Explanation for Regents College Going Private?

Does anyone know of an online source where an explanation of the reasons why Regents College (now Excelsior College) was taken private? Thanks.

 

I have a very fuzzy and probably unreliable memory of asking someone at Regents back in 1998, and being told that it would just be easier and more cost-effective not to have to deal with the decision-making organs of New York's public university system.

The changes that Regents/Excelsior has made since then--adding master's programs, turning the concentrations into majors, accepting MCSE and A+ exams for credit, et. al.--might not have been possible under the old arranagement. Then again, they might have. Who knows.


Cheers,

 

Tom, are they a profit-making enterprise, or an NPO?

 

The bad news is that I'm looking for a source I can cite.

The good news is that I found one.

The bad news is that there doesn't seem to be even one journal article about this.

The good news is that there is one media source.

The bad news is that media sources are not scholarly sources.

The good news is that it won't matter.

(The Chronicle of Higher Education ran an article in December 2000 attributing the privatization of Regents--now Excelsior--College to the fact that the NY Board of Regents couldn't dedicate sufficient resources to managing a full-fledged DL school. Note the expansion of programs since the split in 1998. Compare that to the relatively few changes in degrees offered over the previous 25 or so years.)

 

Rich,

Can you not cite an interview? Why not contact Wayne Williams about the information you are looking for? I'd bet he would speak to you. If not him, perhaps a member of the New York State Board of Regents. I would also try "The Wayback Machine", perhaps you can find something on one of the old Regent's websites.

Good luck,
John

 

Rich,

Perhaps you can contact the author... this was written prior to the change, but he might be able to assist you. How about John Wetsch as well?

John

Regents College: The Early Years

by Donald J. Nolan

If you are interested in learning about the origins of "America's First Virtual University," you'll be glad to know that Regents College: The Early Years is now available. This beautiful hard cover volume, written by Regents College founding director Dr. Donald Nolan, describes the creation and implementation of the most revolutionary idea in American higher education since the emergence of the community college in the 1950s. Dr. Nolan gives readers the unique opportunity to see the faces and hear the words of those who had the courage to originate this unconventional and highly successful educational movement.

 

Thanks, John. I saw the book on Excelsior's website. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to contact the author; I needed a "quick hit" added to a paragraph. Thanks, though.

(Yes, an interview can be documented and used as a credible source.)

 

They are a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit.

FWIW both Columbia University and the SUNY system were both originally administered by the USNY and later got their own governing boards -- Columbia as a private institution and SUNY as a state institution.

Regards.
TommyK