Meeting of the Board of Regents | March 2008

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

TO:
FROM:	Johanna Duncan-Poitier
SUBJECT:	College of Westchester:  Regents authorization for the College to award the Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) degree and master plan amendment authorizing the College to offer its first baccalaureate degree program, a B.B.A. degree program in Management
DATE:	February 27, 2008
AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

 

SUMMARY

 

Issue for Decision (Consent Agenda)

 

Should the Board of Regents authorize the College of Westchester to award the Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) degree and approve a master plan amendment authorizing the College to offer its first baccalaureate degree program, a B.B.A. degree program in Management?

 

Reason(s) for Consideration

              Required by State regulation.

Proposed Handling

 

This question will come before the Higher Education Committee at its March 2008 meeting where it will be voted on and action taken.  It will then come before the full Board at its March 2008 meeting for final action.

 

Procedural History

 

The College of Westchester submitted a proposal for this program in September 2007.  The College also developed a self-study and a peer review team conducted a site visit to assess the program and the College’s readiness to offer a program at the new degree level. 

 

Background Information

 

The proposed Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) program was conceived as a degree completion program for associate degree graduates. Initially, only the College’s own students who have an earned associate degree (66 credits), college level writing proficiency, and at least a 2.5 GPA will be encouraged to apply. Once recruitment expands to include external transfers, they may transfer up to 75 credits at the time of admission. Admission to the B.B.A. program is contingent upon academic performance at the associate degree program level and a face-to-face interview with an admissions committee. Traditional standardized test scores such as the ACT and SAT are not required for admission to any of the College’s academic programs. Initial B.B.A. cohorts are anticipated to be small - 30 students. Over a five year period, measured growth is projected - 120 students have been forecasted for year five.

 

The College of Westchester has historically provided postsecondary educational programs to a wide range of students, including first generation college students, who are of traditional college age (17 to 24) and adult learners. Overall, the student population at the College is almost evenly divided into thirds among African American, Hispanic and Caucasian students. The male to female student ratio is 2:3. The College expects the student demographics to remain stable.

 

The College has classroom facilities that are fully networked and contain state of the art business and instructional software, as well as presentation hardware. The College’s library resources include 8,000 business and social science periodicals and access to electronic texts and databases.  Additional acquisitions have already been added to support the addition of the B.B.A. program and the library budget has been increased by 20 percent for 2008. A full array of academic support services are available days, evenings, and weekends.  The Learning Center offers students the opportunity to work with a full-time learning center assistant or with peer or professional tutors.  The building is accessible and maintained on a regular schedule.

 

The B.B.A. faculty roster includes business, information technology, and general education professors with at least a master’s degree in the field.  These instructors have advanced degrees, appropriate licenses and certifications and proven track records in their respective careers. The faculty members who will teach the project management coordinate have had project management institute training in addition to project management experience.  In addition, a new business faculty member was hired, who has an earned doctorate in business and strong teaching and research credentials. This expertise will initially be essential to the successful implementation of the baccalaureate program. Moreover, the availability of this expertise will also help to shape the necessary faculty development seminars in upper level pedagogy and research that is now warranted as a result of this new degree program. Similarly, a Ph.D.-level faculty hire in the general education department is budgeted for 2008.

 

 

 

 

 

The B.B.A. in Business Administration will raise the profile of the College among students and employers - its core constituents. Employers of the College’s graduates and independent research indicate significant growth in employment opportunities for graduates with a bachelor’s degree in business.  The College is confident that offering a B.B.A. program will strengthen the mission and enable them to meet the needs of students and employers in the tri-state area.  They believe this is a uniquely competitive course of study that both employers and students will find worthwhile.

 

In December, the Department conducted a canvass of the Mid-Hudson region.  Responses were received from two institutions, both in support of the program.  The Department has determined that the proposed program, if approved, would meet the standards for registration set forth in the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education.

 

Recommendation

 

              It is recommended that the Board of Regents authorize the College of Westchester to award the Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) degree and approve a master plan amendment authorizing the College to offer the Bachelor of Business Administration degree program in Management.  This amendment will be effective until March 18, 2009, unless the program is registered by the Department prior to that date, in which case master plan amendment shall be without term.

 

Timetable for Implementation

 

If the Board of Regents approves the degree authorization and the master plan amendment, the Department will register the program and the College will proceed to recruit and enroll program students.