Source: http://www.regents.nysed.gov/common/regents/files/documents/meetings/2005Meetings/July2005/0705heppa1.htm
Timestamp: 2018-12-12 20:59:25
Document Index: 559385489

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The Honorable the Members of the Committee on Higher Education and Professional Practice
Institutional Accreditation: The King’s College
Should the Board of Regents renew the institutional accreditation of The King’s College?
The United States Secretary of Education recognizes the New York State Board of Regents and the Commissioner of Education for the institutional accreditation of degree-granting institutions in New York State that have sought such accreditation voluntarily.
This question will come before the Committee on Higher Education and Professional Practice on July 21, 2005, for discussion and action. It then will come before the Full Board for final action.
A decision on the renewal of institutional accreditation is required prior to the expiration of the current term of accreditation.
The Department, the Regents Advisory Council on Institutional Accreditation, and the Commissioner have determined that The King’s College meets the standards for
HE & PP (A) 1 (7-05)
institutional accreditation set forth in the Rules of the Board of Regents. Attached are the following items for your consideration:
Attachment A – Summary of Institutional Accreditation Process Followed (including accreditation recommendation)
The King’s College is an independent, not-for profit institution chartered by the Board of Regents since 1955. It currently offers associate and baccalaureate degree programs in the discipline areas of business, education and the interdisciplinary studies of humanities and the social sciences. The Regents have accredited the College since 1955. The current period of accreditation ends on March 17, 2006.
The Regents can take one of four actions regarding accreditation:
1. Accreditation means that an educational institution meets the standards and requirements prescribed.
2. Accreditation with condition requires the institution to provide reports and/or submit to site visits concerning issues raised in a review for accreditation, provided that such issues do not materially affect the institution’s substantial compliance with the standards and requirements for accreditation.
3. 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.
4. Denial of Accreditation.
I join the Regents Advisory Council on Institutional Accreditation in recommending that the Board of Regents take the following action:
VOTED, that the Board of Regents renew The King’s College institutional accreditation with condition, effective July 21, 2005, for a period beginning immediately and ending on July 20, 2010.
This renewal of institutional accreditation would take effect immediately and expire on July 20, 2010. Following Regents action, the Department will also re-register the College’s programs that are registered for general purposes.
I. Institutional Information. The King’s College is a Regents-chartered independent college offering an Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree program in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics; a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree program in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics; and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree program in Business Management. The College will discontinue its B.S. program in Organizational Management in 2011, a B.S. program in Marketing in 2006, and a B.S. program in Childhood Education, date to be determined. The College was initially established in Briarcliff Manor, New York, and was authorized to confer degrees in 1955. It ceased operation in December 1994 due to financial difficulties. However, the College’s charter remained in force. In 1997, the Regents amended the charter to make the Campus Crusade for Christ the sole member of the corporation. In 1999, it sought and received approval of a charter amendment and master plan amendment to establish the College in its new location in New York City. The Board of Regents has accredited The King’s College since 1955. Institutional accreditation was extended for one year in March 2005.
The College has 10 full-time faculty members and a ratio of full-time to part-time faculty of 60:40. The College also utilizes visiting professors on annual contracts. It enrolled 224 full-time and 39 part-time students in the fall of 2004, including 88 first-time, full-time students. In 2004, it had $7.3 million in total income before expenses.
II. Peer Review and Recommendation. In preparation for a site visit by a peer review team, The King’s College prepared a self-study following the requirements in the Handbook of Institutional Accreditation. On May 25, 2005, a peer review team made a site visit to the institution. It reviewed the self-study, interviewed faculty members, administrators, staff, and students; reviewed documents and other information available on campus, and reviewed facilities, equipment, and academic resources.
The team prepared a draft compliance review report that reported its findings and recommendations. The draft report made 24 recommendations to the institution in relation to accreditation standards. The team found that The King’s College was in substantial compliance with the standards for accreditation and that the issues on which it made recommendations did not materially affect that compliance; it made the following overall recommendation on accreditation:
Peer Review Team Recommendation: Accreditation renewed with condition for five years (July 2010). The College must satisfactorily address the recommendations included in the report and submit progress reports to the Department as follows:
· At the end of 12 months (July 2006), a progress report on the number of faculty, including new hires, and the status of plans to hire additional faculty to support its programs.
· At the end of 30 months (January 2008), a progress report detailing the development and implementation of a systematic assessment plan. The College should update the department on its progress in meeting all recommendations in the compliance report at this time.
The Department transmitted the team’s draft compliance review report to the institution for its response. The College’s written response may correct factual errors in the draft report and may address any other aspect of the report and any recommendations it contains. The draft report and the response of The King’s College constitute the final compliance review report.
III. Regents Advisory Council Review and Recommendation. As required by Subpart 4-1, the Department reviewed the final compliance review report and made its preliminary recommendation on 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.”)
Department’s Preliminary Recommendation: Accreditation renewed with condition for five years (July 2010). The College must satisfactorily address the recommendations included in the report and submit progress reports to the Department on each of the matters recommended by the site visit team.
On July 14, 2005, the Advisory Council met to review The King’s College’s application and to make a recommendation to the Board of Regents on its accreditation. In a public meeting, the Advisory Council met with the College’s representatives, Department staff including the Deputy Commissioner and the staff coordinator of the site visit, and a member of the site visit team. Following presentations by staff, the institution, and the team member, questions and discussion, the Advisory Council made the following recommendation to the Board of Regents on accreditation action:
Regents Advisory Council Recommendation: Renew the institutional accreditation of The King’s College with condition for a period of five years (July 2010). The College must satisfactorily address the recommendations included in the report and submit progress reports to the Department on each of the matters recommended by the review team and the Department.
IV. Commissioner Review and Recommendation. The King’s College did not appeal the Advisory Council’s recommendation. Therefore, pursuant to Subpart 4-1, the Commissioner adopted the Advisory Council’s recommendation as his recommendation to the Board of Regents.
Commissioner’s Recommendation: That the Board of Regents renew The King’s College institutional accreditation with condition for a period of five years (July 20, 2010). The College must satisfactorily address the recommendations included in the report and submit progress reports to the Department as recommended by the Regents Advisory Council.
J. Stanley Oakes, Jr.
Dear President Oakes:
Enclosed is the compliance review report of the Department’s review of The King’s College to confirm its compliance with the standards for institutional accreditation by the New York State Board of Regents and the Commissioner of Education, acting in their capacity as a nationally recognized accrediting agency. The report is based on examination by a peer review team of information provided in your self-study and on the team's observations and findings resulting from a site visit conducted on May 25, 2005, as part of the renewal of accreditation review process. A draft report based on these activities was provided for your review and for provision of any needed corrections and statements of plans to address the findings and recommendations in the draft report. The enclosed compliance review report consists of the draft report, The King’s College’s response to it, and the Department’s summary and recommendation on the renewal of accreditation based on them.
The compliance review report is being sent to the Regents Advisory Council on Institutional Accreditation, together with the College's self-study. The Council will meet to review and make a recommendation on The King’s College’s accreditation on Thursday, July 14, 2005, at the Regents Offices at 475 Park Avenue South, 2nd floor, New York, New York. An agenda is enclosed to provide you with the timeframe of the meeting. You may provide additional written material for the Advisory Council to consider. You are invited to attend the meeting to present the College’s perspective and to respond to any questions Council members might have.
If you have any questions, please contact Linnea LoPresti, the Department’s review coordinator, at (518) 474-2593 or by email at lloprest@mail.nysed.gov.
Compliance Report of an Accreditation Site Visit
to The King’s College on May 25, 2005
For the Purpose of Renewing Institutional Accreditation
On May 25, 2005, a team of peer reviewers visited The King’s College, 350 Fifth Avenue (Empire State Building), New York, New York, as part of the review for renewal of its institutional accreditation. The one-year period of institutional accreditation by the Board of Regents and Commissioner of Education ends in March 2006.
The site visit team was composed of the following members:
Dr. Waldemar Hanasz
Associate Director of Philosophy, Politics and Economics Program
Dr. Laurence Malone
Dr. Raymond Vegso
Prior to the visit, the team reviewed the College’s self-study and other materials including the annual report, faculty handbook, student handbook, and institution catalog. During the visit, the team met with the President, the Provost-elect, other administrators, faculty, and students; toured the facilities; reviewed academic materials and examples of student work. The findings, recommendations and suggestions that follow are made by the peer review team in the spirit of continuous improvement in striving to achieve excellence in higher education and higher education programs.
The team recommends accreditation with condition for a period of five years because of the significant changes that are taking place and are being planned. These changes include a curriculum focus on a common core of Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE) to reflect the College’s mission of preparing students for careers in leadership positions. The College has also hired a Provost who will assume this position in July 2005, eliminating the position of Academic Dean. It has restructured its academic advising program to address retention issues, and is transitioning to an integrated student record system. Given that, essentially, the structure of the College as it exists today, has been in operation for six years, it is still growing and making transitional changes accordingly. There is need for a progress report on these developments and on the development and implementation of the institutional effectiveness plan. The team recommends the following conditions of The King’s College’s accreditation:
1. The College must submit reports as follows:
a. At the end of 12 months, a progress report on the number of faculty, including new hires, and the status of plans to hire additional faculty to support its programs. The report must also address the progress of the alignment of its core curriculum, the Associate in Arts (A.A.) program in PPE, with its baccalaureate programs.
b. At the end of 30 months, a progress report detailing the development and implementation of a systematic assessment plan. The College should update the department on its progress in meeting all recommendations at this time.
This preliminary recommendation is subject to change on the basis of the College’s response to the draft report.
The King’s College was established in 1938 as a four-year liberal arts institution. The Board of Regents first authorized the College to confer degrees in 1955. The College closed for financial reasons in 1994, but the charter remained in force. In 1997, Board of Regents amended the charter to make the Campus Crusade for Christ, a worldwide organization with significant annual revenues, the sole member of the corporation. With the financial support of the Campus Crusade, the College emerged from bankruptcy and relocated to the Empire State Building in New York City. In 1999, the Regents amended the charter to authorize the College to confer the Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree as well as move to New York City.
It is important to note that the College has been providing educational services in its present form since it reopened in 1999. The site review team agrees with the review team of the 2004 accreditation visit that the College is in a transitional period.
The President has held the position for two years, following five years as chairman of the Board of Trustees. The academic dean was employed at the College for two years and a provost, who will begin in July 2005, is replacing him. The College is building a core of faculty and aligning its curriculum to better meet its mission and objectives.
When the College re-opened in 1999, the initial enrollment was 2 full-time and 22 part-time students, of whom 9 were first-time freshmen. The College has shifted its recruitment efforts from primarily the local population to a national focus. It has experienced steady growth. In the fall of 2004, it reported an enrollment of 224 full-time and 39 part-time students, including 88 first-time freshmen. Spring 2005 enrollment was reported to be 197 students according to the student registration rosters provided in the self-study.
The College’s initial offering in 1999 was an Associate in Arts degree program in Liberal Studies. Since the initial offering, the College has made the following changes during its five years of operation:
· 2000 added a Bachelor of Science program in Organization Management
· 2002 added a Bachelor of Science program in Childhood Education
· 2003 added three Bachelor of Science programs:
· 2004 revised the curriculum in its Associate in Arts program in Liberal Studies and changed the title to Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. The Liberal Studies program will be discontinued in August 2006,.
· 2005 added a Bachelor of Arts program in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics.
· 2005 consolidated the three business-related Bachelor of Science programs into a Business Management program and implemented a common core for the first two years of the program to correspond to the A.A. in PPE. The three programs will be discontinued as follows allowing students enrolled in the programs to complete their remaining obligations:
Finance discontinued in 2005.
Marketing to be discontinued in 2006.
Organizational Management to be discontinued in 2011.
· The College will discontinue its teacher education program and is working with Department staff to plan a teach-out for the students enrolled in the program. Department staff projects the program will be discontinued in 2005.
Given that the enrollment of the College is approximately 200 students, the consolidation of programs and a common core is appropriate. The development of the PPE associate degree program as the common core reflects the mission of the College.
Standard: Institutional mission (Regents Rules, §4-1.4 (a))
Following action initiated by the Board of Trustees, the College has restated its mission to be more narrowly focused on its essential goal, to prepare students for positions of leadership. The mission is:
Through its commitment to the truths of Christianity and a Biblical worldview, The King’s College seeks to prepare students for careers in which they will help to shape and eventually to lead strategic public and private institutions: to improve government, commerce, law, the media, civil society, education, the arts and the church.
