General Assembly Raised Bill No. 6257
January Session, 2011 LCO No. 2721
*02721_______HED*
Referred to Committee on Higher Education and Employment Advancement
Introduced by:
(HED)
General Assembly
Raised Bill No. 6257
January Session, 2011
LCO No. 2721
*02721_______HED*
Referred to Committee on Higher Education and Employment Advancement
Introduced by:
(HED)
AN ACT CONCERNING A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR HIGHER EDUCATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) In accordance with subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 10a-6 of the general statutes, as amended by this act, the Board of Governors of Higher Education, after consultation with the Higher Education Coordinating Council, the Labor Commissioner or the commissioner's designee, the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development or the commissioner's designee, the director of the Office of Workforce Competitiveness or the director's designee, the chairperson and ranking members of the joint standing committees having cognizance of matters relating to higher education, employment advancement and commerce or their designees, the chairperson of the board and president of the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges or their designees and the president of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association or the president's designee, and any other entities as determined by the Board of Governors of Higher Education, shall:
(1) Examine the impact of demographics and workforce trends on higher education in the state;
(2) Address the challenges related to increasing the number of young people in the state earning a bachelor degree, increasing the number of young people entering the state's workforce and the disparity in the achievement gap between minority students and the general student population;
(3) Develop and implement a strategic master plan pursuant to subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 10a-6 of the general statutes, as amended by this act, and include benchmarks for achieving those goals by 2015 and 2020;
(4) Examine funding policies for higher education, including coordination of appropriations, tuition and financial aid and seek ways to maximize funding through federal and private grants;
(5) Recommend ways in which a constituent unit of the state system of higher education, in a manner consistent with such unit's mission, should expand such unit's role in advancing the state's economic growth; and
(6) Not later than January 1, 2013, submit a biennial report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the Governor and the General Assembly on the progress made toward achieving the benchmarks established in the strategic master plan.
(b) In developing the strategic master plan, the Board of Governors shall review the plans pursuant to sections 10a-6 and 10a-11 of the general statutes, as amended by this act, and the report titled "New England 2020: A Forecast of Educational Attainment and its Implications for the Workforce of New England States" prepared by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation. In addition, the board may consider the following: (1) Establishing incentives for institutional performance and productivity; (2) increasing financial aid incentive programs, especially in workforce shortage areas and for minority students; (3) working with the Department of Education to implement mandatory college preparatory curricula in high schools and aligning such curricula with curricula in institutions of higher education; (4) seeking partnerships with the business community and public institutions of higher education to serve the needs of workforce retraining that may include bridge programs in which businesses work directly with higher education institutions to move students into identified workforce shortage areas; (5) establishing collaborative partnerships between public high schools and institutions of higher education; (6) implementing programs in high school to assist high school students seeking a college track or alternative pathways for post-secondary education, such as vocational and technical opportunities; (7) developing policies to promote and measure retention and graduation rates of students; (8) addressing the educational needs of minority students and nontraditional students, including, but not limited to, part-time students, incumbent workers, adult learners, former inmates and immigrants, in order to increase enrollment and retention in institutions of higher education; and (9) addressing the affordability of tuition at institutions of higher education and the issue of increased student indebtedness.
(c) Not later than January 1, 2012, the Board of Governors shall submit a progress report concerning its development of the strategic master plan to the Governor and the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher education, employment advancement, education, commerce, labor and appropriations, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. Not later than January 1, 2013, the board shall submit the strategic master plan, including specific goals and benchmarks for the years ending 2015 and 2020, together with any recommendations for appropriate legislation and funding to the Governor and said joint standing committees, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes.
(d) On or before January 1, 2014, and biennially thereafter, the Board of Governors shall submit a report to the Governor and the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher education, employment advancement, education, commerce, labor and appropriations, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, on the implementation of the plan and progress made toward achieving the goals specified in the plan.
