Support Structures Fall into Place


New York State was uniquely positioned to support the somewhat radical idea Nyquist proposed with the founding of the external degree program. The state legislature back in 1787 created The University of the State of New York, governed by the Board of Regents. Stone explains that, from a legal perspective, The University of the State of New York is considered a separate, private, and non-public corporation, creating a platform on which an external degree could be granted. Nolan notes that this symbiosis between the proposed external degree program and the centuries-old entity, "...was a good melding, bringing to life what The University of the State of New York was supposed to be all about."


The building blocks, thus, fell into place. Nolan observes, "It was a convergence of the time is right in higher education, the money is there, there's a mechanism -- a legal mechanism -- in place to confer the degrees, and then all we had to do was develop the program."


=========================
I n 1971, the Regents External
Degree Program (REX) was
established by the Board of
Regents of The University of
the State of New York. In 1984,
the Regents External Degree
program changed its name
to Regents College. In 2001,
the capstone in the process
of achieving independent
status as a private college was
completed with the adoption
of the name Excelsior, "ever
upward" in Latin, reflecting the
goals and aspirations of the
College's students and alumni.
=========================


Early financial support came from the Carnegie Corporation and Ford Foundation, and later, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. When announcing the initial grants from the two funders in February 1971, Gov. Rockefeller declared that they would lead to "the development of the nation's largest innovative program to allow students in both public and private colleges to obtain higher education degrees outside of the traditionalcampus classroom." Rockefeller's assertion that the new program would facilitate the expansion of educational opportunity while ensuring a quality education was not matched, however, with support from the State's budget. He requested $37,594 to be set aside for the external degree program, whereas those at the helm asked for $151,000. Unfortunately, the state legislature allotted a mere $2,738! The limited financial support was backed with scanty human resources as well -- just six staff were assigned. Despite these meager beginnings four decades ago, the College survived, flourished, and now operates under a budget in excess of $65 million, supported by a dedicated workforce of over 400.


Academic Quality Helps Build Programs


The Regents External Degree Program adhered to high standards. In addition to fulfilling academic requirements, the institution also met a higher calling. C. Wayne Williams, the College's first president, explains that the College not only met high academic standards, it also fulfilled a civic duty, providing "social requirements in this country that were increasingly dependent on a knowledgeable, education-prepared citizenry."


The College's first programs were in the field of business. In 1972, the Associate in Arts and Bachelor of Science in business degrees were introduced. In 1973, a major grant from Kellogg led to the development of an external associate degree program in nursing. Thereafter came the bachelor's degree program in nursing. These two nursing programs have helped nearly 38,000 students earn degrees, making Excelsior College the largest nursing school in the country.


As it grew, the College sought accreditation; the first was for the Associate in Science in nursing degree from the National League for Nursing (NLN) in 1975. In 1977, the College earned accreditation for its programs from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. And in 1979, the Bachelor of Science in nursing degree was also accredited by the NLN. Since then, the College has been continuously accredited by Middle States as well as the NLN and has received other specialized accreditations and recognitions for degree programs in business and technology and liberal arts.


During its evolution and growth into new areas, one attribute has remained paramount -- academic quality. "I think ...[the] strength of our particular faculty ...propelled so much of the opportunity which our students have always had," explains Williams. "The faculty wouldn't compromise one iota with standards and with what they considered to be the quality they expected to find," added Stone.


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Live & Learn 40th Anniversary Edition | 5

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