The review team found that overall, there was a clear and consistent vision and concept of what the institution was aiming to accomplish. Faculty, administrators, staff and students chose The King’s College because of a commitment to the mission and a strong motivation to realize its goals. There was considerable enthusiasm specifically for the College’s PPE program among students, who during the team’s discussion with them, cited the mission and goals of the College as their reason for choosing to matriculate. Faculty and staff were also keenly aware of the College mission.
The College publicizes its vision statement as follows: “Leadership is what King’s is all about. It is the vision. We teach the leadership disciplines, and that is it.” The College’s vision and its mission as a Christian college are widely noted in publications including the catalog, Student Handbook, and Faculty Handbook, and frequently found in syllabi for courses.
It was clear to the review team that the core curriculum (the PPE program) has been devised to fulfill the stated mission, vision and goals. However, the review team found that the College has not worked out all the details for implementing that vision, including dealing with faculty staffing needs, curriculum and scheduling, and other matters discussed later in this report. The College was clearly in a transitional phase and the President and Provost-elect articulated as much to the team.
The College meets the standard for institutional mission (Regents Rules, §4-1.4 (a))
1. The 2004 review team recommended that the College:
Develop a written plan for 10-year benchmarks, including “instruments” to assess institutional effectiveness in achieving mission and goals. Include timelines for program changes for the College community.
The 2005 review team agrees with the previous recommendation and recommends that the assessment be tied to a plan for campus-wide assessment, as required under Assessment of student achievement (Regents Rule, § 4-1.4(b) and under Curricula (4-1.4(c).
Standard: Assessment of student achievement (Regents Rule, § 4-1.4(b))
(1) The institution shall prepare and continuously implement a plan for the systematic assessment of its effectiveness in promoting the quality of student achievement and development. Such assessment plan shall include but need not be limited to: graduation rates and, as pertinent to institutional mission and programs, state licensing examination results and job placement rates. The institution shall provide to the department on request and in all applications for accreditation and renewal of accreditation, evidence of its implementation of the plan and its effects on the quality of student achievement in relation to its mission and goals.
(3) (i)Graduation rates.
(a) Associate degrees. If, in the judgment of the commissioner, there is a sufficient cohort of students, based on the most recent data submitted to the department, an institution awarding associate degrees that reports an associate degree completion rate below the mean associate degree completion rate reported by all institutions in the state, according to the most recent information available to the department, and that has not shown an improvement over the preceding year of at least three percent, shall prepare and submit a plan to improve student achievement in terms of graduation rates. Such plan shall include but need not be limited to: strategies and timelines intended to achieve at least the mean or a three-percent annual improvement within a period not to exceed two years.
(b) Baccalaureate degrees. If, in the judgment of the commissioner, there is a sufficient cohort of students, based on the most recent data submitted to the department, an institution awarding baccalaureate degrees that reports a baccalaureate degree completion rate below the mean baccalaureate degree completion rate reported by all institutions in the state, according to the most recent information available to the department, and that has not shown an improvement over the preceding year of at least three percent, shall prepare and submit a plan to improve student achievement in terms of graduation rates. Such plan shall include but need not be limited to: strategies and timelines intended to achieve at least the mean or a three-percent annual improvement within a period not to exceed two years.
(a) Two-year colleges. If, in the judgment of the commissioner, there is a sufficient cohort of students, based on the most recent data submitted to the department, an institution whose mission includes the preparation of students for employment and that offers no programs beyond the associate degree that reports job placement rates, including placement in civilian and military occupations, below the mean reported by all institutions in the state offering programs no higher than the associate degree level, according to the most recent information available to the department, and that has not shown an improvement over the preceding year of at least three percent, shall prepare and submit a plan to improve student achievement in terms of job placement rates. Such plan shall include but need not be limited to: strategies and timelines intended to achieve at least the mean or a three-percent annual improvement within a period not to exceed two years.
(b) Four-year colleges. If, in the judgment of the commissioner, there is a sufficient cohort of students, based on the most recent data submitted to the department, an institution whose mission includes the preparation of students for employment and that offers programs at and above the baccalaureate degree that reports job placement rates, including civilian and military occupations, below 80 percent, and that has not shown an improvement over the preceding year of at least three percent, shall prepare and submit a plan to improve student achievement in terms of job placement rates. Such plan shall include but need not be limited to: strategies and timelines intended to achieve at 80 percent or a three-percent annual improvement within a period not to exceed two years.
The site visit reviewers confirmed that The King’s College gathers meaningful data on learning outcomes assessment and other indicators. The College does not, however, have a comprehensive plan for the systematic assessment of its achievement in promoting the quality of student achievement and development. The College, in its response to the 2004 compliance report, indicated that it will set as a priority the development of a written plan including 10 year benchmarks to assess institutional effectiveness.
The College has assessment plans specific to the PPE program and the Business Management program. The program plans are well constructed stating how the specific departments contribute to the mission of the College. The plan provides learning objectives, student outcomes and strategies for using the assessments for program improvement. It also includes the courses offered, a course description, and the objectives and assessments for each course in the program, including the liberal arts and science courses. The team was not provided with plans for the other programs at the College.
The College annually administers a nationally-normed student satisfaction survey (ACT). However, without a College-wide assessment plan, it does not have a formal process for evaluating, discussing and using the results to inform decision-making and improve programs and services. This has been done through informal processes.
The capabilities of the campus intranet, which were demonstrated to the review team, included a sophisticated integrated student record system (CAMS). The system has been under development for approximately 36 months. The direction to move to a data-driven system appeared to be driven largely by the Student Services Center and the College is to be commended for using the technology to make informed decisions. CAMS will be fully operational in the near future, however, staff are able to use many of the system functions now. Students, faculty, and staff have been fully trained on how to use CAMS, which facilitates online registration, posting of courses and requirements, access to transcripts and billing information, and the promotion of student activities and leadership opportunities.
CAMS functions as the College database management system, and offers myriad possibilities for efficient communications and program management. The system will inform the recently developed early intervention response to students identified to be at academic risk, along with a systematic reporting and monitoring system (including peer mentors and professional staff) to track student progress and achievement. The College uses reports from faculty, course grades, and grade point averages (GPA) to determine if students are making progress at a satisfactory rate. It has established a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 as representing satisfactory progress. As of December 2004, the College has also implemented a Key Indicator Report that provides a monthly snapshot of the entire institution. The report includes statistics on admissions, registrations, faculty hiring, finances, financial aid, advancement, and student development. The College reported in the self-study that the report continues to be refined.
The student record system reports retention rates have improved and attributes the increased rates to its early intervention strategies and better tracking of students through the CAMS system. Semester-to-semester retention rates have risen from approximately 50 percent for fall 2001 and 2002 cohorts to 70 percent for fall 2003 and 2004 cohorts. Increased rates for persistence to degree should follow as a result of the increased semester-to-semester rates. From the data provided, only 2 (9 percent) of the fall 2000 cohort of 23 students were still enrolled in fall 2004 and 7 (14 percent) of the fall 2001 cohort of 51 students remained after 4 years. In contrast, data for the fall 2003 cohort of 76 students shows that 53 students (70 percent) persisted to fall 2004.
The graduation rates reported for 2001-02 by the College to the Department show that it graduated two students with associate degrees and eight students with baccalaureate degrees in Theology/Theological Studies. However, it does not have registered programs in theology. In its annual accreditation report, the College reported a 13 percent completion rate for the fall 2001 cohort and a 3 percent completion rate for the fall 2002 cohort of associate degree students. While its graduation rate is below the mean of 25 percent for two-year colleges, the graduating cohort is too small for comparison.
The baccalaureate program in Organizational Management was added in 2000. The other degree programs were more recently registered and therefore, would not be expected to yield graduation rates at this time.
The longest running program at the College, the A.A. in Liberal Studies, does not lend itself to job placement and therefore no rates were available for this program. The College currently does not track graduates for future employment or attendance in graduate school but will be better able to do so with the new data management system. In regard to licensing exams, results of the LSAT, ATW and CST assessments for students in the childhood education program were not available. The program was implemented in 2002 and has had neither graduates nor participants in the testing to date.
The 2004 team stated that the College did not have assessment data readily available to determine whether English Language Learners were succeeding in the regular programs following completion of the ESL (English as a Second Language) program. The King’s College has decided to phase out the ESL program, effective August 2005. Two students were reported to be in the program in spring 2005 according to the student registration list provided with the self-study.
While the College has not developed and implemented an overall plan for the systematic assessment of its effectiveness in promoting the quality of student achievement and development, it does collect graduation rates and other data related to student achievement. The College has parts of an assessment plan but needs to organize these assessment components into an overall systematic plan as required in the standards.
The College partially meets the standard for assessment of student achievement (Regents Rule, § 4-1.4(b))
2. As recommended previously in the November 2004 accreditation visit under the standard for Mission, the College should develop a comprehensive assessment plan tied directly to its mission and goals. The requisite expertise to develop such a plan, if not present among faculty and staff, should be acquired through training and/or through consultations with organizations or individuals possessing the appropriate expertise. The commitment of substantial resources to the identified areas of student concern in the ACT survey indicates that the College has responded to items identified through an appropriate assessment mechanism. Such success in addressing problems brought to light through assessment demonstrates its value in promoting institutional excellence. These efforts, and periodic assessment through student satisfaction surveying, point to other potential gains to be realized from a comprehensive plan for both institution-wide assessment and student learning outcomes assessment. Such a plan would establish operational control over assessment, and eliminate the potential for wasted effort and cost from multiple, uncoordinated attempts to address the same concerns. The comprehensive assessment plan should bring together the varied existing activities to include a formal process for sharing, reviewing, and using the student assessment data results to inform decision-making and improve academic programs, services, and college operations. The plan should include the following:
Performance outcomes should be identified at each level (i.e. first year, second year) of a student’s program. Align the outcomes with college, State, and national standards, and program curricula and field experiences.
Timelines should be established to implement assessment measures for determining the effectiveness of all operational functions and offices of the College.
A major component of the assessment of institutional effectiveness should be a plan and program to assess student-learning outcomes in the all programs that will remain registered beyond 2006. The PPE program and the Business Management program have filed assessment plans for learning outcomes and the program plans should be incorporated into the institutional plan.
Use a widely accepted instrument for student evaluation of teaching in every course offered by the College and include student evaluation as part of the systematic assessment plan.
A formal system to assess the effectiveness of support services should collect, analyze and review such data elements as: retention and persistence, graduation, and employment rates; demographic trends; and student satisfaction surveys. The system should be structured so that the data are analyzed, reviewed, and discussed holistically by the faculty, administration, and students to determine student and program needs; make improvements in support services; and determine the impact of any changes made. Such regular data gathering and annual appraisal will make it possible for the College to assess functional effectiveness in meeting the goals of the mission in all aspects of the student learning experience.
Incorporate the Key Indicator Report into the overall plan.
Graduation data for each entering cohort should be included and reported on an annual basis and incorporated into a campus-wide plan for assessment.
Implement the tracking system for employment of graduates.
Standard: Curricula (Regents Rule, § 4-1.4 (c))
(2) Curricular goals and objectives.
(3) Assessment of success in achieving goals and objectives. There shall be a written plan to assess, no less than every five to seven years, the success of faculty and students in achieving institutional goals and curricular objectives and to promote improvement. Such assessment shall include systematic collection, review and use of quantitative and qualitative information about educational programs, including at least some information that directly addresses learning outcomes, and shall be undertaken for the purpose of improving student learning and development.
(4) Program length, credit, and other requirements for degrees. For each curriculum, the institution shall assure that courses will be offered with sufficient frequency to enable students to complete the program within the minimum time for degree completion for each degree level identified in this paragraph.
The findings of the November 2004 site visit were confirmed in regard to the transition that is taking place at The King’s College. It has undergone several changes to its registered programs as well as added a bachelor in arts degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. The College’s first program offering in New York City, an Associate in Arts program in Liberal Studies, was changed in 2004. The College re-titled the program “Politics, Philosophy, and Economics,” recast the two-year program as the College’s core curriculum, and restructured the content based, as described in the self-study, “on a series of Christian and Classical premises.” The College has reinstated the Liberal Studies A.A. program to allow students who had enrolled in it to earn their associate degree.
