| 1 | Representatives Pickens and Coley offered the following: |
| 2 |
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| 3 | Amendment (with title amendment) |
| 4 | Remove everything after the enacting clause and insert: |
| 5 | Section 1. Paragraphs (b), (e), (k), (u), and (x) of |
| 6 | subsection (3) of section 1000.21, Florida Statutes, are amended |
| 7 | to read: |
| 8 | 1000.21 Systemwide definitions.--As used in the Florida K- |
| 9 | 20 Education Code: |
| 10 | (3) "Community college," except as otherwise specifically |
| 11 | provided, includes the following institutions and any branch |
| 12 | campuses, centers, or other affiliates of the institution: |
| 13 | (b) Broward Community College. |
| 14 | (e) Daytona Beach Community College. |
| 15 | (k) Indian River Community College. |
| 16 | (u) Polk Community College. |
| 17 | (x) Santa Fe Community College. |
| 18 | Section 2. Section 1001.60, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 19 | to read: |
| 20 | 1001.60 Florida College System.-- |
| 21 | (1) PURPOSES.--In order to maximize open access for |
| 22 | students, respond to community needs for postsecondary academic |
| 23 | education and career degree education, and provide associate and |
| 24 | baccalaureate degrees that will best meet the state's employment |
| 25 | needs, the Legislature establishes a system of governance for |
| 26 | the Florida College System. |
| 27 | (2) FLORIDA COLLEGE SYSTEM.--There shall be a single |
| 28 | Florida College System comprised of the public postsecondary |
| 29 | educational institutions identified in s. 1000.21(3) that grant |
| 30 | 2-year and 4-year academic degrees as provided by law. An |
| 31 | institution within the Florida College System may not offer |
| 32 | graduate degree programs. |
| 33 | (a) The programs and services offered by institutions in |
| 34 | the Florida College System in providing associate and |
| 35 | baccalaureate degrees shall be delivered in a cost-effective |
| 36 | manner that demonstrates substantial savings to the student and |
| 37 | to the state over the cost of providing the degree at a state |
| 38 | university. |
| 39 | (b)1. With the approval of the institution's local board |
| 40 | of trustees, an institution in the Florida College System may |
| 41 | change the institution's name and use the designation "college" |
| 42 | if it has been authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees |
| 43 | pursuant to s. 1004.73 or s. 1007.33 or if it has received |
| 44 | approval from the State Board of Education pursuant to this |
| 45 | paragraph. |
| 46 | 2. With the approval of an institution's local board of |
| 47 | trustees, any institution in the Florida College System may |
| 48 | request approval from the State Board of Education to change the |
| 49 | institution's name and use the designation "college." The State |
| 50 | Board of Education may approve the request if the institution |
| 51 | enters into an agreement with the State Board of Education to do |
| 52 | the following: |
| 53 | a. Maintain as the institution's primary mission |
| 54 | responsibility for responding to community needs for |
| 55 | postsecondary academic education and career degree education as |
| 56 | prescribed in s. 1004.65(6). |
| 57 | b. Maintain an open-door admissions policy for associate- |
| 58 | level degree programs and workforce education programs. |
| 59 | c. Continue to provide outreach to underserved |
| 60 | populations. |
| 61 | d. Continue to provide remedial education. |
| 62 | e. Comply with all provisions of the statewide |
| 63 | articulation agreement that relate to 2-year and 4-year public |
| 64 | degree-granting institutions as adopted by the State Board of |
| 65 | Education pursuant to s. 1007.23. |
| 66 | 3. An institution in the Florida College System shall not |
| 67 | use the designation "university." |
| 68 | (3) LOCAL BOARDS OF TRUSTEES.--Each institution within the |
| 69 | Florida College System shall be governed by a local board of |
| 70 | trustees as provided in s. 1001.64. The membership of each local |
| 71 | board of trustees shall be as provided in s. 1001.61. |
| 72 | Section 3. Section 1004.35, Florida Statutes, is amended |
| 73 | to read: |
| 74 | 1004.35 Broward County campuses of Florida Atlantic |
| 75 | University; coordination with other institutions.--The State |
| 76 | Board of Education, the Board of Governors, and Florida Atlantic |
| 77 | University shall consult with Broward Community College and |
| 78 | Florida International University in coordinating course |
| 79 | offerings at the postsecondary level in Broward County. Florida |
