School, and one floor for student support services, admissions, and other related activities, consolidated into a “Student Central” concept.

              The Department has conducted a canvass of all degree-granting institutions of higher education in the New York City region. Eight institutions responded; there were no objections.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Board of Regents approve the amendment to the master plan of DeVry College of New York authorizing the College to move its campus from Long Island City, Queens to Manhattan and to open an extension center in Queens. The amendment will be effective until November 30, 2010, unless the College implements the move prior to that date, in which case master plan amendment shall be without term.

Timetable for Implementation

If the Board of Regents approves the master plan amendment, the institution will proceed to move its campus to Manhattan according to its proposed timetable and seek a location in Queens for its proposed extension center. The Department will request a progress report from the College every six months following approval of the move. In addition, the Department will make a focused visit to the new facility in fall 2010, and a full site visit in fall 2011, to determine its compliance with the standards embedded in Commissioner’s Regulations.