While the College reported to the review team that the PPE major is inspired by other similar programs, the team found that it did not replicate these programs. For instance, the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics program at the University of Oxford seeks “to bring together some of the most important approaches to understanding the social and human world around us, developing skills useful for a whole range of future careers and activities.” Similarly, the PPE program of the University of Pennsylvania “responds to a widely expressed need to bring together scholars from humanistic and social science departments, all of whom share professional and pedagogical interests in social, political, and economic thought, broadly defined, as it relates to today's professional and intellectual world.”
The review team found that what differs the King’s College’s program from other similar undertakings is its intention to combine the classical model of education, based on humanities and theological teaching, with the multifaceted character of the PPE program. The idea is innovative and ambitious. On the one hand, classical education stresses the overall excellence in reading, writing, analytical skills, and historical and religious knowledge. On the other hand, future leaders have to be very familiar with both theory and practice of contemporary politics, the economy, public policy, moral values, and so forth. The analogous programs at the University of Oxford and the University of Pennsylvania emphasize that analytical proficiency should generate professional ability. The King’s College’s program faces the task of finding a subtle balance between analytical excellence and practical professional competence since future leaders need both.
The review team was informed that new students were not being admitted into the A.A. in PPE but that the College wished to retain the authority to offer this registered program to students who have completed it as the first two years of the B.A. in PPE but do not complete other requirements for the baccalaureate. However, adjustments will need to be made to remove the inconsistencies in requirements for the second year of the PPE and the requirements for an A.A. in PPE as identified by the review team. The following illustrates the discrepancies.
PPE B.A. Year 2 Program Map
PPE A.A. Year 2 Program Map
Business Management Year 2 Program Map
HIS 217/LIT 217
HIS 217/LIT217
HIS 227/LIT 227
POL 367/PHL 367
PHL 217 (in BA/BS programs, recommended 3rd year)
It appears that 18 hours of electives were built into the A.A. program to coincide with the number of credits specified in the B.A. or B.S. programs. ECO 217 and 227 are required for both baccalaureate degree programs but not for the associate degree program. The 18 credit hours of electives require careful advisement in this situation.
Program maps for each degree program that are used for advisement were provided to the review team. The maps illustrate all requirements and show requirements for specific credit hours of “electives” and for specific credit hours in “liberal arts electives.” The maps for the PPE programs do not adequately illustrate the registered program. The registered program specified the general electives as liberal arts and science courses, the program maps with no specification led the reviewers to believe that any elective may satisfy the “elective” requirement. The programs illustrated on the maps do not appear to be in compliance with Section 3.47 (c)(1) of the Regents Rules which requires that 75 percent of the work for an A.A. or B.A. program be in the liberal arts and sciences not directed toward the major.
To further complicate the issue, several courses are listed in the catalog under course descriptions that are general electives and would not fall under the definition of liberal arts and sciences. Advisement is required for registration of courses but the team was informed that peer advisors, not faculty, were advising first and second year students in most instances. Faculty advises students after they have declared a major. Students register for courses on-line after meeting with advisors. Associate degree students must be carefully advised in selecting electives for the program that align with the four-year program. Students in both levels of the PPE programs must meet the liberal arts and sciences requirements for the specified degree. The team found that the lack of alignment between the two programs as well as listing courses as “electives” rather than liberal arts and sciences electives requires further attention by the College.
A program map was also provided to the team by the Student Services Department for the PPE program with an education concentration and one of the interviewed students (who is a peer advisor) told the team that she was in the program. The education concentration is not part of the registered PPE program and cannot be offered or advertised at this time.
The courses in the A.A. program in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics serve as the core general education curriculum and one of two primary major emphases to be offered at the College. Students interviewed during the site visit were clear in expressing their majors. Enrollment data for spring 05 provided with the self study reported that 27 students were Business Majors; 4 students were majors in the Organization Management program; 21 students were majors in the Childhood Education program; 2 students were enrolled in the English as a Second Language program; 8 students are enrolled in a Liberal Arts program (the information provided mistakenly labeled the College’s registered Liberal Studies program as Liberal Arts); 14 students were non-degree seeking; 51 students were in the PPE program; and 70 students had not declared a major. The College requires students to have at least 15 credit hours to declare a major or for transfer students, at least 12 credit hours.
A survey of course materials and student work from the 2004-05 academic year was impressive. Syllabi for courses clearly communicated expectations. Samples of student work indicated rigor and critical reflections in course assignments, and final grade sheets submitted to the registrar suggest that the academic program is demanding. The absence of grade inflation is commendable.
The syllabi, examinations, written papers, and final grade sheets reviewed in the Economics component of the PPE were indicative of excellence in curriculum implementation and design. Course outlines furnished for our review prior to the visit included assessment instruments for each course.
The review team was provided with syllabi for the courses offered by the College. Course outlines from the core curriculum were uniform in articulating course goals, expected outcomes, readings, grading policies, and a course schedule. Curriculum goals and objectives for the Business and PPE programs were also clearly stated in the assessment plans provided for these programs.
The undergoing transformation of the College establishes the Politics, Philosophy, and Economics Program (PPE) as its cornerstone. The program is designed to provide future leaders with “an extensive, edifying grounding in the theory and practice of politics, philosophy, economics, and public policy.”
As briefly indicated in the discussion of the College’s mission, the PPE program’s curriculum has to balance its theoretical and practical elements. The authors of the program understand that its curriculum has to combine general knowledge and analytical skills with more specific knowledge of contemporary political, economic, and social institutions.
As a general liberal arts core to the Business Management program, the PPE core of 22 courses was found by the review team as appropriate preparation.
The PPE program is also a freestanding baccalaureate program of 120 credit hours. The baccalaureate curriculum has not been fully balanced yet. On the one hand, the humanities-based part is well developed and quite impressive in breadth. Courses are interdisciplinary, exploring the historical, cultural, religious, and philosophical foundations of politics, the economy, and society in general. On the other hand, the courses introducing students to the moral and social problems of the contemporary world need more attention. The College plans to implement a number of courses within the PPE program that would fill the gap.
Several different drafts of the PPE program map were provided to the review team. The syllabi of some key higher level courses -- e.g., Public Choice, Principles of Management and Organization, and Constitutional Law -- are still sketchy and do not provide enough information concerning the applicability of the teaching materials. The syllabi for other proposed courses -- e.g., Political Economy -- were not provided. Overall, the set of higher-level courses will need further review once the courses are implemented.
The PPE requirements include 60 credits in economic history and theory, political science, communication skills, theology, and philosophy. The schedule of courses is very specific, making students’ choices very limited. It includes only four elective courses (12 credits). To compare, at the University of Oxford and the University of Pennsylvania at least 60 percent of credits are electives. The King’s College’s students interviewed by the review team expressed some interest in a broader variety of available courses.
The PPE baccalaureate curriculum exhibits careful planning in the sequencing of courses from introductory to advanced level offerings. The Economics component exhibits careful planning in sequencing and in the choice of areas to cover relative to the objectives of the PPE program and the mission and goals of the college. There is a clear emphasis on using the tools of the discipline to practice policy and to provide real-world assessments of contemporary problems. The approach is decidedly Austrian, which is articulated in documentation promoting the program.
PPE faculty stated that they aspire to place students in graduate economic programs in the future. Placement in Ph.D. programs in Economics is difficult without substantial coursework in mathematics. During the site visit, the review team was assured by PPE faculty that interested students would be encouraged to meet standards of graduate admissions through studies in advanced mathematics at local institutions providing this opportunity through articulation agreements. There was no evidence of such agreements at the time of the visit.
The three business programs culminating in baccalaureate degrees have been consolidated into one Bachelor of Science program in Business Management. Although the College’s enrollment has grown since it reopened in 1999, it is still very limited in the number of students enrolled in its programs. Given this limitation, the consolidation of programs is an appropriate use of the College’s resources.
The review team found that critical courses in Operations Management and Quality Management are substantially absent from the Business Management program. Faculty informed the team that these subjects got some coverage in the Principles of Management course (e.g., value chain coverage) and the Strategy course. The team questioned the transferability of BUS 417 Legal Studies in Business. The course appears to cover many of the principles of a typical collegiate business law course but is lacking in some areas.
Two faculty members reported that they were given release time to develop and oversee credit-bearing internships for students of the business program. The faculty reported to the review team that they are planning a highly structured program of screening students, preparing and coaching them, supervising them in coordination with the employing organization, and requiring an end paper or report. They will place 10 students this summer. This is in contrast to the report of the 2004 site visit team that reported that the internship was optional at that time and that a consultant was developing scenarios to replace the internship. The curriculum change for this program registered in March 2004 eliminated the internship course. It was not clear to the team if the internships will be reinstated this summer as a result of the faculty members’ work during the last semester.
The Provost-elect discussed the idea of adding a capstone project to the degree programs. This is in the concept phase only and is not a program or graduation requirement at this time.
The 2004 site visit team reported that the President indicated to the team that the College’s four-year childhood education program may be changed to a five-year bachelor’s/master’s program offered with a collaborating institution. The College now plans to discontinue the B.S. in Childhood Education. There are 21 students listed on the spring 2004 roster enrolled in this program. A review of the program and its faculty by Department staff indicate that the College must make arrangements with a local teacher education institution to teach-out the program’s students who wish to continue in a teacher preparation program to ensure that the students meet New York’s teacher certification requirements.
Assessment of success in meeting goals and objectives
While the Business and PPE programs have assessment plans specific to the departments, no comprehensive plan is in place to assess general learning outcomes across the entire curriculum on a periodic basis, essential to program planning and evaluation. Course outlines, however, include instrumental assessment of course content objectives, and the PPE program and Business Management programs gather evidence for assessment.
The review team did not have the opportunity to review student evaluation of teaching and learning. Documentation furnished by the College indicates that the administration of a student evaluation instrument has been considered; however, no evidence was provided to confirm that student evaluation of teaching are used comprehensively by the College. This would be valuable as a means to assess the effectiveness of academic instruction for the PPE program. Among those interviewed by the team, student enthusiasm was high concerning the quality of instruction. Course syllabi and samples of work, as previously noted, were indicative of excellence in regard to best practices. Documentation, however, would be useful for ongoing assessment
The College uses the ACT student opinion survey as one of its assessment tools. The summary of the March 2004 survey indicated that the majority of student respondents were satisfied to very satisfied with the faculty’s attitude toward students, class size, the faculty’s availability, and the student advisors’ availability. Respondent’s ratings of satisfied to neutral were given to instruction in major field and course content. The rating of the variety of courses offered by the College ranked between neutral and dissatisfied. The students interviewed by the review team echoed the findings. The students were knowledgeable about the institution’s mission and goals and praised the faculty for their interest in the students and their learning.
Program Length and Achievement
It appears that courses are offered with regular frequency. The program maps show semester-by-semester outlines. The team confirmed program offerings on the semester schedule of courses for spring 2005. The team found, however, in spring 2005, ECON 117 Fundamentals of Economics (a cornerstone of the A.A. degree and PPE program) was offered in a single section to over 100 students. While large introductory Economics sections are standard practice at even small colleges, the size of this section runs counter to the intellectual mission of the College and speaks to the need for the College to address staffing issues. Moreover, even though the course was listed as ECON 117 Fundamentals of Economics, it was, in fact, taught with the syllabus for ECON 217, Microeconomics. The catalog lists another Microeconomics course, ECON 212 Principles of Microeconomics that is cross-listed as BUS 340 Principles of Microeconomics. The course descriptions for ECON 212, 217, and BUS 340 were identical. It is difficult to imagine how a 100 level course in one discipline can serve as a 300 level course in another.
There are also cases where the College should cross-reference courses, such as the ECO 477 Stewardship and BUS 140 Stewardship and Financial Management.
The College substantially meets the standard for Curricula (Regents Rule, § 4-1.4 (c))
3. Eliminate the discrepancy in Economics requirements between the A.A. in PPE and the PPE core requirements or phase out the A.A. program.
4. While the main framework of the PPE program is still developing, the relationship between analytical and practical skills should be well defined and, consequently, the program’s curriculum should reflect the necessary balance.
5. Design more detailed syllabi of the new courses proposed for the PPE program, including the capstone project or course.
6. If an objective of the PPE program is to provide the necessary foundation for graduate education in Economics, as faculty indicated to the team, the program should be revised to include advanced mathematics courses.
7. Develop teach-out agreements with other local teacher education institutions to assist students in completing the discontinued childhood education program.
