MINUTES
Advisory Council Meeting
Berlitz Language Center, 40 West 51^st Street, New York, NY
August 28, 2002

Members present: Anthony A. Stanziani, Vincent Ferrari, James Devaney, Michael Hatten, Yerachmiel Barash, John Austin (HESC), Howard Goldsmith (SED)

Absent: Arthur Resso, Arlene Pedone, Vel Pillai (DOB), Lisa Harris (CPB), Cindi Frieder (OSC), Denis Peterson (DOL)

Wayne Wagner recently resigned. John J. Torpey is under review for appointment to the Council.

Call to order at 10:35 am.

1. Opening remarks, welcome, and the history of the Berlitz Language Center by John Bennett.
   
   
2. Approval of meeting minutes of May 23, 2002. Motion: Mike Hatten; Second: Vincent Ferrara – Passed.
   
   
3. Updates from the Bureau of Proprietary School Supervision (BPSS)
   
   

• NYC office moved from the 14^th floor to the 5^th floor at 116 West 32^nd Street.
• Monica Borden talked about progress with Sallie Mae and diminishing loans to unlicensed schools.
• New ads being placed through the Bureau’s "Public Information Campaign (PIC)."
• Upcoming Policy Guidelines (PG) forthcoming on curriculum review and approval and other critical areas. The BPSS web page should be checked on a regular basis.
• New student disclosure palm cards printed through a joint effort by BPSS and the Consumer Protection Board (CPB).
• Cosmetology test scores will be available on the BPSS webpage.

4. Sub-committee on Electronic Communications Advances (ECA). Vincent Ferrara appointed as chair of this group.
   
   
5. Advisory Council report to the Legislature. Mike Hatten and Anthony Stanziani will be working on this report. Arlene Pedone started a draft, but never completed. Howard Goldsmith agreed to meet with Mike and Anthony to provide any data that BPSS could add to the report.
   
   
6. Credit/Clock Hour Issue. BPSS reported that Deputy Commissioner Johanna Duncan-Poitier is reviewing a draft administrative change that would allow certain schools in the sector, under controlled conditions, to utilize credit hour conversations from clock hour courses as permitted by USDOE. BPSS will be meeting further with the Deputy Commissioner and report back at the next meeting.
   
   
7. Regulatory Reform Initiative. BPSS is meeting with the ESL group to work on a few changes on the provisions for ESL schools.
   
   
8. Teach-out situations. Vincent Ferrara brought up the issue of recent school closings and the need for teachout schools to cooperate in such situations. There are also problems with teach-outs and USDOE in regards to Title IV issues.

Motion by Anthony Stanziani: BPSS will present two school closing situations for case study purposes and review for policy and/or statutory changes. Presentation by BPSS will be made at the next AC meeting. Second: Vincent Ferrara – passed



9. Next Meeting. Thursday, November 7, 2002. Hosted by: Computer Career Center, 340 Flatbush Avenue Ext., Brooklyn, New York

Meeting adjourned at 12:05 p.m.