University of the State of New York

University of the State of New York
Motto	Excelsior* (Ever Upward)
Established	1784
President	MaryEllen Elia
Chancellor of the Board of Regents	Betty A. Rosa
Vice-Chancellor of the Board of Regents	T. Andrew Brown
Location	Albany, New York
Web site	http://www.nysed.gov/
As explained in the text, USNY is not a "bricks and mortar" school, but an accrediting and chartering body. However, from 1971 through 1998, USNY did directly confer degrees via its Regents external degree program. *This is the motto of the State of New York, which appears on the University Seal

The University of the State of New York (USNY, /ˈjuːzniː/) is the state of New York's governmental umbrella organization for both public and private institutions in New York State. The "university" is not an educational institution: it is, in fact, a licensing and accreditation body that sets standards for schools operating in New York State, from pre-kindergarten through professional and graduate school, as well as for the practice of a wide variety of professions. The group of people who make decisions about and for USNY is known as the New York State Board of Regents. USNY should not be, though often is, confused with the State University of New York.

The Board of Regents of the USNY was established by statute on May 1, 1784, to provide oversight to King's College – today known as Columbia University – a private institution, and other colleges and academies incorporated in the state thereafter. On April 13, 1787, the legislature enacted a law that allowed individual educational institutions to have their own trustees and gave the Regents broader responsibilities for overseeing education in New York. The new law empowered the Regents to "visit and inspect all the colleges, academies, and schools" in the state, award higher academic degrees, hold and distribute funds, and exercise other powers of a corporation.

Early in the 19th century, the Regents established standards for incorporating private academies and colleges, including specifying the texts or subjects that academies must teach to qualify for state aid. Aid was restricted to those students who had passed local entrance examinations. To combat the problem of academies lowering their standards in order to attract students and get state aid, during the later nineteenth century the Regents developed and instituted educational standards for high schools statewide, through use of the Regents examinations and syllabi.

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