8. Carefully review the array of courses and eliminate or cross-reference duplicate courses.
Establish relationships with nonacademic organizations that will help to introduce potential leaders to the practical environment and challenges of decision-making.
Standard: Faculty (Regents Rule, § 4-1.4(d))
The review team commends the institution on the use of the visiting scholars with impressive curricula vitae in their respective fields. The College appropriately hires predominately master’s and doctoral level prepared faculty. The majority of faculty, both full and part time, hold graduate degrees with over 80 percent having earned doctorates. A review of faculty folders confirmed that faculty vitae listed this level of education. The College does not request official transcripts from its faculty members. Without such transcripts, verification of degrees and the coursework completed by a faculty member was not possible.
The team met several full-time faculty members who teach courses for the PPE program. They are highly motivated teachers devoted to the mission of The King’s College. Each member teaches a variety of courses, sometimes beyond his/her specific specialization; however, their broad education and teaching experience make many of them well prepared for the task.
Given the information available to the team, in a review of the courses full-time faculty, visiting faculty, and adjunct faculty taught in fall 04 and spring 05, it found that some faculty members were assigned courses that appear to be out of field. Interviews with faculty revealed, however, that the faculty charts provided to the team listing courses taught in fall 2004 and spring 2005 by each member were not accurate. For instance, one faculty member is listed as teaching 3 courses each semester. The faculty member said the course load was actually two courses each semester as well as special assignments related to the curriculum and internship development. From the information provided to the team, the following faculty members appear to have been assigned courses out of field:
· A faculty member having a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a M.F.A. in Creative Writing was assigned to teach PHE 210 Health, Wellness, and Substance Abuse.
· A faculty member with a bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies, a M.A. in Journalism and a Ph.D. in Theology was teaching literature courses.
· A faculty member with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, a master’s in English as a Second Language, and a Ph.D. in Intercultural Education taught several sections of literature and college writing courses.
· A full-time administrator with a M.Div. degree, a Th.M. in Intercultural Studies and a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies was assigned to teach ADC 454 Organizational Management.
The review team raises a concern about faculty members teaching outside of their areas of expertise and competence in the Business program due to the range of different courses some faculty teach. One faculty member will be assigned to cover several different disciplines or areas, i.e., management principles, strategy, and marketing.
Students who talked to the members of the team expressed their satisfaction with the competence and quality of teaching of the King’s College faculty. Teachers are enthusiastic and caring about the educational progress of students. They are easily available when students need consultation and help.
Faculty adequacy to support programs and services
The smallness of the College provides an environment for close faculty collaboration and communication. It also provides particular challenges. College administration told the team it plans to add faculty, projecting an additional five to seven faculty members per year.
Academic year 2005-06 will present staffing challenges to The King’s College. Twelve students graduated in May 2005; therefore, most of the students enrolled in Spring 2005 must continue to make progress toward a degree in either PPE or Business Management. High concentrations of students at the first and second year level, where the PPE core is closely prescribed, will make it difficult to provide the kind of low student-to-faculty-ratio quality of instruction that the college takes pride in promoting.
The review team analyzed the full- and part-time faculty charts provided listing faculty members, their credentials, and the courses taught by each faculty member in fall 2004 and spring 2005. From this information, it was determined that the College had eight full-time faculty members to support its programs with an additional two new hires for fall 2005.
There are two full-time faculty members in the Business program. The team was informed that an adjunct instructor will move to full-time status in fall 2005, bringing the total number of full-time faculty in this program to three. Two full-time faculty members (one is a new hire) have appropriate experience and education in the area of Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. The Childhood Education program has one full-time faculty member. His degree, other credentials and experience do not appear appropriate for a large portion of the courses in the program. A second full-time faculty member with a graduate degree in Education Technology will move to adjunct status in the fall. His educational background also limits the courses he is qualified to teach. The College has three full-time faculty members teaching subjects in the liberal arts and sciences common core and has hired one additional faculty member for this area.
College administrators may teach courses and the College brings in visiting scholars and uses adjuncts for its programs to complement its full-time faculty. During the past academic year, the College reported five visiting professors with the following respective terminal degrees: (1) a Ph.D. in philosophy; (2) a Ph.D. in economics; (3) a Ph.D. in anthropology; (4) a M.A. in linguistics and a Ph.D. in history; and (5) a Ph.D. in political science. Visiting professors commit to a one-year contract, which may be renewed. Four of the visiting professors will continue in academic year 2005-2006. The visiting professor with a Ph.D. in anthropology has been hired as the Provost and plans to continue to teach some courses.
As mentioned under the Curriculum standards, it appeared that microeconomic courses for at least two levels were combined in one class of over 100 students during spring 05. This was confirmed in a review of student work, a class roster, and the syllabus with the altered title. The enrollment of this class encompassed over one-half of the total student population at the College. Such large classes could, once again, reverse recent progress on retention. Waiving requirements and offering courses that are fundamentally different than what is listed will potentially harm student satisfaction with the academic program for which they are paying.
Spring 2005 enrollment data from and projections for Fall 2005 suggest that the Economics area is understaffed to the extent that it will impede efforts to provide an appropriate academic experience to students. An additional full time economist would ensure small class sizes and mitigate negative effects on student retention.
Administrators told the team that the goal is to maintain a ratio of full-time/part-time faculty of 60/40. Faculty interviewed would like to see 75 percent of faculty as full-time and also said that the College strives to have 20 percent of its part-time faculty to be visiting scholars.
Interviews with the three faculty members from the Business Department revealed that faculty were somewhat unfamiliar with course numbers associated with course names when course numbers were referred to in the discussion. They also did not seem fully knowledgeable or confident in discussing the total structure of the business curriculum and how many course of each kind were required. This may be due to "transition difficulties" and/or may indicate insufficient involvement with planning and implementing the curriculum. It should be noted that one of the faculty members was an adjunct who was fairly new to the College.
The work requirements on full-time faculty in the Business program appear quite heavy and increasing. The faculty handbook states that four courses per semester is the normal load for a full-time faculty member. It appears that each full-time faculty member will have a large number of students to supervise outside of normal teaching duties. Each faculty member will have to supervise internships (faculty would each like to supervise two internships). The review team expressed its concern that like the students in the PPE program, the business majors may get less than they should because of overworked faculty members who teach in several different areas with many sections and preparations, with the extra duties of supervising internships, and potentially some administrative duties. The faculty members must either be far above normal in their abilities and/or they will be unable to maintain currency in their fields. A capstone program may eventually be added to the curriculum, which would push their responsibilities to even a great extent.
Judging faculty adequacy in Business courses is not easy because of the lack of clear data. There have been frequent changes in teaching assignments. The College’s location in New York City offers it access to many business people who may be well qualified in education and experience for part-time teaching. This can be a strength if they are well selected, properly guided and monitored, and are not used in excessive numbers. However there is a danger of loss of curricular integrity and quality if the use of part-timers is too casual. The expressed goal of faculty of having 75 percent of courses taught by full-time faculty would mitigate such a danger.
Faculty evaluation and professional responsibilities
The faculty handbook is provided to all faculty members at the College. It is clearly written and organized. The handbook includes detailed faculty responsibilities, including teaching load, attendance, examination policies, grading policies, advisement responsibilities, faculty committee structure, and services to the College, faculty contracts, and evaluation procedures. The faculty handbook included self-evaluation forms from the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, Texas Tech University, and The King’s College’s Faculty Self-Evaluation Form. It was not clear why the College included unrelated evaluation forms from other colleges for faculty use.
A rigorous process of peer observation and review of instructional pedagogy is in place. The College evaluates the teaching of its faculty through self-evaluation, peer review, and administrative observations. The multiple evaluations and observations are primarily used for the purpose of improving teaching.
The review team questioned the value of the peer observation process. While the peer observation process works well in many institutions, the absence of departments and clear lines of authority in the management of academic program at The King’s College makes it difficult to understand how the faculty member being reviewed in the classroom will benefit from the content-specific observations of a colleague outside of the discipline. While a scholar from one discipline can readily comment on the pedagogical skills of a scholar from another discipline, determining the quality of instruction relative to disciplinary content by a scholar from the same discipline is equally important.
The review team had concerns about faculty development. While it is commendable that the senior faculty have impressive vitae with respect to professional accomplishment as both teachers and scholars, it is difficult to understand how junior members of the faculty, with 24 credit hour annual teaching loads, will have the same opportunities to develop and flourish as nationally recognized professionals. The potential appears great for a two-tiered system of privilege to evolve among faculty at the College. On the one hand, a group of privileged well-established scholars are in residence a few days a week, teaching large sections and employing standardized testing for evaluation. On the other, a group of young, struggling post-doctoral teachers prepare to teach large numbers of courses to fill curricular gaps due to staffing shortages; are readily available for meetings and to provide assistance to students; emphasize writing in evaluating student work; and are expected to be present on campus from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm five days a week. The review team questions how, given current working conditions and the lack of protections that tenure normally affords, the junior faculty of the College will develop credentials similar to the senior scholars of the institution.
Faculty with whom the review team spoke expressed no dissatisfaction with their roles or current working conditions at the College. The review team was informed that faculty held general meetings periodically as a deliberative body. During the site visit, the review team also met with the Library Committee, and faculty on that committee reported that they were consulted on decisions with respect to acquisitions, budgets, and policy.
Faculty governance appears to have increased over the past two years,. The College has implemented Academic Affairs, Faculty Affairs, and Disciplinary Committees as well as task forces on Middle States accreditation and leadership. The Academic Affairs committee’s responsibilities include development of academic direction, addition/deletion of programs, review of budgetary matters related to academic programs, academic petitions, the academic calendar, policy/recommendations for curriculum evaluation, evaluation of course quality, implementation of educational testing, and oversight of library services.
Faculty governance appears to be inconsistent. When the review team asked faculty about curriculum development, the Business program faculty were very involved in this academic pursuit. The faculty of the newly implemented PPE program were not. The PPE faculty stated that the program was developed by the administration but faculty discussed it at faculty meetings.
Release time is arranged “informally” as faculty members take on administrative duties and development of such program components as internships.
Academic advising is a significant part of faculty duties. It is practiced in two forms. When in need of help, lower level students contact the Advising Center; higher-level students receive advice from faculty members. However, there are no regular faculty office hours and students have to make an appointment in order to meet instructors in a conference room.
The College partially meets the standard for Faculty (Regents Rule, § 4-1.4(d))
9. The large number of students enrolled in two major programs suggests that the College faces immediate challenges in staffing, particularly in the area of economics. A visiting scholar, the only faculty member with a Ph.D. in economics, is listed as teaching only two courses a year. According to the original proposal for the PPE program, two full-time faculty hires were projected and have been hired in Summer 2005. The College should commit to hiring at least one more full-time Ph.D. economist and at least one more full-time Ph.D. political philosopher during the next academic year. The two faculty hired during the summer of 2005 are not in these content areas. These hires are essential to ensure that the economic elements of the program can be delivered. The hiring of additional full-time faculty members will also create a collegial environment where younger faculty can be mentored by faculty with related disciplinary interests. Such an environment is needed for peer review and mentoring. Additional faculty should provide some relief in the area of devoting time to maintaining disciplinary expertise and development as a scholar.
10. New faculty members should be expected to maintain the normal full-time teaching load at the College of a maximum 24 credit hours per year.
11. Develop and provide to faculty a single form for self-evaluation taking into consideration best practices from other higher education institutions as appropriate to The King’s College.
12. Request official transcripts for faculty members to verify degrees and prior coursework. This will assist the College in assigning faculty to appropriate instructional responsibilities each semester.
13. The College should evaluate the impact of internship supervision and student supervision in the proposed capstone project on faculty workloads and make appropriate adjustments.
14. Develop written policies for faculty release time.
Despite the lack of private faculty offices, it would be helpful to arrange regular office hours since some students are often hesitant to ask for an appointment. Regular office hours make it possible for a student to just visit an instructor during that time and to receive advice in that less formal way.
Standard: Resources (Regents Rules, § 4-1.4(e))
(1) Facilities, equipment, and supplies.
The team toured the College, which leases 40,000 square feet on two floors in the Empire State Building. Approximately 5,000 square feet is not currently in use and the College plans to an additional 13,000 square foot of space on the concourse level of the building to accommodate anticipated growth. The College reported that a consulting company specializing in college space planning has been retained to assist it in planning the expansion of its facilities.
