CCC making headway on campus relocation

May 2—PLATTSBURGH — Clinton Community College President John Kowal says their accrediting agency, Middle States Commission on Higher Education, has granted them permission to submit a "substantive change request" for campus relocation.

This was a "big step" toward making the college's relocation plan, which would move all campus operations to SUNY Plattsburgh by the 2025-2026 academic year, a reality.

"This was the first hurdle we had to get over," Kowal told CCC's board of trustees Tuesday.

"And we succeeded."

RELOCATION

CCC first announced its plans to relocate in January.

Kowal said Middle States waited before giving them permission to file for relocation until they had more information about the plan from the SUNY system.

"Like the cost of the relocation, the identified specific building that will be the core building on the campus," he said.

"So all that was provided and as a result, we got permission to submit that request."

Kowal said the SUNY system provided Middle States with a five-page report about the plan.

He said he learned through the report that after a space analysis is completed, SUNY Construction Fund is prepared to allocate $1.3 million to commence the design phase and the rehabilitation of a building or buildings. These funds are also supported by a broader $8 million construction budget, Kowal said.

"So we're talking serious dollars that they're willing to invest to make this work."

ACCREDITATION

In the coming months, the college will have to get over another hurdle with Middle States as they attempt to move its campus to SUNY Plattsburgh.

This hurdle stems from June of 2022, when insufficient financial resources for maintaining desired educational quality led to Middle States placing CCC on a "non-compliance warning."

This designation meant Middle States had "identified one or more areas in which the institution does not meet Commission standards for accreditation, requirements of affiliation, policies and procedures, or federal compliance requirements," the agency's website outlined.

Since then, the college has been under pressure to improve its financial situation or risk worsening its status to probation or even having their accreditation terminated, which would potentially force the college to close its doors.

CCC had a crucial report about their status with Middle States in January and presented the relocation plan, which is expected to generate significant cost savings for the college, to the agency then.

Kowal said despite some "hiccups" that occurred, Middle States had a positive enough response to the plan.

JUNE DECISION

"In their exit report ... they viewed it (the relocation) positively as a way to reduce costs," he said of Middle States' response, "but that we needed to include that in our Strategic Plan to make those adjustments. That's been done."

Kowal says a decision on the institution's accreditation status will now come in June. In his opinion, he expects the college's status, which they have one year left on, to stay the same.

"They're not going to say they're reaffirming our accreditation, because there isn't enough information to demonstrate that our financial challenges are being met with certainty with the move, because it's way too early," he said.

"They could move the college probation status and probation status means doing a teach-out plan. I've heard differing opinions from people in the system. Some people have said once you get that, it's a slippery slope. Other people say there are colleges that have recovered from probation, so it depends on the individual situation."

PAVING THE WAY

What CCC is trying to do — relocate its campus to a nearby four-year institution — would be the first of its kind in New York.

As colleges continue to close around the nation and the state — most recently Wells College in Aurora in the Finger Lakes region announced they would be closing at the end of this spring semester — CCC leaders knew they had to get creative in addressing their strained financial situation.

"This is a unique circumstance," Kowal said.

"Because it's the first in the state that really made this type of bold, progressive move, we're hoping that they'll at least be understanding of that, instead of just sitting idle and saying, 'well, we keep going and we close up in a year or two,' or 'we do something like this and we need you to work with us,'" CCC Board Chair David Favro added.

"So I'm hoping that they can do that ... That's why sometimes, it's good to get out on the cutting edge, be first and pave the road to let everybody else follow it. You get the support and the help from many partners that will chip in and assure the success as we've seen even with the numbers that SUNY has put up."

Now, as the college looks to submit the substantive change request in the near future, Kowal said they will have to prove they can meet the seven standards the Middle States Commission has outlined.

"We have to provide clear evidence that we will meet those standards in our new location," he said.

That change request, however, likely won't be reviewed until the fall, after Middle States makes a decision on the college's accreditation status.

"I don't think that's going to be a really big problem," Kowal said.

Email: cnewton@pressrepublican.com

Twitter: CarlySNewton