On November 26, 1784, 33 additional members were appointed, twenty of them from New York City and affiliated with King's College (now known as Columbia University).
This legislation also shifted the regents' focus from Columbia to schools, colleges, and universities across the state.
On April 8, 1842, the secretary of state was added again as an ex officio member, and on March 30, 1854, the superintendent of public instruction.
Section 202 of the education laws of 1945 established that a regent could not serve past April 1 in the year following their 70th birthday or be a "trustee, president, principal, or any other officer of an institution belonged to the university."
[6] This restriction was lifted in 1986 with the passage of a New York State law banning mandatory retirement ages in most sectors.