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Happy Autumn! I hope you have enjoyed a relaxing summer and are now making a smooth transition into the new academic year. Through conversations, meetings, and other communications we have had over the past three years, a number of you have asked the Office of Higher Education to more regularly provide the field with timely, relevant news and information that is important to you. Based on your feedback, we issued the inaugural higher education newsletter, The Bulletin, in the winter of 2002. To supplement The Bulletin and the news items that are routinely posted on our home page, we are pleased to introduce the first in a series of informational e-mail updates.

As a result of your recommendations, on a pilot basis, we will begin sending regular e-mails to the field updating you on the latest news and developments within the State Education Department that impact the higher education community. The e-mails will include updates on important items under consideration by the Board of Regents and Department staff; important changes to applicable laws, regulations, rules, or policies; budget developments; and information on upcoming events, programs, and opportunities; as well as other important news. If these e-mail updates are valuable to you, we will provide them on a more permanent basis.

Your continued input into Department services and activities helps us to remain responsive to the field and to those who rely on the State's outstanding higher education institutions. If you have any questions about any of the items below or would like to provide us with feedback on this new e-mail update, please contact the Office of Higher Education by phone at 518-474-3862 or by e-mail at hedepcom@mail.nysed.gov. Thank you for your continued commitment to making New York State a world leader in higher education.

ON THE WAY TO A MEANINGFUL STATEWIDE PLAN FOR HIGHER EDUCATION 2004-2012

Every eight years, the Board of Regents, in collaboration with the higher education community, develops and adopts the Statewide Plan for Higher Education, setting system goals and objectives. The Statewide Plan for Higher Education 2004-2012 is now under development. Regents priorities for higher education serve as the foundation for the Plan, which includes the long-range master plans of the State University of New York (SUNY), The City University of New York (CUNY), and New York's independent and proprietary higher education institutions. Thanks to the early, active involvement of leaders across the higher education community, the draft plan is well-positioned to be remarkably far-reaching and responsive to the needs of all stakeholders.  top

STATE BUDGET DEVELOPMENTS

In early 2004, Commissioner Mills argued for greater higher education support in his testimony before the joint legislative fiscal committees as part of the State Legislature's hearings on the Executive budget proposal. Members of the Board of Regents, the Commissioner, and I have reiterated the need throughout the legislative session. Unfortunately, budget vetoes in August resulted in cuts to the programs below in the 2004-05 State budget. Because necessary funding for these programs remains critical, we continue to ask that these funds be restored.

• Liberty Partnership Program - cut $575,000
• Aid to Independent Colleges and Universities - cut $2,212,000
• Higher Education Opportunity Program - cut $1,100,000
• STEP and CSTEP Programs - cut $500,000
• Teacher Opportunity Corps Program - cut $38,000

In the coming months, we will be sharing with sector leaders the Education Department's advocacy plan for higher education funding for 2004-2005. We look forward to receiving feedback. top

TEACHING AND TEACHER CERTIFICATION NEWS

• Full-time faculty, faculty workload, and 3-year Master's degree requirements
• Supplementary Certificate Proposal
• No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

Full-time faculty, faculty workload, and 3-year Master's degree requirements

Based on significant feedback from the field, the Board of Regents is considering providing flexibility in three key areas that the Regents Task Force on Teaching discussed in 1998. Specifically, the Regents are considering:

1. Moving toward a performance-based system that continues to emphasize high standards of quality while giving college and universities with teacher preparation programs more discretion and flexibility to develop staffing plans that are consistent with their teacher education program designs by eliminating the full-time faculty and faculty workload regulatory requirements for institutions that:
    
   • achieve and continue to maintain the new Regents required accreditation for their teacher education program(s), and
      
   • meet or exceed the established institutional pass rate (80 percent) on teacher certification examinations.
      
2. Providing teachers with Initial (formerly Provisional) certificates the flexibility to complete the Master's or advanced degree necessary for Professional (formerly Permanent) certification within the five-year period previously allowed, instead of three years.

Special thanks to those of you who completed the Presidents' Survey: Elements of the Regents Teaching Policy. The important feedback you provided through the survey helped to inform the Regents discussion on these issues in September. Most Presidents reported that a significant proportion of full-time faculty and faculty workload limitations are important standards for ensuring program quality. However, a large number also requested flexibility in these areas for institutions that have achieved and maintain accreditation for their teacher education program(s), and whose students meet or exceed the established institutional pass rate (80 percent) on teacher certification examinations. A report on the proposal was provided to the Regents in advance of their discussion. We will keep you informed of progress made on these issues.

Supplementary certificate proposal

To facilitate the State's ability to address persistent teacher shortages in certain subject matter areas and geographic areas, the Regents are considering approving a supplementary certificate. The proposed supplementary certificate would enable certified classroom teachers in areas of oversupply who have earned specific academic credits, passed the Content Specialty Test, and are enrolled in a higher education institution, to provide instruction in a different title in a shortage area. The supplementary certificate would be available only for a limited time, during which time the teacher would be required to complete the balance of course work requirements necessary to qualify for a new certificate in a shortage area. We will keep you up-to-date on the progress of the Regents discussions.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

For the latest information on the implementation of the federal requirements for teachers and paraprofessionals in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) in New York State, visit the NCLB page of our Web site.  top

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

In line with our practice of routinely notifying the field of news and updates related to emergency preparedness and emergency responsiveness, we are pleased to share with you information from the New York State Office of Homeland Security. New York State law enforcement is reaching out to businesses, industries and schools throughout the State with Operation SAFEGUARD. As part of Operation SAFEGUARD, the State Office of Homeland Security has established a Toll-Free Tips line for reporting information or circumstances that appear unusual or suspicious to you or your staff and thus could be of possible assistance to law enforcement. The NY State Toll-Free Tips line may be contacted 24-hours a day, seven days a week by calling: 1-866-SAFE-NYS. The option to contact the New York State Tips line or your local police department is intended to encourage and facilitate an exchange of information and to provide another resource to the public.  top

NEW YORK'S SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION PROGRAM RECEIVES PRESIDENTIAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

The Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) and the Collegiate Science and Technology Program (CSTEP) have received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM). The two programs, which prepare disadvantaged students for science and engineering careers, are run by the State Education Department in conjunction with 87 public and private colleges across the state. They serve over 9,000 middle and high school students and college undergraduates. The award is given to recognize outstanding programs that recruit and prepare students who are underrepresented in science, mathematics and engineering.  top

THE UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX REQUEST TO ESTABLISH A CAMPUS IN NEW YORK CITY

The State Education Department has received a request from the University of Phoenix for master plan approval to establish a campus in New York City and to offer five master's degree programs in management areas at that location. The Department's review of the proposal involves:

• An academic review, including site visits to several locations in other states.
• A planning review through which the Board of Regents determines the need for the new institution and its programs as well as the potential effect of the institution on neighboring colleges and universities and their programs.

As part of the planning review process, the Department canvassed all colleges and universities in the New York City region for their comments. In response to the canvass, we received four requests from the field for a public hearing. As specified in Section 137 of Chapter 82 of the Laws of 1995, we will therefore be scheduling a hearing in New York City. The date and location, once determined, will be posted in the State Register for 45 days and on the Office of Higher Education's Web site. All Presidents and sector leaders will be notified and given the opportunity to provide testimony. If you have questions about this process, please contact the Office of Quality Assurance at 518-486-3633.  top

Back to Periodic Updates from Senior Deputy Commissioner Johanna Duncan-Poitier
 

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