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Illinois Senate Bill SB2482

Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois Senate Bill SB2482 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
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11 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB2482 Introduced 2/7/2025, by Sen. Michael W. Halpin SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 110 ILCS 805/3-29.28 new Amends the Public Community College Act. Allows the board of trustees of a community college district to establish and offer a baccalaureate degree program and confer a bachelor's degree if the board of trustees and the program meet specified conditions. Provides for an application for approval from the Illinois Community College Board. Sets forth community college requirements and prohibitions for establishing a baccalaureate degree program. Provides that a community college district that offers a baccalaureate degree program shall submit an annual report to the Illinois Community College Board. Sets forth what that report shall include. Provides for a statewide evaluation of a baccalaureate degree program. LRB104 12260 LNS 22372 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB2482 Introduced 2/7/2025, by Sen. Michael W. Halpin SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 110 ILCS 805/3-29.28 new 110 ILCS 805/3-29.28 new Amends the Public Community College Act. Allows the board of trustees of a community college district to establish and offer a baccalaureate degree program and confer a bachelor's degree if the board of trustees and the program meet specified conditions. Provides for an application for approval from the Illinois Community College Board. Sets forth community college requirements and prohibitions for establishing a baccalaureate degree program. Provides that a community college district that offers a baccalaureate degree program shall submit an annual report to the Illinois Community College Board. Sets forth what that report shall include. Provides for a statewide evaluation of a baccalaureate degree program. LRB104 12260 LNS 22372 b LRB104 12260 LNS 22372 b A BILL FOR
22 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB2482 Introduced 2/7/2025, by Sen. Michael W. Halpin SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
33 110 ILCS 805/3-29.28 new 110 ILCS 805/3-29.28 new
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55 Amends the Public Community College Act. Allows the board of trustees of a community college district to establish and offer a baccalaureate degree program and confer a bachelor's degree if the board of trustees and the program meet specified conditions. Provides for an application for approval from the Illinois Community College Board. Sets forth community college requirements and prohibitions for establishing a baccalaureate degree program. Provides that a community college district that offers a baccalaureate degree program shall submit an annual report to the Illinois Community College Board. Sets forth what that report shall include. Provides for a statewide evaluation of a baccalaureate degree program.
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1111 1 AN ACT concerning education.
1212 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
1313 3 represented in the General Assembly:
1414 4 Section 1. Findings. The General Assembly finds the
1515 5 following:
1616 6 (1) Four-year degrees in applied fields of study are
1717 7 of increasing importance in enabling individuals to
1818 8 qualify for and obtain jobs.
1919 9 (2) It is a priority in this State to promote
2020 10 equitable access and afford the citizens in this State,
2121 11 particularly underserved student populations and those in
2222 12 rural areas of this State, greater access to higher
2323 13 education.
2424 14 (3) Research has shown the following:
2525 15 (A) Most students attend college within 50 miles
2626 16 of their home, and many Illinois residents live
2727 17 outside of commuting distance to a public institution
2828 18 of higher education.
2929 19 (B) In states where a community college
3030 20 baccalaureate program has been implemented, typical
3131 21 graduates are older, are working, or have family
3232 22 responsibilities that preclude them from attending
3333 23 traditional baccalaureate programs.
3434 24 (C) Community college baccalaureate graduates are
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3838 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB2482 Introduced 2/7/2025, by Sen. Michael W. Halpin SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
3939 110 ILCS 805/3-29.28 new 110 ILCS 805/3-29.28 new
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4141 Amends the Public Community College Act. Allows the board of trustees of a community college district to establish and offer a baccalaureate degree program and confer a bachelor's degree if the board of trustees and the program meet specified conditions. Provides for an application for approval from the Illinois Community College Board. Sets forth community college requirements and prohibitions for establishing a baccalaureate degree program. Provides that a community college district that offers a baccalaureate degree program shall submit an annual report to the Illinois Community College Board. Sets forth what that report shall include. Provides for a statewide evaluation of a baccalaureate degree program.
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6969 1 often more racially diverse than counterparts in
7070 2 similar programs of study.
7171 3 (4) Community colleges can help fill the gaps in this
7272 4 State's higher education system by granting baccalaureate
7373 5 degrees to meet the growing demand for a skilled workforce
7474 6 by increasing access and reducing costs for students.
7575 7 (5) It is in this State's interest to enable community
7676 8 colleges to seek authorization to offer baccalaureate
7777 9 degrees.
7878 10 (6) Baccalaureate degree programs offered pursuant to
7979 11 this Act do not otherwise alter the role and mission of a
8080 12 public community college. Nothing in this Act is intended
8181 13 to reduce the State's commitment to improving associate to
8282 14 baccalaureate program transfer pathways for Illinois
8383 15 students.
8484 16 Section 5. The Public Community College Act is amended by
8585 17 adding Section 3-29.28 as follows:
8686 18 (110 ILCS 805/3-29.28 new)
8787 19 Sec. 3-29.28. Baccalaureate degree program.
8888 20 (a) A board of trustees may establish and offer a
8989 21 baccalaureate degree program and confer a bachelor's degree if
9090 22 all the following conditions are met:
9191 23 (1) The board of trustees meets all of the
9292 24 requirements as set forth in subsection (b) of this
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103103 1 Section and has been approved by the State Board to offer a
104104 2 bachelor's degree.
105105 3 (2) After the program has been approved by the State
106106 4 Board, the Board of Higher Education shall consider the
107107 5 program for approval in a manner consistent with new
108108 6 bachelor's degree programs at public and private
109109 7 universities in this State.
110110 8 (3) The board of trustees has identified and
111111 9 documented, in writing, unmet workforce needs in the
112112 10 region served by the community college in the subject area
113113 11 of the baccalaureate degree program to be offered. The
114114 12 board of trustees shall publish the documentation on the
115115 13 community college district's website, make the
116116 14 documentation publicly available, and shall present the
117117 15 documentation to the State Board.