| 80 | Atlantic University may contract with the Board of Trustees of |
| 81 | Broward Community College and with Florida International |
| 82 | University to provide instruction in courses offered at the |
| 83 | Southeast Campus. Florida Atlantic University shall increase |
| 84 | course offerings at the Southeast Campus as facilities become |
| 85 | available. |
| 86 | Section 4. Section 1004.87, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 87 | to read: |
| 88 | 1004.87 Florida College System Task Force.-- |
| 89 | (1) The Florida College System Task Force is established |
| 90 | within the Division of Community Colleges of the Department of |
| 91 | Education for the purpose of developing findings and issuing |
| 92 | recommendations regarding the transition of community colleges |
| 93 | to baccalaureate-degree-granting colleges and the criteria for |
| 94 | establishing and funding state colleges. |
| 95 | (2)(a) All members of the task force must be appointed on |
| 96 | or before August 31, 2008, and the task force shall hold its |
| 97 | first meeting on or before September 15, 2008. |
| 98 | (b)1. The task force shall be comprised of the |
| 99 | Commissioner of Education and 11 members appointed by the |
| 100 | Commissioner. |
| 101 | 2. The Commissioner of Education shall be the chair and a |
| 102 | voting member of the task force. |
| 103 | 3. The appointees shall include seven community college |
| 104 | presidents, one state university president, the president of an |
| 105 | institution that is eligible to participate in the William L. |
| 106 | Boyd, IV, Florida Resident Access Grant Program, the president |
| 107 | of an institution that is licensed by the Commission for |
| 108 | Independent Education and grants baccalaureate degrees, and one |
| 109 | member at large. The community college presidents appointed to |
| 110 | the task force may not include the presidents of the |
| 111 | institutions named to participate in the State College Pilot |
| 112 | Project. The community college presidents appointed to the task |
| 113 | force must reflect the diversity of program offerings and |
| 114 | service areas of the 28 community colleges and include |
| 115 | representatives of community colleges that are authorized to |
| 116 | grant baccalaureate degrees, community colleges that are not |
| 117 | authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees, community colleges |
| 118 | that have urban service areas, community colleges that have |
| 119 | rural service areas, community colleges the service areas of |
| 120 | which have populations of 500,000 or more, and community |
| 121 | colleges the service areas of which have populations of fewer |
| 122 | than 500,000. |
| 123 | (3) The task force shall: |
| 124 | (a) Recommend a program approval process for new |
| 125 | baccalaureate degree programs that are designed to meet the |
| 126 | employment needs of Florida, including approval as a |
| 127 | baccalaureate-degree-granting community college and as a state |
| 128 | college. |
| 129 | (b) Recommend a funding model that considers projected |
| 130 | enrollment, adjustments for actual enrollment, program mix, and |
| 131 | comparable support for similar programs across all institutions, |
| 132 | including state colleges and community colleges authorized by |
| 133 | the State Board of Education to award baccalaureate degrees |
| 134 | pursuant to s. 1007.33. The funding model must ensure that the |
| 135 | programs and services offered by institutions in the Florida |
| 136 | College System in providing associate and baccalaureate degrees |
| 137 | are delivered in a cost-effective manner that demonstrates |
| 138 | substantial savings to the student and to the state over the |
| 139 | cost of providing the degree at a state university. |
| 140 | (c) Identify the areas, both geographic and academic, in |
| 141 | which an increased number of graduates who have baccalaureate |
| 142 | degrees are necessary in order to meet regional and statewide |
| 143 | workforce needs. |
| 144 | (d) Monitor implementation of the State College Pilot |
| 145 | Project. |
| 146 | (e) Recommend priorities and criteria for baccalaureate |
| 147 | programs that may be offered without specific approval by the |
| 148 | State Board of Education. |
| 149 | (4) Any recommendation from the task force to the |
| 150 | Legislature requires approval by at least three-fourths of the |
| 151 | membership of the task force. |
| 152 | (5) The task force shall be staffed by existing employees |
| 153 | of the Division of Community Colleges. |
| 154 | (6)(a) Community colleges, state universities, the |
| 155 | Commission for Independent Education, and the Agency for |
| 156 | Workforce Innovation shall provide information and assistance to |
| 157 | the task force. |
| 158 | (b) Independent postsecondary educational institutions, |
| 159 | representatives of the business community, and other |
| 160 | stakeholders are encouraged to provide the task force with |
| 161 | information to assist the task force in its deliberations. |
| 162 | (7) The task force shall submit a report and |
| 163 | recommendations to the Governor, the State Board of Education, |
| 164 | the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of |
| 165 | Representatives by March 2, 2009. The report must include any |
| 166 | comments from the task force regarding the final report |
| 167 | resulting from the State College Pilot Project and any specific |
| 168 | recommendations of the task force for legislative action during |
| 169 | the 2009 Regular Session of the Legislature. |
| 170 | (8) The task force shall be dissolved effective June 30, |
| 171 | 2010, prior to which time it shall issue its final report with |
| 172 | recommended detailed criteria for implementing the Florida |
| 173 | College System as a permanent part of the state system of higher |
| 174 | education. |
| 175 | Section 5. Section 1004.875, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 176 | to read: |
| 177 | 1004.875 State College Pilot Project.-- |
| 178 | (1) The Legislature finds that it is in the best interest |
| 179 | of the state to provide the residents of the state affordable |
| 180 | access to baccalaureate degree programs that are designed to |
| 181 | meet regional and statewide employment needs. |
| 182 | (2)(a) Beginning with the 2008-2009 fiscal year, the State |
| 183 | College Pilot Project is created, which shall be conducted by |
| 184 | Chipola College, Daytona Beach College, Indian River College, |
| 185 | Miami Dade College, Okaloosa-Walton College, Polk College, Santa |
| 186 | Fe College, and St. Petersburg College in collaboration with the |
| 187 | Florida College System Task Force. The purpose of the pilot |
| 188 | project is to recommend to the Legislature an approval process |
| 189 | for the transition of baccalaureate-degree-granting community |
| 190 | colleges to state colleges in order to meet the employment needs |
| 191 | of Florida, criteria for the transition of institutions in the |
| 192 | Florida College System to state colleges, and a funding model |
| 193 | for the Florida College System. |
| 194 | (b) With the approval of the community college's board of |
| 195 | trustees and continued compliance with the provisions of |
| 196 | subsection (3), a community college identified in paragraph (a) |
| 197 | as a participant in the State College Pilot Project may change |
| 198 | the institution's name and use the designation "state college." |
| 199 | An institution participating in the State College Pilot Project |
| 200 | shall not use the designation "university." |
| 201 | (3) The institutions participating in the pilot project |
| 202 | shall: |
| 203 | (a) Maintain, as the institution's primary mission, |
| 204 | responsibility for responding to community needs for |
| 205 | postsecondary academic education and career degree education as |
| 206 | prescribed in s. 1004.65(6). |
| 207 | (b) Maintain an open-door admissions policy for associate- |
| 208 | level degree programs and workforce education programs. |
| 209 | (c)1. Require, as a condition of admission to upper- |
| 210 | division programs, successful completion of the college-level |
| 211 | communication and mathematics skills examination (CLAST), |
| 212 | established pursuant to s. 1008.29, unless the student has been |
| 213 | awarded an associate degree from a community college or a state |
| 214 | university. |
| 215 | 2. For purposes of a longitudinal analysis of the CLAST, |
| 216 | and notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, |
| 217 | administer the CLAST to each student admitted to an upper- |
| 218 | division program unless the student has previously achieved the |
| 219 | minimum scores that constitute successful completion of the |
| 220 | examination as established pursuant to s. 1008.29(4). The |
| 221 | institution shall report annually the test scores of each |
| 222 | student tested pursuant to the provisions of this subparagraph |
| 223 | and any exemption the student has been provided pursuant to s. |
| 224 | 1008.29(9) to the Florida College System Task Force until its |
| 225 | dissolution, to the State Board of Education once the task force |
| 226 | is dissolved, and to the Office of Program Policy Analysis and |
| 227 | Government Accountability. |
| 228 | (d) Continue to provide outreach to underserved |
| 229 | populations. |
| 230 | (e) Continue to provide remedial education. |
| 231 | (f) Comply with all provisions of the statewide |
| 232 | articulation agreement that relate to 2-year and 4-year public |
| 233 | degree-granting institutions as adopted by the State Board of |
| 234 | Education pursuant to s. 1007.23. |
| 235 | (g) Be prohibited from awarding graduate credit or |
| 236 | graduate degrees. |
| 237 | (h) Be prohibited from participating in intercollegiate |
| 238 | athletics beyond the 2-year level. |
| 239 | (i) Deliver the programs and services in providing |
| 240 | associate and baccalaureate degrees in a cost-effective manner |
| 241 | that demonstrates substantial savings to the student and to the |
| 242 | state over the cost of providing the degree at a state |
| 243 | university. |
| 244 | (4)(a) The institutions participating in the pilot project |
| 245 | shall collaborate with the Florida College System Task Force to |
| 246 | make recommendations to the State Board of Education, the |
| 247 | President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of |
| 248 | Representatives on specific issues that should be addressed in |
| 249 | the transition of a community college to a state college. Any |
| 250 | recommendations of the institutions participating in the pilot |
| 251 | project require approval by three-fourths of the participating |
| 252 | institutions. At a minimum, the following areas should be |
| 253 | addressed during the course of the pilot project: |
| 254 | 1. The development of a program approval process to be |
| 255 | followed by the State Board of Education when considering |
| 256 | proposals for new baccalaureate degree programs that are |
| 257 | designed to meet the employment needs of Florida. Proposals for |
| 258 | new baccalaureate degree programs are not limited to proposals |
| 259 | designed to meet regional workforce needs. |
| 260 | 2. The formulation of criteria for the transition of an |
| 261 | institution from a community college to a state college. |
| 262 | 3. The development of a funding model for state colleges. |
| 263 | (b) A final report, including a status report on the |
| 264 | transition of the institutions participating in the pilot |
| 265 | project and recommendations on the issues outlined in paragraph |
| 266 | (a), shall be submitted to the State Board of Education, the |
| 267 | President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of |
| 268 | Representatives, and the Florida College System Task Force by |
| 269 | January 1, 2009. |
| 270 | Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2008. |
| 271 |
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| 272 | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| 273 | T I T L E A M E N D M E N T |
| 274 | Remove the entire title and insert: |
| 275 | A bill to be entitled |
| 276 | An act relating to postsecondary education; amending s. 1000.21, |
| 277 | F.S.; redesignating the names of certain community colleges as |
| 278 | colleges; creating s. 1001.60, F.S.; establishing the Florida |
| 279 | College System to be comprised of public postsecondary |
| 280 | educational institutions meeting certain criteria; providing |
| 281 | system purposes; providing limitations; authorizing the name |
| 282 | change of an institution under certain conditions; providing for |
| 283 | local boards of trustees and membership thereof; amending s. |
| 284 | 1004.35, F.S.; conforming provisions; creating s. 1004.87, F.S.; |
| 285 | establishing the Florida College System Task Force for the |
| 286 | purpose of developing recommendations for the transition of |
| 287 | community colleges to baccalaureate-degree-granting colleges and |
| 288 | for establishing and funding state colleges; providing for |
| 289 | membership and appointments; providing duties of the task force; |
| 290 | requiring reporting; providing for dissolution of the task |
| 291 | force; creating s. 1004.875, F.S.; creating the State College |
| 292 | Pilot Project for the purpose of developing recommendations for |
| 293 | the transition of community colleges to state colleges and for |
| 294 | developing a funding model for the Florida College System; |
| 295 | designating certain institutions to participate in the pilot |
| 296 | project; providing duties of the institutions; requiring |
| 297 | reporting; providing an effective date. |