Administrative offices, a few of the faculty offices, conference and seminar-type classrooms are located on the 15th floor. The lower lobby houses the majority of the classrooms, the library, and student services: registrar, admissions, financial aid, the Advising Center, and a large student lounge (the “Café”). A small computer lab is also on the lower level; it serves primarily part-time students since all full-time students are expected to have laptop computers. The various spaces are beautifully appointed and project an image of excellence. The College did an excellent job of revamping basement space in the lower level to meet its needs as an educational institution. Signage is clear and classroom designations are also in Braille. The carpeted hallways reduced noise as students move between classrooms.
Although the College does not offer food service, there are vending machines, a refrigerator and microwave in the Café area. The Café contains a sufficient number of booths for clusters of students. There are also many food establishments located in the immediate vicinity. All facilities are adequate for the current level of enrolled students with the exception of faculty offices.
Full-time faculty are expected to maintain a presence on campus five days a week from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. The majority of faculty have office space in cubicles located in the Student Services Center. The cubicles of the student development staff are also in this area. The small cubicles provided very little space for books or file cabinets. This would seem to impair the ability of faculty to maintain currency in their fields and also impair preparation for faculty that teach in several different areas, each requiring books, materials, etc. The cubicle arrangement was inadequate for quiet reflection and privacy when consulting with students. A private room is provided for consultations with colleagues and students, but it has a fishbowl quality, which may attach a stigma of suspicion to those who utilize it. Cubicles afford little in the way of opportunity to prepare for class, conduct business by telephone, or to meet one-on-one with colleagues or students. There also was no defined space for adjunct faculty.
There are nine classrooms, each with white boards, video projectors. One large auditorium-like room has seating for 120 students. Students are required to have laptops and the classrooms have convenient outlets for the laptops. Classrooms spaces are well appointed with adequate seating and were generally state-of-the-art, with the exception of a large lecture room. The latter was used for just two classes in Spring 2005. A few common printers are provided for students, who, as mentioned earlier, have laptop computers. The team observed that one of the common networked printers was in the hallway adjacent to the classrooms. The placement of the printer did not lend itself to security in students’ work.
The Student Services Center promotes a one-stop shop approach to everything a student could request with respect to opportunities in academic affairs or student life. Coupled with the CAMS intranet and the peer-advising program, it would be difficult for a student to get lost within the College. The admissions and registrar’s functions were not part of the one-stop approach; however, these offices were located on the same level.
The Rosezella Battles Library is quite small physically and the space is limited in expansion possibilities. It is well staffed and well supported by the use of information technology to access journals and periodicals online. Interlibrary loan services are used to facilitate research. Academic dishonesty is managed through a subscription to Turnitin.com.
The library collection of circa 12,000 books is very modest in size but provides a good source of fundamental information and reference. The acquisitions budget is small; $11,000 for 2004 and $13,200 for 2005. Additional periodicals are ordered if faculty request them. The team was informed that the College holds over 80,000 books from its former upstate collection; however, the stored collection must be reviewed for relevance to the current offerings and resource needs of the students as it was last used in 1993-94.
From the point of view of the PPE program, the collection appears well selected. The most significant areas of study are well represented: political theory, American politics, political history, economic theory, business, moral philosophy, theology, and so forth.
The collection in economics was not substantial and concentrated in works from the Austrian school. Given the history-of-thought approach of the PPE and the great books emphasis of the College, the collection should be filled out with classic works and the important secondary literature on the classic works. This becomes more important with the senior thesis requirement.
The Provost-elect, who also holds a MLS, commented on library holdings as focused and specialized on King's curriculum, but does not believe they have met core needs yet. Business periodicals also were limited in comparison to most libraries; however, with Internet access the review team felt this might be sufficient.
In addition to the access to New York public libraries within walking distance from the Empire State Building, The King’s College librarian helps students to get access to other rich sources. The College’s membership in the METRO library consortium provides students with the opportunity to obtain, upon request, a permit to use a number of university libraries in New York, including the libraries of CUNY, Columbia, and others. Unfortunately, such permits allow just one-time visit and not a systematic access.
Students have use of a copier in the library. The library catalog and databases are part of the College’s intranet, accessible from within the College and as well as from student housing and other remote locations . As a member of METRO, the library has access to multiple databases at a reduced subscription rate. It subscribes to common databases such as LEXIS-NEXIS, ProQuest, XREFER, and EBSCO.
The Library is staffed by one person, the librarian who holds a MLS. Staffing is supplemented with several student workers. A faculty committee has been established to evaluate library acquisition needs.
The library’s proximity to the Café makes it likely to be the prime gathering place on campus. Such proximity to the Café could also make it noisy and difficult to utilize as a place for quiet contemplation.
The College submitted certified financial audit reports for review by the Department’s Office of Audit Services as part of the accreditation process. The reports indicated that the College has continued to improve its financial condition. Its net assets grew to $8.2 million that will provide it with a margin of safety.
For the institution’s fiscal year ending in August 2004, the College's total income before expenses increased from $2.7 million in 2003 to $7.3 million, a growth of 170 percent. Contributions accounted for $5.8 of the $7.3 in total income, in possible instances of a revenue shortfall, the College has two lines of credit totaling approximately $4.5 million through the Campus Crusade for Christ. The Campus Crusade verified by letter that it has provided additional financial assistance on an occasional basis, including a line of credit that the College has used to manage its cash flow requirements.
The ten-year strategic plan submitted to the review team indicates the College is assessing ways to improve its financial position. Tuition income has been steadily increasing. The College increased its tuition to $16,000 for the 2003-2004 academic year and the plan assumes further tuition increases over the next five years to a target level of $19,700. The College does not participate in federal Title IV student financial aid programs although it does participate in State student aid programs. It provides institutional loans to students equal to 23 percent of tuition.
The College has entered into a contract with Touro College for purchase of its property at Blue Lake in Orange County, NY for a reported sale price of $10.5 million, increasing the availability of additional liquid assets.
The College meets the standard for resources (Regents Rules, § 4-1.4(e))
15. When the College acquires additional space, it should configure space for an expanded library and private faculty offices.
16. The College should develop an acquisition plan with consideration for acquisitions of classic works of philosophy, politics, and economics. Powell’s Books, antiquarian dealers, or other second hand sources should be explored to acquire out-of-print classic hardcover editions of the great books and classics of Western literature. Some of these works might already be in The King’s College collection from prior to 1993 that is in storage. Such a collection would inspire scholarly inquiry and reflection, and is consistent with the institutional mission. This would complement the intentions of the college to develop and implement a capstone thesis.
Arrange more regular relationships with other university libraries in the area. It would be a great help to students working on more advanced projects, such as the capstone, where more specialized literature, beyond the resources of public libraries, might be needed.
Standard: Administration (Regents Rules, § 4-1.4(f))
The College has established roles, responsibilities, and lines of reporting authority. The administrative and instructional functions and services are clearly established and known through publications such as the faculty handbook.
The team believes that the College is led by a very strong, motivated President who exemplifies the College’s mission. The academic organization has recently changed, replacing an academic dean’s position with a provost. The Provost-elect has an impressive range of administrative experience in higher education. His familiarity with educational policies and program should prove beneficial to stabilizing the transitional mode of the College. The academic department heads will now develop the academic schedule with the Provost.
The College appears to be top-heavy in administration for an institution of its size, especially when compared to the number of full-time faculty to support its programs. In addition to the President and Provost, the organization chart lists 31 administrative titles, most filled by separate individuals. The title of Assistant Director of National Admissions Strategy lists four individuals with this title. There are also two individuals holding the title of Director of Major Gifts. Two of the administrators serve in more than one capacity, according to the chart. The Chief of Staff is also listed as the Director of Human Resources. The Academic Project Director is also the Director of CALL. As the CALL program is one of the discontinued programs at the College, it appears that the organization chart may need updating.
Notably absent from the chart is a Dean of the PPE program. Given the size of the College, some thought should be given to consolidation of titles. From the organization chart, it was difficult for the team to ascertain if all positions are truly administrators or if some positions are support staff with administrative titles.
The 2004 site visit team reported that there is a sense that the lines between administration and faculty are blurred and changeable. The team was informed that most full-time faculty members have administrative responsibilities and, as well, that administrators frequently teach courses. The 2005 site visit team found that this is still the case.
In most institutions of higher education, the faculty are the college. The sense from visiting The King’s College is that this is not yet the case. To succeed as a viable and credible college, one must be able to wander the campus and leave with the distinct appreciation of academic excellence that is inculcated in students from resident teacher scholars. This clearly is the goal of The King’s College; however the creation of the mission, goals, and curriculum is more a realization of a vision from the top administration than a carefully construed and devised program of learning from a core of inspired faculty.
The College has established, published and enforces explicit policies with respect to the rights and privileges of full-time and part-time faculty and other staff members, job descriptions, working conditions, opportunity for professional development, workload, appointment and reappointment, evaluation of teaching and research, termination of appointment, redress of grievances and faculty responsibility to the institution. The policies are published in the Faculty Handbook. In a review of the Faculty Handbook and a search of the College’s website, the review team did not find a policy on academic freedom.
The College has also set requirements for admission of students to the institution and to specific curricula, requirements for residence, graduation, awarding of credit, degrees or other credentials, grading, standards of progress, payment of fees of any nature, refunds, withdrawals, standards of conduct, disciplinary measures and redress of grievances. These policies are published in the catalog and/or the Student Handbook.
The College substantially meets the standard for Administration (Regents Rules, § 4-1.4(f))
17. The reins of curricular design, decision-making, assessment, monitoring of institutional effectiveness, and campus governance must continue to be turned over to the faculty.
18. Review the administrative positions at the College for possible consolidation of titles, given its limited size, and create an administrative position to be responsible for the PPE program.
19. Publish the College’s policy regarding academic freedom (as required in Regents Rules, § 4-1.4(f)(2)(i)) in the Faculty Handbook.
Standard: Support services (Regents Rules, § 4-1.4(g))
The Student Services Center has done much planning to provide a full range of comprehensive services for academic and social support. Programs have been devised to meet the needs of residential life in a mid-town Manhattan setting. The results of the ACT Student Opinion Survey in 2004 indicated student dissatisfaction with academic advising, career counseling and placement, and campus leadership opportunities through student life. The Student Services Center has responded to concerns reported in the survey. A centralized advising program, which involves peer advisors has replaced advising by faculty for the first two years of a student’s education.
Tutoring is regularly scheduled to help students meet competency standards for writing and quantitative reasoning. Peer tutors are also available upon request to assist students in their coursework. The faculty identifies peer tutors. The tutors, as described by the Student Services staff, are students who are excelling in the respective course. The College did not have a training program for the tutors at the time of the visit.
Much of the advisement effort is channeled through peer-mentoring programs, which were highly effective in identifying students at risk during the spring 2005 semester. The indicator report is also used for to identify at-risk students. The Center remains in constant contact with instructors and identifies students who need more assistance.
The College has implemented appropriate policies to ensure and protect student confidentiality and privacy. For the first time, the Office of Student Services will initiate a two-day Academic Services Training Program for peer mentors in August 2005.
The review of the Student Services Center’s programs indicated that support services are increasingly moving to parity with the best practices in higher education and that progress was visible.
The College does not have a bookstore. Students purchase textbooks over the Internet or at local bookstores. The College reported that it provides a local collegiate bookstore with its textbook requirements. The College’s website does have a link to TKC Store but this portal was under development at the time of the visit.
The Office of Student Services staff seemed to be well organized. It has implemented the use of technology to enable the Center to provide timely information and essential services to students and others. This centralization of services for and about students seems to be working well, and reduces the schedule advising work of faculty. The CAMS system is supplemented by programs developed by one of the staff members to allow monitoring via an online spreadsheet of student needs and progress. It was noted that this system helped improve the retention rate from 53 percent two years ago to 70 percent now. This office also uses five trained students as peer advisors. There was admittedly a communication problem in that the Student Services administrators continues to recommend the A.A. program to new incoming students even though the team had been told by the President and Provost that there was absolutely no recruiting for the A.A. program.
A new Director of Residential Life has been hired to oversee the College’s residential services. The College has developed a “house” system with each student assigned to one of a number of houses identified with various well-known individuals, e.g., the Clara Barton House. Upperclassmen are also members of the house and provide leadership to the freshmen. A faculty member serves as an honorary member. The peer advisors meet with the house leaders on a regular basis. The house provides an opportunity for students to get to know each other in small groups. Interviewed students told the team that the sponsored events of the houses expand leadership opportunities for them and effectively engage them in co-curricular activities. Students have the opportunity to propose clubs and other events and seek funding for them. Some of the interviewed students have been very pro-active and successful in doing so.
