State Operations

The Office of Higher Education coordinates the State's extensive higher education system, encompassing public and independent universities and colleges and proprietary schools. The Office supervises teacher certification functions, programs to improve teacher preparation and recruitment and carries out administrative responsibilities related to hearings for tenured teachers. The Office coordinates strategies to improve minority access to postsecondary education and supervises numerous access and equity-related programs. It provides advice on financial aid policies for postsecondary study and training and assists other control agencies in New York State in protecting the billions of State dollars invested each year in postsecondary education

Federal Statute: Federal Regulation:

State Statute: State Regulation:

TELEPHONE: (518) 474-5851 FAX:

Aid to Independent Colleges, popularly known as Bundy Aid, provides unrestricted financial support to independent colleges and universities in New York State.  The program has a number of goals, chief amongst which are the following:

• maximize the total postsecondary educational resources of New York State;
• promote and foster the diversity of educational options in New York State; and
• provide increased access to these programs by assisting institutions to minimize tuition increases.

Federal Statute:
Federal Regulation:

State Statute: 6 Education Law Article 129, ' 6401 State Regulation: 8NYCRR Part 50

TELEPHONE: (518) 474-6644 FAX:

This federally funded program provides grants to local educational agencies for improving teacher skills in, and student access to, the instruction of mathematics and science.

Federal Statute: Dwight D. Eisenhower Mathematics Science Education Act, Title II, P.L. 100-297, P.L. 101-589
Federal Regulation: Title 34 CFR 208

State Statute:
State Regulation:

TELEPHONE: (518) 486-6042 FAX:

Central to New York's postsecondary education policy is assuring access to the various higher education sectors for students regardless of social or economic circumstances. The Higher Education Opportunity Program is and has been the key vehicle for access and services for minority and disadvantaged groups to the State's strong and varied independent college sector for twenty-six years. HEOP grants are provided to degree-granting independent institutions for programs of academic and financial support for students who are both educationally and economically disadvantaged. Program funds are used for testing and recruitment of prospective students; counseling, tutoring, special academic coursework in the summer and academic year, computer related instructional equipment, labs, and workshops; supplemental financial assistance (tuition and maintenance); and the administration of these services.

In 1995-96, approximately 5,475 FTE students are being served in 68 programs around the State. Funds are allocated to institutions on the basis of an approved proposal and budget. Payments are authorized following the receipt and analysis of periodic reports, with payment levels based on authorized expenditures and targeted enrollment levels.

HEOP has been highly successful for the past twenty-six years. It has graduated over 20,000 undergraduates who without the program would not have been in these New York State independent institutions of higher education. The economic benefits to our State and nation are enormous. The most recent cohort history indicates that for the freshman class at the four-year institutions, which entered in 1989-90, 62 percent had already graduated or were in their fifth year by the end of 1993-94 and exceeded the national rate for all college students. Because HEOP and its sister programs in the public sector concentrate on students from the lowest socio-economic levels, providing them with improved life and career skills, these programs are one of the few proven and in place strategies for helping to ameliorate the problem of youth under-employment and unemployment in the State.

Federal Statute: Federal Regulation:

State Statute: Education Law ' 6451 State Regulation: 8NYCRR Part 151

TELEPHONE: (518) 474-5313 FAX:

In July 1988 the New York State Legislature amended the Education Law to establish a Liberty Scholarship Program and a Liberty Partnership Program. The Liberty Partnership Program is administered by the New York State Education Department. The Scholarship program, which has not been funded, would have provided annual financial aid awards for non-tuition costs of attendance for eligible New York State undergraduate students, administered by the Higher Education Services Corporation.

The Liberty Partnership Program awards grants to postsecondary institutions for the purpose of providing supportive services to students in public and non-public schools who are identified as having a high risk of dropping out of school. Awards are to be made on a competitive basis to degree granting institutions, individually or in consortia, in cooperation with school districts and not-for-profit community-based organizations. The Liberty Partnership Program mandates the establishment of a coalition of postsecondary institutions, secondary schools, government agencies, business and industry that will seek to remove the barriers which prevent many young New Yorkers from completing their secondary education, advancing into postsecondary education and ultimately into the New York State business and industry work force. Liberty Partnership Programs provide compensatory and supportive services for students who are identified as being at risk of dropping out of school. Services include skill assessment, tutoring, academic and personal counseling, mentoring programs, family counseling and home visits and staff development activities for personnel with direct responsibility for students. Fifty-seven programs across the State were funded in 1995-96.

Federal Statute: Federal Regulation:

State Statute: Education Law ' 611-612 State Regulation: 8NYCRR Part 55

TELEPHONE: (518) 486-5202 FAX:

The Department is responsible for administering two major programs that relate to the Regents' goal to improve minority access; the Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) and the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP). The purpose of STEP/CSTEP is to assist entry into and graduation from, pre-professional and professional education programs of study in scientific, technical, and health-related fields by students historically under represented and undeserved in these fields. Grants are available annually on a competitive basis to postsecondary institutions and consortia of institutions. Funds are allocated to institutions based on the submission of proposals that outline a plan of instruction and curriculum-related activities and services aimed at advancing the purposes of STEP and CSTEP.

Federal Statute: Federal Regulation:

State Statute: Education Law ' 6454, 6455 State Regulation: 8 NYCRR Part 145

TELEPHONE: (518) 486-6042 FAX:

In April 1987, the State Legislature authorized the creation of the Teacher Opportunity Corps (TOC). The TOC initiative is based on the following premise:

1. that empowerment of teachers and administration begins with preparation;
2. that teachers are key to effective education;
3. that teachers and administrators equipped with sound pedagogical and managerial skills are critical to the long term solution to schools in crisis;
4. that recruitment of Black, Hispanic and Native American Indian teachers, indeed any teacher, without adequate preparation for practice in schools in crisis is a disservice to students, the communities, the schools and prospective teachers; and
5. that higher education has to be more responsive to the needs of prospective teachers in relation to working with students from diverse ethnic, linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

The Teacher Opportunity Corps approaches the issue of instruction and counseling of at-risk students through long term improvement of teacher preparation. The two-fold purpose of the TOC is to:

1. fund on a pilot basis the development and implementation of high quality, innovative and effective teacher preparation programs which provide prospective teachers with the skills, attitudes and behaviors essential for survival in New York State schools that serve a high concentration of at-risk students; and
2. to recruit and train more teachers who are from racial and ethnic groups historically under represented in education. The courses, recruitment methods, and curriculum developed with funds provided from this program must have the potential for replication, and also must have the potential for strengthening existing teacher preparation programs.

Federal Statute: Federal Regulation:

State Statute: State Regulation:

TELEPHONE: (518) 486-6042 FAX: