The following members were present: Anthony Stanziani, John Austin, Arthur Resso, Vincent Ferrara, Jim Devaney, Mike Hatten, Howard Goldsmith, Rabbi Yerachmiel Barash, Anne Curtin from the Consumer Protection Board, and Nancy Athanassiadis from DOB. Cyndi Freider from the Comptroller’s Office attended; she has replaced Ken Shulman on the Council. Donna Murray from IKON welcomed the Council to the school, offering tours to those interested.

The minutes of the April 5, 2001 meeting were approved.

Allyson Wierzbicki, Asst. Appointments Officer to the Governor, was unable to attend the meeting. Mr. Goldsmith gave background on the appointments to the Council. There are 11 voting members and 6 non-voting members. Two positions are open—student advocate and student graduate. A request has been made to replace Ramona Frasier and Arlene Padone.

Mr. Goldsmith updated on BPSS activities. There are currently 11 disciplinary actions pending against unlicensed schools. The process involves serving the Order to Show Cause upon the school, followed by a 25-day period for the school to submit an answer. If no agreement is reached, the Commissioner appoints a hearing officer. Resolution takes more time if it goes to hearing. All final dispositions are posted on the website. Pending actions cannot be publicized.

As mandated by the Education Law, the public service campaign is ongoing. The key to a successful campaign is to keep the information current with contacts being made often. The DAILY NEWS publishes the public service ad daily. Edward Kramer and his team have visited 12 high schools to talk about attending licensed proprietary schools; these visits are a result of the mass mailing to high school principals in the state. Roseanne Colletti of Channel 4, NYC, is working with the Investigative & Audit Unit to do a piece on unlicensed schools. Anne Curtin, Consumer Protection, said she would add our piece on reasons for attending a licensed school to her presentation to high school students. Mike Hatten mentioned that proprietary schools are not recommended to students at alternative high schools, as attendance at this type of school is not recognized as a successful outcome.

Vincent Ferrara, chair of the Legislative Task Force, thanked the members for their support. At a recent meeting, Tom Rose brought Dennis Peterson, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Labor. Mr. Peterson suggested that schools go to the Labor Department for funding. Another source is GORR, the Governor’s Office for Regulatory Reform. Regarding WIA, private businesses are still being funded. Bureau curriculum approval causes schools to have to wait for funding, whereas unlicensed, unapproved training can receive funding immediately without having to wait for approval.

On the issue of clock vs. credit hours, a meeting was held with interested parties and members of the Office of Higher Education. A financial aid expert was able to offer clarity to the issue of parity between our schools and other schools. How other states handle it was examined. Input from the degree-granting proprietary school association is needed. A change would require regulatory reform as well as Regents approval. It is possible that more students would go on for further higher education if they already have credits.

The alternate method of preevaluation for an independent curriculum evaluator was discussed. One evaluator is approved, two more have been rejected, and a fourth is pending. The process is described in a policy guideline found on the website. Once an evaluator is approved, the turnaround for a curriculum should mirror that of the NRV process.

One of the proposed areas for regulatory reform involves teacher licensing and qualifications. Mr. Ferrara related that there was a time many years ago when a student who had completed a program at a proprietary school could teach after some additional training. The task force would like to examine some changes in teacher qualifications and requirements.

Mike Hatten spoke of the Benchmarking/Streamlining Committee. There has not been much activity lately. He proposed that the suggested policies be summarized and published. Two standards were agreed upon—success rate and placement rates. There are also some optional measures. Mr. Goldsmith said that the Bureau is moving ahead with the website placement of areas of study according to mission clusters. Mr. Hatten urged schools to move ahead with voluntary participation as other sectors of the higher education community are doing so. To not do anything would be detrimental to this sector. A motion was made and passed—The Benchmarking/Streamlining Committee is to be disbanded, but prior to that will conduct one or more meetings to put together a one-page worksheet for schools to fill out and offer feedback to be given to the Council for evaluation.

The Bureau has plans for regulatory reform as no major changes in its current Part 126 regulations have occurred since 1993. A new committee will be formed called Regulatory Amendments Task Force. Input from schools and the Council is desired. Some areas for review include the following: ESL licensing for business teachers and agents, teacher credentials and scarcity of qualified teachers, directors/owners as agents, WIA curriculum approval, electronic attendance, core requirements, clock to credit hours, parity and compliance for ESL schools, electronic retention of records, distance learning, and entrance requirements and satisfactory academic progress for computer training facilities. Several methods for this process are possible. Open meetings to all interested parties. Focused meetings for specific regulations could be held. The Council will discuss its strategy and approach at its executive session.

Ms. Curtin from the Consumer Protection Board addressed the question about action to be taken against misleading advertising. There seems to be an increase in employment bait & switch and salary promises. She explained that they are not an enforcement agency. They operate through arbitration and mediation, then refer cases to the Attorney General. The key to this is through getting the word to the public for their protection.

Terry Zaleski discussed the plans for the upcoming Coalition conference to be held in the Catskills from Friday, October 26, through Sunday, October 28, 2001. Many guest speakers and exhibitors will be present. The Benchmarking/Streamlining Committee will next meet on September 11, 2001, at Chubb, NYC. The next Advisory Council meeting will be held in New York on October 23, 2001, location to be announced. The meeting ended at about 1:15 p.m.

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Last updated July 17, 2006