Sec. 2. Section 10a-6 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) The Board of Governors of Higher Education shall: (1) Establish state-wide policy and guidelines for Connecticut's system of public higher education; (2) develop a strategic master plan for higher education and postsecondary education, consistent with the goals in subsection (b) of this section and in accordance with section 1 of this act; (3) establish state-wide tuition and student fee policies; (4) establish state-wide student financial aid policies; (5) monitor and evaluate institutional effectiveness and viability in accordance with criteria established by the board; (6) merge or close institutions in accordance with criteria established by the board provided (A) such recommended merger or closing shall require a two-thirds vote of the board, and (B) notice of such recommended merger or closing shall be sent to the committee having cognizance over matters relating to education and to the General Assembly; (7) review and approve mission statements for the constituent units and role and scope statements for the individual institutions and branches thereof; (8) review and approve any recommendations for the establishment of new academic programs submitted to the board by the constituent unit boards of trustees, and, in consultation with the affected constituent units, provide for the initiation, consolidation or termination of academic programs. The Board of Governors of Higher Education shall notify the board of trustees affected by the proposed termination of an academic program. Within ninety days of receipt of such notice, said trustees shall accept or reject the termination proposal and shall notify the Board of Governors of Higher Education of its action. If the termination proposal is rejected by the trustees, the Board of Governors of Higher Education may override the rejection by a two-thirds vote; (9) develop criteria to ensure acceptable quality in programs and institutions and enforce standards through licensing and accreditation; (10) prepare and present to the Governor and General Assembly, in accordance with section 10a-8, consolidated operating and capital expenditure budgets for public higher education developed in accordance with the provisions of said section 10a-8 and section 10a-9; (11) review and make recommendations on plans received from the constituent unit boards of trustees for the continuing development and maximum utilization of the state's public higher education resources; (12) appoint advisory committees to assist in defining and suggesting solutions for the problems and needs of higher education; (13) establish an advisory council for higher education with representatives from public and private institutions to study methods and proposals for coordinating efforts of all such institutions in providing a stimulating and enriched educational environment for the citizens of the state, including measures to improve educational opportunities through alternative and nontraditional approaches such as external degrees and credit by examination; (14) coordinate programs and services throughout public higher education and between public and independent institutions, including procedures to evaluate the impact on independent institutions of higher education of proposals affecting public institutions of higher education; (15) make or enter into contracts, leases or other agreements in connection with its responsibilities under this part, provided all acquisitions of real estate by lease or otherwise shall be subject to the provisions of section 4b-23; (16) be responsible for the care and maintenance of permanent records of institutions of higher education dissolved after September 1, 1969; (17) prepare and present to the Governor and General Assembly legislative proposals affecting public higher education, including proposals which utilize programs and facilities of independent institutions of higher education; (18) develop and maintain a central higher education information system and establish definitions and data requirements for the state system of higher education; and (19) undertake such studies and other activities as will best serve the higher educational interests of the state.
(b) Within the limits of authorized expenditures, the policies of the state system of higher education shall be consistent with the following goals: (1) To ensure that no qualified person be denied the opportunity for higher education on the basis of age, sex, ethnic background or social, physical or economic condition, (2) to protect academic freedom, (3) to provide opportunities for education and training related to the economic, cultural and educational development of the state, (4) to assure the fullest possible use of available resources in public and private institutions of higher education, (5) to maintain standards of quality ensuring a position of national leadership for state institutions of higher education, (6) to [apply the resources of higher education to the] respond to the needs and problems of society, [and] (7) to foster flexibility in the policies and institutions of higher education to enable the system to respond to changes in the economy, society, technology and student interests, (8) to promote the economic development of the state in order to help business and industry sustain strong economic growth, (9) to ensure affordability of higher education and efficient use of resources, and (10) to join with elementary and secondary schools to improve teaching and learning at all levels. Said board shall review recent studies of the need for higher education services, with special attention to those completed pursuant to legislative action, and to meet such needs shall initiate additional programs or services through one or more of the constituent units.
(c) Repealed by P.A. 83-533, S. 53, 54.
(d) The board of governors shall request and receive, or be provided electronic access to, data, reports and other information from the constituent units of the state system of higher education that is necessary for the board to carry out its responsibilities pursuant to this section.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Sec. 2 from passage 10a-6
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
from passage
New section
Sec. 2
from passage
10a-6
Statement of Purpose:
To require the development and implementation of a strategic master plan for higher education that identifies short and long-term state goals for higher education and includes benchmarks for achieving such goals.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]