118118 16 (4) The community college shall hold an applicable
119119 17 accreditation for the baccalaureate degree program or have
120120 18 applied for the accreditation.
121121 19 (5) The board of trustees must demonstrate how the
122122 20 baccalaureate degree program will demonstrate improved
123123 21 racial and socioeconomic equity in student access,
124124 22 enrollment, and completion by focusing outreach efforts on
125125 23 and giving preference to those students to meet workforce
126126 24 needs.
127127 25 (6) Tuition per credit hour for the third and fourth
128128 26 years of a 4-year baccalaureate program may not exceed
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139139 1 150% of the tuition per credit hour of related
140140 2 lower-division course tuition.
141141 3 (b) The board of trustees shall demonstrate the district
142142 4 has the expertise, resources, and student interest to offer a
143143 5 baccalaureate degree. An application for approval from the
144144 6 State Board shall include, but is not limited to, all of the
145145 7 following:
146146 8 (1) The board of trustees shall describe the labor
147147 9 market need as specified in paragraph (3) of subsection
148148 10 (a).
149149 11 (2) The board of trustees must demonstrate that the
150150 12 baccalaureate degree program will not unnecessarily
151151 13 duplicate the degree programs offered by other
152152 14 institutions of higher education in the community
153153 15 college's district.
154154 16 (3) The board of trustees shall describe the program's
155155 17 purpose and its target population, related occupations,
156156 18 and career paths.
157157 19 (4) The board of trustees may demonstrate that the
158158 20 baccalaureate degree program is built on existing
159159 21 associate degree programs and that the baccalaureate
160160 22 degree program prepares graduates for professional and
161161 23 technical employment and opportunity to matriculate to
162162 24 graduate degree programs, when applicable.
163163 25 (5) The board of trustees shall demonstrate that the
164164 26 community college has developed quality curricula that
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175175 1 align with federal, State, and local requirements and will
176176 2 prepare students with the appropriate level of skill to
177177 3 meet students' educational goals.
178178 4 (6) The board of trustees shall demonstrate student
179179 5 demand for the baccalaureate program.
180180 6 (7) The board of trustees shall verify the community
181181 7 college has the fiscal resources in place or has budgeted
182182 8 for financial support for the program in a cost-effective
183183 9 manner.
184184 10 (8) The board of trustees shall identify and document
185185 11 the faculty available for teaching the program, including
186186 12 the number of full-time faculty anticipated to teach in
187187 13 the program, a description of the faculty's
188188 14 qualifications, including the highest degree earned,
189189 15 teaching experience, professional experience, and licenses
190190 16 held by the faculty. The board of trustees must also
191191 17 indicate how faculty are to be evaluated.
192192 18 (c) A community college district is prohibited from using
193193 19 semester credit hours generated in a baccalaureate degree
194194 20 program for grants received pursuant to Section 2-16.02 of
195195 21 this Act.
196196 22 (d) The board of trustees of a community college
197197 23 developing a baccalaureate degree program located in the same
198198 24 community college district as the main campus of any public
199199 25 institution of higher education shall notify that public
200200 26 institution of higher education at least 60 days before
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211211 1 submitting the application under subsection (b) to the State
212212 2 Board. Within 30 days after the date the board of trustees
213213 3 submits the notice, the public institution of higher education
214214 4 may provide a written response to the State Board for its
215215 5 review. A public institution of higher education may not
216216 6 prevent a community college from offering a baccalaureate
217217 7 degree program.
218218 8 (e) A community college district that offers a
219219 9 baccalaureate degree program shall submit an annual report to
220220 10 the State Board, which shall include all of the following:
221221 11 (1) The total number of students pursuing a bachelor's
222222 12 degree at the community college district pursuant to this
223223 13 Section.
224224 14 (2) The total number of bachelor's degrees completed
225225 15 at the community college district.
226226 16 (3) Workforce data showing demand for the
227227 17 baccalaureate degree programs offered at the community
228228 18 college district.
229229 19 (4) The average cost of tuition per credit hour for
230230 20 the bachelor's degrees offered at the community college
231231 21 district.
232232 22 (f) The State Board shall conduct a statewide evaluation
233233 23 of all baccalaureate degree programs established under this
234234 24 Section. The results of the evaluation shall be reported, in
235235 25 writing, on or before 5 years after the effective date of this
236236 26 amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly to all of the
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247247 1 following:
248248 2 (1) The Board of Higher Education.
249249 3 (2) The Speaker of the House of Representatives.
250250 4 (3) The Minority Leader of the House of
251251 5 Representatives.
252252 6 (4) The President of the Senate.
253253 7 (5) The Minority Leader of the Senate.
254254 8 (6) The Governor's Office of Management and Budget.
255255 9 The evaluation shall include, but is not limited to, all
256256 10 of the following:
257257 11 (A) All baccalaureate degree programs implemented.
258258 12 (B) Information identifying applicants, admissions,
259259 13 enrollments, demographic characteristics of students, and
260260 14 degree recipients.
261261 15 (C) The extent to which each baccalaureate degree
262262 16 program established under this Section fulfills identified
263263 17 workforce demands that require 4-year baccalaureate
264264 18 degrees.
265265 19 (D) Information on the pace of employment of students
266266 20 and the subsequent job placement of graduates.
267267 21 (E) The cost of each baccalaureate degree program and
268268 22 the funding sources used to finance each program.
269269 23 (F) For each baccalaureate degree program, the costs
270270 24 to students, the amount of financial aid offered, and the
271271 25 student debt levels of graduates.
272272 26 (G) Time-to-degree rates and completion rates for each
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