The College meets the standard for support services (Regents Rules, § 4-1.4(g))
· At present, the Student Services Center is physically separate from the Registrar (which appears to be little more than a workstation). The King’s College should consider locating the Registrar within the operations of the Student Services Center, especially given that the CAMS intranet provides students with access to most of the functions of the registrar.
· The College should develop and implement a training program for its peer tutors.
Standard: Admissions (Regents Rules, § 4-1.4 (h))
During the 2005 site visit, the review team met with 23 students with broad representation in academic standing regarding progress toward the degree. When asked how they discovered the College, the students volunteered observations about the admissions recruiting process. These comments, and the admissions materials provided to the review team during our visit, suggest that the College has excellent outreach in recruiting students. It was also clear that the mission of the College, along with its location in mid-town Manhattan, attracts students.
The College has raised its admission standards, broadened its recruitment efforts to a national population, and reported in its self-study that it has phased out three of its programs geared to under-prepared students: Emerging Leaders Program (ELP), ExCELS, and the Center of Adult Leadership and Learning (CALL). It reported SAT scores of new students in fall 2004 as in the 800 to 899 scoring band to the 1300 to1600 band, as compared student SAT scores falling into the scoring bands 700 to 799 to scores in the 1300 to 1600 band for admits in fall 2003. The data shows a slightly greater concentration in the upper band for fall 2004 admits and approximately 70 percent of students falling in the scoring bands between 1000 and 1299. The percentage of students who are listed as SAT/ACT scores unknown has decreased greatly from fall 2003, when approximately 30 percent of admits were so listed, to 12 percent for fall 2004.
The Early Action program to encourage students to make a college commitment by January 15 is offered. A one time $1500 Early Action scholarship is awarded to students who so apply and matriculate by the stated deadline.
The Campus Crusade for Christ helps in recruitment of students. Its members recruit from high schools and students visit the College as part of “Operation Airlift”. Students and at least one parent are flown into New York City for a multi-day visit to the College. The recruitment effort targets college-bound high school juniors and seniors. Students must have at least a 3.2 GPA and SAT scores of 1100 (math and verbal), ACT composite score of 24 or PSAT selection index of 156. One of the students interviewed by the review team reported that she visited the College as part of this effort.
The College reports diversity in its student population. The College’s fall 2004 admissions data for its 74 first-time applicants was as follows: 68 percent White, Non-Hispanic; 8 percent Black, Non-Hispanic; 4 percent Asian or Pacific Islander, 14 percent Hispanic, 4 percent Asian-American, and 5 percent nonresident Alien. According to the Director of Admissions, 50 percent of the current students are from New York State, and the ratio of females to males is 60/40. The ratio of females to males is comparable to many small liberal arts colleges.
The College has implemented an orderly process to determine the admission of students who are high school graduates, transfer students, or international students. Applicants must have a high school diploma with a defined minimum of 16 academic high school credits, provide SAT or ACT examination scores (waived for transfer students with at least 32 credits), write a 300 to 500 word personal essay, provide personal references, provide a one-page resume, and have an interview with a King’s College representative. This information is clearly written in the catalog.
Applicants with high school equivalency diplomas are instructed to contact the admissions office. Students who do not have recent SAT or ACT scores may take the College’s placement test, according to the catalog. The catalog also states that all entering students must take a computer proficiency examination.
The catalog provides special instructions for home-schooled students. The College’s process requested “…submission of some form of a transcript and a resume of extracurricular activities. The transcript should include the student’s course of study, grades if available, and standardized test scores (SAT or ACT).” Regents Rules require that students without an acceptable secondary education credential or its equivalent must complete liberal arts and sciences core requirement, as set forth in the Regulations of the Commissioner. The review team provided the Vice President for Enrollment Management with the regulations.
Students who need of additional preparatory work in mathematics and/or writing may be accepted provisionally to the College. These students are limited to a reduced course load and required to successfully complete one or both of the remedial courses in preparatory writing and preparatory math. If a student experiences academic difficulty after starting a program of study, he/she is offered academic counseling and tutorial services, which are provided, free of charge, by the College. The catalog states that failure to complete the provisional requirements by the conclusion of 30 credit hours may lead to suspension.
The application form includes a transcript request, academic reference form, a pastoral/spiritual reference form, and an employer reference form. Administrators told the team that it does not discriminate in its admissions process based on religion and if a student does not have a pastoral or spiritual reference, a reference from a mentor is acceptable.
The College uses a well-developed Advising Manual for faculty and peer advisors. The manual includes the point system for admissions decisions. This information is not published in the catalog. Points are given for in the area of leadership and potential including the categories of initiative and experience, accomplishment, responsibility and faithfulness (refers to commitment to positions or situations), and attitude, with an equal weight of 5 points for each category. A rubric is included for consistency in scoring. A scoring scale is included for academic preparation and GED scores. The College uses a 50-point scale to determine who is admitted and under what conditions.
Financial aid counseling is available for students through the Advising Center. The College does not offer psychological and health services but has implemented a referral service through a formal network with community providers. It has a published list of recommended providers.
The President and Provost-elect said that students are now being admitted to only baccalaureate programs but would retain the associate program for those students who finish the first two years and leave the College for various reasons. Retaining the two-year degree would provide a credential to recognize the work of these students. However, the student services department staff reported that it advises students who are unsure of a major to enroll in the associate degree program. The administration said that this is a communication problem and the discrepancy will be resolved.
The College meets the standard for admissions (Regents Rules, § 4-1.4 (h)
20. The College must revise its admissions policies for home-schooled students to meet the Regulations of the Commissioner.
Standard: Consumer information (Regents Rules, § 4-1.4 (i))
(iv) Program-related facilities. A general description of instructional, laboratory and other facilities directly related to the academic program shall be provided, in addition to general information describing the total physical plant. Narrative and/or statistical information shall be provided about library collections and facilities, student unions, and institution-operated eating-places. Hours of operation, including holiday and vacation schedules, shall be provided.
viii) Grading. The grading policy of the institution, and of specific curricula, if different, shall be published.
The review team examined the College catalog, the website, and other College publications. The catalog is very clear in providing the College’s policies as required in the standard.
Under §313 of Education Law and §19.2 of the Regents Rules, a school may file a certificate stating it is a religious organization. A school that files such a certificate may use religion as selection criteria. At the time of the visit, the Department did not have such a certificate on file. It has since filed the certificate.
The College catalog was difficult to download, requiring each section to be requested individually. The Table of Contents does not include page numbers and the section approach did not result in consistent numbering of pages making it difficult to find desired information.
Greater transparency is needed on the College’s website. Catalog descriptions are unclear with respect to the A.A. degree and B.A. degree in PPE. As noted previously, the problem is that the A.A. degree requires one (or now no) introductory course in Economics during the first two years, and the PPE core requires the introductory course (ECON 117), plus courses in Microeconomics (ECON 217) and Macroeconomics (ECON 227).
The team found inference to Oxford University’s program in College publications including its strategic plan. The strategic plan specifically states that; “The focus of the College includes the following: The Oxford Program: Politics, Philosophy and Economics and Theology; Business with an Oxford Core; Arts and Education with an Oxford Core.” The College’s comparison of its programs to the Oxford program should not be included in its publications.
It was reported that in 1999, the College merged with the Northeastern Bible College of Edison, NJ. The Bible College provided an endowment to the College to continue its mission of serving students who are interested in ministry. While the College does not have a registered program for the ministry, College staff told the team that it was felt that the College’s degree offerings would assist those students in their undergraduate pursuits. The College prominently displays the Northeastern Biblical Institute at the entrance of its student services area. Its website and catalog state:
Northeastern Bible College Scholarship of $1,000 per semester is awarded to students majoring in or planning to major in the majors that were offered at the Northeastern Bible College. Student must maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA.
Given information on the College’s website and information proved by College staff, it was unclear to the reviewers what the Institute does other than provide scholarship to identified students and to what programs the students matriculate.
The 2004 review team found that while the College provided most of the required consumer information, it did not include the following items in its catalog: HEGIS codes for each of the registered programs; the statement that enrollment in other than approved programs may jeopardize a student’s eligibility for financial aid; the academic year in which each course is expected to be taught; faculty rank and the department or major area to which the faculty member is assigned; and information on student retention and graduation rates for the most recent cohort. The team also recommended that the admission point system be added to admission information in the catalog.
The website correctly includes both a 2004-05 and a 2005-06 catalog. The 2005-2006 catalog includes the recommended items of the 2004 review team. It lists HEGIS codes for each of the registered programs and the faculty rank and department for each faculty member. It includes the statement, “Enrollment in other than registered or otherwise approved programs may jeopardize a student's eligibility for certain student aid awards” with the academic programs listing. Each program is illustrated semester by semester, with the notation that not all courses may be offered each semester. As the College reported it no longer admits students into the Associate degree program or the Childhood Education program, the two programs are not included in the catalog.
The College substantially meets the standard for consumer information (Regents Rules, § 4-1.4 (i))
21. Remove from college publications any comparison of its programs to Oxford University programs.
22. Since the College does not offer programs from the Northeastern Bible College in the ministry, it must clarify information provided about these programs.
23. Inform the Department of any changes to the College’s non-discrimination policy statement.
Reload the catalog on the website as one document rather than pieces of the document to provide ease for students and others in reading and downloading pertinent information.
Standard: Student complaints (Regents Rules, § 4-1.4 (j))
(1) The institution shall establish, publish, and consistently administer internal procedures to receive, investigate, and resolve student complaints related to the standards prescribed in this Subpart.
A review of the Student Handbook and the catalog confirmed the existence of a formal grievance committee, a grievance procedure, and the rights to an appeal for both academic matters and issues related to discipline. The College has in place a system to maintain a record of all formal complaints for six years after the final resolution of the complaint.
The College meets the standard for student complaints (Regents Rules, § 4-1.4 (j))
Standard: HEA Title IV program responsibilities (Regents Rules, § 4-1.4 (k))
The College does not participate in Title IV student aid programs.
Standard: Teach-out agreements (Regents Rules, § 4-1.4 (l))
The College had no teach-out agreements with other institutions at the time of the visit.
Standard: Public disclosure of accreditation status (Regents Rules, § 4-1.4 (m))
An institution that elects to disclose its accreditation status shall disclose such status accurately and identify in its disclosure the specific academic and instructional programs covered by that status and information identifying the New York State Board of Regents and the New York State Commissioner of Education as its institutional accrediting agency. Such information shall include the address and telephone number of the department. The disclosure shall be consistent with the requirements of section 13.11 of this Title.
The 2004 site visit team recommended that the College provide the following statement to more accurately reflect the accreditation:
The King’s College is institutionally accredited by the New York State Board of Regents and the Commissioner of Education, a nationally recognized accrediting agency, located at 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York, 12234, (518) 474-3852.
The statement has been revised on the College’s website fact sheet and its catalog but not other places on the website.
The College substantially meets the standard for public disclosure of accreditation status (Regents Rules, § 4-1.4 (m))
24. If the College elects to disclose its accreditation status, it should revise the accreditation statement wherever stated on its website to include the recommended statement.
Thank you for your letter of June 22, transmitting the draft report from the peer review team. I am pleased with the team’s overall response to The King’s College’s self-study, including the team’s recommendation that the College receive re-accreditation for five years.
I appreciate the opportunity to comment on the draft report before it goes to the Advisory Council. As you will see, we have a handful of factual corrections as well as responses to the peer review team’s 24 recommendations. For ease of reference, I have excerpted and put in red our responses to the passages from the draft report that stand in need of correction or clarification and put in green our responses to the excerpted recommendations.
I look forward to the Advisory Council’s favorable consideration of The King’s College’s application for re-accreditation.
The King’s College Response
to the June 22, 2005
Accreditation Site Visit Team
The King’s College is generally pleased with the draft report of the peer review team that visited the College on May 25, 2005, and is grateful for the recommendation that the College’s accreditation by the Board of Regents be renewed for an additional five years. In examining the draft report, the College’s faculty and administration noted a small number of factual errors. We also have discussed the site visit team’s 24 recommendations. In this document, the College seeks to correct the errors and then to address the recommendations under each standard.
p. 4 The College will discontinue its teacher education program and is working with Department staff to plan a teach-out for the students enrolled in the program. Department staff projects the program will be discontinued in 2005.
