S 610: Relates to the registration of new curricula or programs of study offered by a not-for-profit college or university; provides for the procedures to have such curricula or programs of study approved by the department of education.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 610 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to the registration of new curricula or programs of study offered by a not-for-profit college or university The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 210-d 2 to read as follows: 3 § 210-d. Registration of curricula. 1. Notwithstanding any law, rule 4 or regulation to the contrary, any new curriculum or program of study 5 offered by any not-for-profit college or university chartered by the 6 regents or incorporated by special act of the legislature that does not 7 require a master plan amendment pursuant to section two hundred thirty- 8 seven of this part, charter amendment pursuant to section two hundred 9 sixteen of this part, or lead to professional licensure, and that is 10 approved by the state university board of trustees, the city university 11 board of trustees, or the trustees or governing body of any other not- 12 for-profit college or university chartered by the regents which (a) has 13 maintained a physical presence in the state for the immediately preced- 14 ing ten years and has been operated continuously by the same governing 15 body during the same immediately preceding ten-year period, and (b) is 16 accredited and has continued its accreditation by the Middle States 17 Commission on Higher Education or another institutional accrediting 18 agency recognized by the secretary of the United States department of 19 education or the department for the immediately preceding ten years, 20 shall be deemed registered with the department forty-five days after 21 notification of approval by such college or university's governing body 22 and submission of a complete application for review. If within forty- 23 five days of submission, the department determines the new curriculum or EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01568-01-5 
 S. 610 2 1 program of study to be incomplete or insufficient, a written explanation 2 shall be provided to the institution. Upon curing, the new curriculum or 3 program of study shall be deemed registered with the department thirty 4 days after resubmission, or earlier upon the department's approval. 5 2. Any not-for-profit college or university that meets the criteria 6 set forth in subdivision one of this section which has received curric- 7 ulum or program approval from the department and seeks to offer the same 8 curriculum or program in a distance learning format shall not need to 9 have such curriculum or program re-approved by the department, but shall 10 inform the department of such college's or university's intent to offer 11 such program in such format within thirty days prior to providing 12 distance learning. 13 3. If a college or university is placed on probation or has its 14 accreditation terminated by the institutional accrediting agency, such 15 college or university shall notify the regents in writing no later than 16 thirty days after receiving notice of its probationary status or loss of 17 accreditation by the institutional accrediting agency. 18 4. Any college or university which has its accreditation placed on 19 probation or terminated by the institutional accrediting agency or the 20 education department shall be subject to the commissioner's program 21 approval until it has been removed from probation or regained accredi- 22 tation by the institutional accrediting agency or the education depart- 23 ment, and shall further remain subject to such commissioner's program 24 approval until it has continued without probation for a period of not 25 less than six years. 26 5. If a college or university subject to this section intends to offer 27 or institute an additional degree or program which constitutes a 28 substantive change as defined and determined by the institutional 29 accrediting agency, then such college or university shall provide the 30 commissioner with copies of any reports or other documents filed with 31 the institutional accrediting agency as part of the institutional 32 accrediting agency's substantive change review process and shall inform 33 the commissioner when the substantive change is approved. 34 6. Any such college or university that does not satisfy all of the 35 provisions of this section shall comply with the procedures and criteria 36 established by the regents and commissioner for academic program 37 approval. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to limit the depart- 38 ment's existing authority to investigate a complaint concerning the 39 institution, or any program offered, including the authority to deregis- 40 ter the program. 41 7. The commissioner shall establish and maintain a database, accessi- 42 ble to institutions seeking curriculum or program approval, which shall 43 provide updated information on the current status of an institution's 44 submitted requests. To the extent practicable, the database shall 45 include, but is not limited to, the following information: 46 (a) acknowledgement and date of receipt of submission; 47 (b) the initial review by an office of college and university evalu- 48 ation; 49 (c) questions from the department to the specific institution and 50 receipt of answers provided by the institution in response; and 51 (d) any remarks and the final decision made by the department regard- 52 ing a curriculum's or program's approval or disapproval. 53 8. The commissioner is hereby authorized to promulgate rules and regu- 54 lations necessary for the implementation of this section. 55 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 56 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment 
 S. 610 3 1 and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation 2 of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 3 completed on or before such effective date.