University of the State of New York
Agency overview | |
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Formed | 1948 |
Jurisdiction | New York |
Motto | Excelsior |
Agency executives |
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Website | regents.nysed.gov |
The University of the State of New York (USNY,
History
The Board of Regents of the USNY was established by statute on May 1, 1784, to re-establish and oversee King's College as Columbia University and any other colleges and academies incorporated in the state thereafter. On April 13, 1787, the legislature enacted a law that allowed individual educational institutions to have their own trustees (making Columbia a private institution) and gave the Regents broader responsibilities for overseeing education in New York. The new law empowered the Regents to "visit and inspect all the colleges, academies, and schools" in the state, award higher academic degrees, hold and distribute funds, and exercise other powers of a corporation.
Early in the 19th century, the Regents established standards for incorporating private academies and colleges, including specifying the texts or subjects that academies must teach to qualify for state aid. Aid was restricted to those students who had passed local entrance examinations. To combat the problem of academies lowering their standards in order to attract students and get state aid, during the later nineteenth century the Regents developed and instituted educational standards for
The legislature gave the Regents responsibility for the
In 1948, New York State established a system of support organizations known as Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) across the state. The head of each BOCES, known as the District Superintendent, acts as the New York State Commissioner of Education's, and by extension, the Chancellor of the Board of Regents', field representative.
Regents College
A key former initiative of the Board of Regents, created to better bring
Current structure and functions
The Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York oversees USNY. The Board includes 17 members elected by the New York State Legislature for five-year terms. Thirteen of the Regents represent the state's 13 judicial districts (one appointed from each district), and four are at-large. The Regents serve without salary.
USNY's affiliation and oversight are very broad. As a legal technicality, USNY includes all of the state's more than 7,000
Relationship to the state education department
The state
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) was created at the behest of former New York Governor Theodore Roosevelt in 1904. USNY has, as a subordinate unit, NYSED, including NYSED's various administrative personnel – furthermore, the various schools, colleges, libraries, museums, teachers, etc., of USNY form constituent units of USNY, whereas NYSED forms a constituent and subordinate component of USNY.
USNY, through its Board of Regents, generally uses NYSED as a vehicle to carry out policy created by the Regents. In other words, USNY's Board of Regents generally creates policy, whereas NYSED generally administers policy and the BOCES' District Superintendents help facilitate the roll-out of that policy in the field. The New York State Legislature can also create some education policy; such statutory education policy would become official education policy that the Commissioner of Education would also be responsible for administering.
Regents examinations and diplomas
Honorary degrees
USNY can also issue honorary degrees; the honorary degrees that can be issued come from an established list contained in Rules of the Board of Regents ("Regents Rules"). USNY also has the power to directly issue (as opposed to through some other institution) diplomas, certificates, and degrees. Today, for a variety of reasons, USNY directly issues diplomas to individuals meeting graduation requirements at several postsecondary institutions in New York State.
Alumni
State University of New York
Not to be confused with USNY is the State University of New York (SUNY), which is one of New York State's systems of public higher education, the other being the City University of New York (CUNY). Like all colleges and universities in the state, the 64 SUNY and 25 CUNY campus units are all part of USNY. However, the power of SUNY and CUNY units to grant degrees exists by mandate of the State Legislature; a private college or university in New York State would be allowed to grant degrees by virtue of a charter granted by the USNY Board of Regents. No institution in New York State can call itself, per New York State law, a "college" or "university," or award academic degrees, without being chartered by NYSED and being a USNY member. Institutions in the state can, however, offer non-degree certificate programs without adhering to these requirements.
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Folts, James D., History of the University of the State of New York and the State Education Department, 1784–1996, 1996.
- Nolan, Donald J., Regents College: The Early Years, Walsworth, 1998, ISBN 157864030X
Further reading
- Alexander, Edward P. A Revolutionary Conservative: James Duane of New York. New York: Columbia University Press, 1938, pp. 181–85.
- Maehl, William, Adult Degrees and the Learning Society Retrieved: 9 July 2014.
External links
- University of the State of New York/New York State Education Department Retrieved: 7 September 2014.
- Regents External Degrees--College Proficiency Examinations, 1973 catalogue [1] Retrieved: 9 July 2014.
- Regents External Degrees--College Proficiency Examinations, 1975 catalogue [2] Retrieved: 9 July 2014.
- New York State Education Department Organization Chart at NYSED.gov (Printable and text versions available) Retrieved: 9 July 2014.