Clarification: In April 2005, The King’s College notified NYSED of our intention to close the Childhood Education degree program and sought NYSED’s counsel on the formalities of how to do so. The College is awaiting that counsel and in the meantime, the College has informed students and prospective students that no new students will be admitted to the Childhood Education degree program. The College is committed to providing the necessary courses for students who are already enrolled in the program to complete their degrees. We anticipate that all such students will finish their degree program by August 2007.
p. 4 Given that the enrollment of the College is approximately 200 students, the consolidation of programs and a common core is appropriate. The development of the PPE associate degree program as the common core reflects the mission of the College.
Clarification: The PPE associate degree program overlaps with the College’s common core, but the two are not identical. The common core includes courses that students normally take as sophomores, juniors and seniors that are not part of the PPE associate degree program.
p.7 The College has assessment plans specific to the PPE program and the Business Management program. The program plans are well constructed stating how the specific departments contribute to the mission of the College. The plan provides learning objectives, student outcomes and strategies for using the assessments for program improvement. It also includes the courses offered, a course description, and the objectives and assessments for each course in the program, including the liberal arts and science courses. The team was not provided with plans for the other programs at the College.
Clarification: The other programs that the site team refers to are those which the College has discontinued or announced its intention to discontinue. The assessment plan for the common core was also provided to the team.
p. 7 The capabilities of the campus intranet, which were demonstrated to the review team, included a sophisticated integrated student record system (CAMS). The system has been under development for approximately 36 months.
Clarification: The CAMS system has been under development at The King’s College since November of 2003, approximately 20 months.
p. 8 The graduation rates reported for 2001-02 by the College to the Department show that it graduated two students with associate degrees and eight students with baccalaureate degrees in Theology/Theological Studies. However, it does not have registered programs in theology. In its annual accreditation report, the College reported a 13 percent completion rate for the fall 2001 cohort and a 3 percent completion rate for the fall 2002 cohort of associate degree students. While its graduation rate is below the mean of 25 percent for two-year colleges, the graduating cohort is too small for comparison.
Clarification: According to the NYSED 2.9 Graduation Rate Report for Full-time Undergraduates that was submitted to the Department in March 2005 and again on June 27, 2005, four students graduated with associate degrees and zero students graduated with baccalaureate degrees in Theology/Theological Studies. The College offers no degree in Theology/Theological Studies and would like to correct any erroneous reports that may have been submitted to the Department.
p. 9 The 2004 team stated that the College did not have assessment data readily available to determine whether English Language Learners were succeeding in the regular programs following completion of the ESL (English as a Second Language) program. The King’s College has decided to phase out the ESL program, effective August 2005. Two students were reported to be in the program in spring 2005 according to the student registration list provided with the self-study.
Clarification: The two ESL students listed in the spring 2005 registration list were registered in regular courses while in the ESL program. Since the ESL program is a non-credit program and is being phased out, no report was provided with the total number of students enrolled in the ESL program.
9. As recommended previously in the November 2004 accreditation visit under the standard for Mission, the College should develop a comprehensive assessment plan tied directly to its mission and goals. The requisite expertise to develop such a plan, if not present among faculty and staff, should be acquired through training and/or through consultations with organizations or individuals possessing the appropriate expertise. The commitment of substantial resources to the identified areas of student concern in the ACT survey indicates that the College has responded to items identified through an appropriate assessment mechanism. Such success in addressing problems brought to light through assessment demonstrates its value in promoting institutional excellence. These efforts, and periodic assessment through student satisfaction surveying, point to other potential gains to be realized from a comprehensive plan for both institution-wide assessment and student learning outcomes assessment. Such a plan would establish operational control over assessment, and eliminate the potential for wasted effort and cost from multiple, uncoordinated attempts to address the same concerns. The comprehensive assessment plan should bring together the varied existing activities to include a formal process for sharing, reviewing, and using the student assessment data results to inform decision-making and improve academic programs, services, and college operations. The plan should include the following:
The College agrees with the spirit and most of the substance of these recommendations. We reserve the right to adapt “a widely accepted instrument for student evaluation” to the specific needs of the College. It is not clear, for example, whether existing off-the-shelf evaluating instruments are sufficiently attuned to interdisciplinary nature of many of our courses or that they give adequate scope to issues such as spiritual discernment.
p.13 The programs illustrated on the maps do not appear to be in compliance with Section 3.47 (c)(1) of the Regents Rules which requires that 75 percent of the work for an A.A. or B.A. program be in the liberal arts and sciences not directed toward the major.
Clarification: This sentence contains multiple errors. First, the College’s BS in Business Management does not fall under section 3.47 (c)(1), but under 3.47 (c)(2) and it fully complies with the standard set forth there. The AA and BA programs in Politics, Philosophy and Economics do indeed fall under 3.47 (c)(1). That section in its entirety states:
c. Undergraduate degrees: Undergraduate degrees shall be distinguished, as follows, by the minimum amount of liberal arts content required for each degree. The required liberal arts core shall not be directed toward specialized study or specific occupational or professional objectives.
Three-quarters of the work for the following degrees shall be in the liberal arts and sciences:
Neither the College’s AA or BA in Politics Philosophy and Economics constitutes “specialized study or specific occupational or professional objectives.” These programs are comprised of almost entirely of liberal arts courses and clearly surpass the seventy-five percent minimum of liberal arts content specified under the standard.
Section 3.47 (c)(1) of the Regents rules appears not to anticipate the existence of programs such as Politics, Philosophy and Economics that are intellectually broad, pedagogically integrated re-conceptualizations of the traditional liberal arts. The PPE program is constructed mostly out of liberal arts courses, but does not aim to be a liberal arts program per se. We believe that the Regents and the Department of Education should be able to apply their standards to accommodate what are obviously rigorous, well-rounded, and educationally rich programs even if such programs were not anticipated when the original standards were drawn up.
pp. 13, 14 A program map was also provided to the team by the Student Services Department for the PPE program with an education concentration and one of the interviewed students (who is a peer advisor) told the team that she was in the program. The education concentration is not part of the registered PPE program and cannot be offered or advertised at this time.
Clarification: The King’s College does not have an education concentration within the PPE program. TKC students are aware, however, that the college intends to register the necessary program changes with NYSED to create a five course sequence within the BA program in Politics, Philosophy and Economics that would explore the political philosophical and economic dimensions of education in America. It was clear from conversations with NYSED representative Linnea Lopresti that NYSED is very sensitive to the issue of nomenclature in matters that touch in any way on the field of education. We do not know whether it would be appropriate to speak of this proposed five course sequence as a “concentration” within PPE or to designate the five courses with some other term that conveys aggregation. We seek NYSED’s counsel in finding an appropriate rubric other than “concentration,” which is the term that appears on page 19 in the Program Registration Procedures under “Changes in a Currently Registered Program,” number 2:
The following changes in the content of an associate or baccalaureate degree program regardless of the number of credits affected:
· adding an option or concentration
p.14 The courses in the A.A. program in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics serve as the core general education curriculum and one of two primary major emphases to be offered at the College.
Clarification: As noted above, the PPE associate degree program overlaps with the College’s common core, but the two are not identical.
p. 14 Enrollment data for spring 05 provided with the self study reported that 27 students were Business Majors; 4 students were majors in the Organization Management program; 21 students were majors in the Childhood Education program; 2 students were enrolled in the English as a Second Language program; 8 students are enrolled in a Liberal Arts program (the information provided mistakenly labeled the College’s registered Liberal Studies program as Liberal Arts); 14 students were non-degree seeking; 51 students were in the PPE program; and 70 students had not declared a major.
Clarification: As noted above, the two students listed in the ESL program do not reflect the total number of students enrolled in the ESL program. These two ESL students were enrolled in courses in the regular program.
p.15 Several different drafts of the PPE program map were provided to the review team.
Clarification: We are not sure what this sentence means. The College has only one PPE program map. The review team received numerous documents on PPE, but all of them were based on the same single program map.
p.15 The syllabi of some key higher level courses -- e.g., Public Choice, Principles of Management and Organization, and Constitutional Law -- are still sketchy and do not provide enough information concerning the applicability of the teaching materials.
Clarification: Public Choice is a new course that will be offered in 2005/2006 for the first time. The syllabus for it is still in development. Principles of Management and Organization is not a PPE course, has been taught numerous times, and has a lucid and well-developed syllabus. Constitutional Law has been taught numerous times, but the syllabus indeed requires more attention.
p.15 During the site visit, the review team was assured by PPE faculty that interested students would be encouraged to meet standards of graduate admissions through studies in advanced mathematics at local institutions providing this opportunity through articulation agreements. There was no evidence of such agreements at the time of the visit.
Clarification: The King’s College does not have and does not anticipate creating such articulation agreements. TKC students seeking advanced mathematical preparation can at the moment take courses at other New York City colleges and universities. As TKC expands, it may be possible for us to add advanced courses in mathematics.
p.16 The review team found that critical courses in Operations Management and Quality Management are substantially absent from the Business Management program.
Clarification: The College does not offer individual courses in Operations Management, Production, or Quality Management even though the College recognizes their importance as critical functions of business. The College does not expect many business students to pursue careers in the technical or engineering fields of business and the College did not develop its business program based on the functional classification of business. Since its business program focuses on the practical and integrative aspect of business, the major topics of Operations Management have been reflected in other business courses such as BUS 357 Quantitative Analysis and Computer Modeling, and BUS 447 Management of Technologies.
p.16 The curriculum change for this program registered in March 2004 eliminated the internship course. It was not clear to the team if the internships will be reinstated this summer as a result of the faculty members’ work during the last semester.
Clarification: Internships are no longer required, but are available. The College intends to offer students the option of taking internships for elective credit or on a noncredit basis.
p.16 A review of the program and its faculty by Department staff indicate that the College must make arrangements with a local teacher education institution to teach-out the program’s students who wish to continue in a teacher preparation program to ensure that the students meet New York’s teacher certification requirements.
Clarification: The College intends to “teach out” this program itself. TKC will provide the students with all the necessary classes under the registered program map.
p.17 Documentation furnished by the College indicates that the administration of a student evaluation instrument has been considered; however, no evidence was provided to confirm that student evaluation of teaching are used comprehensively by the College.
Clarification: The College collects student evaluations for every course and it uses a standardized evaluation instrument. The instrument has been revised repeatedly to better collect data on teaching effectiveness. Student evaluations have been used systematically to improve teaching in some departments but we recognize room for improvement.
p.17 The team found, however, in spring 2005, ECON 117 Fundamentals of Economics (a cornerstone of the A.A. degree and PPE program) was offered in a single section to over 100 students. While large introductory Economics sections are standard practice at even small colleges, the size of this section runs counter to the intellectual mission of the College and speaks to the need for the College to address staffing issues.
Clarification: The College recognized that an enrollment of over 100 students was too large for this class. Beginning in fall 2005, the course has been capped at 49 students and will be offered twice a year. The 100+ enrollment happened only once.
p.17 Moreover, even though the course was listed as ECON 117 Fundamentals of Economics, it was, in fact, taught with the syllabus for ECON 217, Microeconomics.
Clarification: We appreciate the Site Team’s pointing this out. We have taken steps to correct the problem.
p.17 The course descriptions for ECON 212, 217, and BUS 340 were identical. It is difficult to imagine how a 100 level course in one discipline can serve as a 300 level course in another.
Clarification: ECON 212 and BUS 340 were the labels under an old and now obsolete program map. ECON 217 is the only label under which this course is now offered. The confusion results from a NYSED official conflating the information in a 2004 catalog with the current catalog. The College sent the old catalog with the self study in May, before the new catalog had been published. We pointed out the discrepancy, fully explained it, and provided the new catalog which contains none of the obsolete designations. It is unfortunate that the confusion arose, but it does not reflect any substantive error on the part of the College. In no case does TKC offer a course that is listed as 100-level in one discipline and 300-level in another discipline. The mix-up in which a faculty member used an ECON 217 syllabus for teach ECON 117 is not an instance of cross-listing, but of faculty error.
p.17 There are also cases where the College should cross-reference courses, such as the ECO 477 Stewardship and BUS 140 Stewardship and Financial Management.
Clarification: ECO 477 is a designation under the new program map. BUS 140 was a designation under the old program map and no longer exists. Thus it would make no sense to cross-reference these courses.
10. Eliminate the discrepancy in Economics requirements between the A.A. in PPE and the PPE core requirements or phase out the A.A. program.
We will phase out the A.A. program.
11. While the main framework of the PPE program is still developing, the relationship between analytical and practical skills should be well defined and, consequently, the program’s curriculum should reflect the necessary balance.
12. Design more detailed syllabi of the new courses proposed for the PPE program, including the capstone project or course.
In June 2005, the provost set out new guidelines for more detailed syllabi in all courses. Syllabi for new courses will be developed under these guidelines.
13. If an objective of the PPE program is to provide the necessary foundation for graduate education in Economics, as faculty indicated to the team, the program should be revised to include advanced mathematics courses.
At the moment the PPE program does not provide the necessary foundation for graduate education in Economics. The College is aware that it will at some point face a decision whether to supplement the program to create this option. At the moment, any student who expresses an interest in pursuing such a career is advised to pursue advanced courses in mathematics at other institutions.
14. Develop teach-out agreements with other local teacher education institutions to assist students in completing the discontinued childhood education program.
The King’s College has stated its intention to provide students who are enrolled in its childhood education program all the courses that they will need to complete their degrees. We are indeed providing these courses and do not need or intend to pursue teach-out agreements with other education institutions.
15. Carefully review the array of courses and eliminate or cross-reference duplicate courses.
This has already been done, as evidenced by the new catalog, which was provided to the site review team and the NYSED representative.
The College has already cultivated several such relationships and intends to cultivate many more.
p. 20 Interviews with faculty revealed, however, that the faculty charts provided to the team listing courses taught in fall 2004 and spring 2005 by each member were not accurate. For instance, one faculty member is listed as teaching 3 courses each semester. The faculty member said the course load was actually two courses each semester as well as special assignments related to the curriculum and internship development.
Clarification: Something is muddled here. The normal TKC course load is three or four courses per semester. Some faculty members with other administrative responsibilities teach a reduced course load. The report appears to refer to a faculty member whose assigned course load is two courses per semester. The documentation provided to the site team accurately reflected this assignment. The report appears to be in error.
p. 21 Twelve students graduated in May 2005; therefore, most of the students enrolled in Spring 2005 must continue to make progress toward a degree in either PPE or Business Management.
Clarification: Fifteen students graduated in May 2005.
p. 21 As mentioned under the Curriculum standards, it appeared that microeconomic courses for at least two levels were combined in one class of over 100 students during spring 05.
Clarification: As mentioned above, ECON 117 was one course, not a combination of two. The faculty member who taught it misconstrued the course by teaching it as a microeconomics class. We have corrected that error. Moreover, the 100+ enrollment was a one-time event. As explained above, the course has now been capped at 49 students.
p. 21 Such large classes could, once again, reverse recent progress on retention. Waiving requirements and offering courses that are fundamentally different than what is listed will potentially harm student satisfaction with the academic program for which they are paying.
Clarification: We regret the one large class and have taken steps to ensure no class in the future will grow to such a size. It is not clear what the report refers to in its mention of “waiving requirements and offering courses that are fundamentally different from what is listed.” No requirements have been waived and a single instance of a faculty member, by error, teaching a slightly more rigorous introductory course than that listed in the catalog seems an unlikely source of lasting student dissatisfaction.
p. 23 The faculty handbook included self-evaluation forms from the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, Texas Tech University, and The King’s College’s Faculty Self-Evaluation Form. It was not clear why the College included unrelated evaluation forms from other colleges for faculty use.
Clarification: As explained to the NYSED representative, the faculty self-evaluation forms were provided to TKC faculty members as examples of how self-evaluation can be done. The College frequently studies practices at other colleges and universities in its search for best practices. This review of comparable materials seems not only appropriate but also good evidence of how TKC is aligned with NYSED’s emphasis (expressed elsewhere in the site visit report) on establishing benchmarks and setting external criteria through which to evaluate internal processes.
p. 23 The College evaluates the teaching of its faculty through self-evaluation, peer review, and administrative observations.
Clarification: The College also uses student evaluations to assess the quality of teaching.
p. 23 While it is commendable that the senior faculty have impressive vitae with respect to professional accomplishment as both teachers and scholars, it is difficult to understand how junior members of the faculty, with 24 credit hour annual teaching loads, will have the same opportunities to develop and flourish as nationally recognized professionals.
Clarification: The annual teaching load is 21 hours.
p. 24 The College has implemented Academic Affairs, Faculty Affairs, and Disciplinary Committees as well as task forces on Middle States accreditation and leadership. The Academic Affairs committee’s responsibilities include development of academic direction, addition/deletion of programs, review of budgetary matters related to academic programs, academic petitions, the academic calendar, policy/recommendations for curriculum evaluation, evaluation of course quality, implementation of educational testing, and oversight of library services.
Clarification: The Academic Affairs Committee does not review budgetary matters and oversight of library services comes under the provost with support of the faculty library committee. The College does not have an official task force on either Middle States Accreditation or on leadership.
25. The large number of students enrolled in two major programs suggests that the College faces immediate challenges in staffing, particularly in the area of economics. A visiting scholar, the only faculty member with a Ph.D. in economics, is listed as teaching only two courses a year. According to the original proposal for the PPE program, two full-time faculty hires were projected and have been hired in Summer 2005. The College should commit to hiring at least one more full-time Ph.D. economist and at least one more full-time Ph.D. political philosopher during the next academic year. The two faculty hired during the summer of 2005 are not in these content areas. These hires are essential to ensure that the economic elements of the program can be delivered. The hiring of additional full-time faculty members will also create a collegial environment where younger faculty can be mentored by faculty with related disciplinary interests. Such an environment is needed for peer review and mentoring. Additional faculty should provide some relief in the area of devoting time to maintaining disciplinary expertise and development as a scholar.
The College has now hired three, not two, full-time faculty members for fall 2005. Two of the new full-time faculty members are in the discipline of politics. The College will rely this coming year on a Ph.D. economist who, though he is not available to be a full-time faculty member, will carry a full course load in economics. We expect he will continue in this role and perhaps move to full-time status in the future. The College considers the hiring of another full-time economist as a priority. We believe we are already in a stronger position in politics, having hired another full-time faculty member after the site visit.
26. New faculty members should be expected to maintain the normal full-time teaching load at the College of a maximum 24 credit hours per year.
All faculty members have a normal course load of 21 credits per year. A few faculty members choose to teach an additional course or courses for additional compensation, often by teaching during the summer. The College expects faculty members to teach only the 21 required credits. The College approves a faculty member’s request to teach additional courses on a case by case basis. Our aim is to sustain the faculty member’s intellectual and professional development.
27. Develop and provide to faculty a single form for self-evaluation taking into consideration best practices from other higher education institutions as appropriate to The King’s College.
28. Request official transcripts for faculty members to verify degrees and prior coursework. This will assist the College in assigning faculty to appropriate instructional responsibilities each semester.
We disagree. Requesting the transcript of faculty members is not a standard practice in higher education. Verifying academic degrees by checking with the Registrar of a college or university is the prevailing best practice. TKC may seek a faculty member’s undergraduate or graduate transcripts on an exceptional basis, but to adopt this as a routine practice is both unnecessary and intrusive. The College has had no difficulties assigning faculty members to appropriate instructional responsibilities. TKC is a college with a strong commitment to general education and inter-disciplinary studies. We hire only those candidates for faculty positions who demonstrate an aptitude to teach beyond narrow disciplinary specializations and we strongly encourage faculty members to venture outside the fields in which they were originally trained. Our model for this sort of trans-disciplinary teaching is St. John’s College (Annapolis and Sante Fe). We believe the site review team’s recommendation on this point mistakes the nature of our College’s pedagogical mission. We seek experts who teach beyond their fields and certainly beyond their transcripts. Having the transcripts of faculty members on hand would not help us achieve this goal.
29. The College should evaluate the impact of internship supervision and student supervision in the proposed capstone project on faculty workloads and make appropriate adjustments.
30. Develop written policies for faculty release time.
TKC students are rarely hesitant about expressing their needs. Many faculty members do list office hours in their syllabi. Those who don’t are typically the faculty members who spend the greater part of every day at the College and are easily available. This suggestion, however, has been added to the discussion agenda for the summer faculty retreat.
31. When the College acquires additional space, it should configure space for an expanded library and private faculty offices.
The college has completed a study with a leading college space planning firm designed to identify how we can optimally use our facilities. Its recommendations included an expansion of the library and expanded and more private faculty offices. We will begin working with an architectural firm on the design of our newly leased space within the next month. Because we are currently housed in a skyscraper, we can not always choose our expansion projects solely on the basis of a prioritized list of needs. When adjacent space opens up in the Empire State Building, we have to assess how we might best adapt it for our programs.
32. The College should develop an acquisition plan with consideration for acquisitions of classic works of philosophy, politics, and economics. Powell’s Books, antiquarian dealers, or other second hand sources should be explored to acquire out-of-print classic hardcover editions of the great books and classics of Western literature. Some of these works might already be in The King’s College collection from prior to 1993 that is in storage. Such a collection would inspire scholarly inquiry and reflection, and is consistent with the institutional mission. This would complement the intentions of the college to develop and implement a capstone thesis.
Agreed. We plan to review the collection of nearly 100,000 uncataloged library volumes the College currently has in storage to identify appropriate books for the Rozella Battles Library. Mindful of our limited physical space, we are also actively exploring the use of virtual library resources. If the current Google-financed digitalization of the Harvard Library collections and other sources proceeds, within a decade the College will be able to provide ample access to an immense scholarly collection. What we need in the shorter term is a paper collection that provides resources that match our students’ programs without unnecessarily duplicating the enormous collection of resources at The New York Public Library and other nearby libraries.
33. The reins of curricular design, decision-making, assessment, monitoring of institutional effectiveness, and campus governance must continue to be turned over to the faculty.
These are all matters which require close consultation between faculty members and the academic administration. Under the new provost (who is also a faculty member), the College is shifting to a model in which faculty members have much greater say in curriculum development, assessment, and evaluation of institutional effectiveness. The key powers of decision-making are held, in principle, by the president and provost, and are delegated to faculty committees and to individual faculty members as larger questions of institutional identity, purpose, and policy are settled.
34. Review the administrative positions at the College for possible consolidation of titles, given its limited size, and create an administrative position to be responsible for the PPE program.
35. Publish the College’s policy regarding academic freedom (as required in Regents Rules, § 4-1.4(f)(2)(i)) in the Faculty Handbook.
p. 33 There was admittedly a communication problem in that the Student Services administrators continues to recommend the A.A. program to new incoming students even though the team had been told by the President and Provost that there was absolutely no recruiting for the A.A. program.
Clarification: New incoming students are advised by Student Services administrators to take courses in the common core.
At present, the Student Services Center is physically separate from the Registrar (which appears to be little more than a workstation). The King’s College should consider locating the Registrar within the operations of the Student Services Center, especially given that the CAMS intranet provides students with access to most of the functions of the registrar.
Our space planning firm has recommended that these areas be physically located together and the redesign of our facilities will include such a move as space becomes available. Currently the Registrar is near Admissions and Financial Aid, which has some advantages too.
The College should develop and implement a training program for its peer tutors.
p. 34 The College has raised its admission standards, broadened its recruitment efforts to a national population, and reported in its self-study that it has phased out three of its programs geared to under-prepared students: Emerging Leaders Program (ELP), ExCELS, and the Center of Adult Leadership and Learning (CALL).
Clarification: As stated in our December 3rd response to the November 24th site visit, all three programs were phased out but only the Emerging Leaders Program was for under-prepared students.
36. The College must revise its admissions policies for home-schooled students to meet the Regulations of the Commissioner.
The College will review all of its admissions policies and ensure that they align with the Regulations of the Commissioner.
37. Remove from college publications any comparison of its programs to Oxford University programs.
38. Since the College does not offer programs from the Northeastern Bible College in the ministry, it must clarify information provided about these programs.
39. Inform the Department of any changes to the College’s non-discrimination policy statement.
The current format was recommended by the web designer and allows the College to update the catalog seamlessly. We will weigh the trade-off between making the catalog more single-document and less web-page with hyperlinks. Most feedback so far has favored the web-page approach.
40. If the College elects to disclose its accreditation status, it should revise the accreditation statement wherever stated on its website to include the recommended statement.