Florida Senate - 2016                          SENATOR AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS/CS/HB 7029, 1st Eng.
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì382070xÎ382070                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
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               Floor: 1b/RE/3R         .                                
             03/09/2016 02:56 PM       .                                
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       Senator Gaetz moved the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment to Amendment (620160) (with title
    2  amendment)
    3  
    4         Between lines 1136 and 1137
    5  insert:
    6         Section 7. Subsection (1) of section 1001.7065, Florida
    7  Statutes, is reenacted, and subsections (2), (3), and (5)
    8  through (9) of that section are amended, to read:
    9         1001.7065 Preeminent state research universities program.—
   10         (1) STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM SHARED GOVERNANCE
   11  COLLABORATION.—A collaborative partnership is established
   12  between the Board of Governors and the Legislature to elevate
   13  the academic and research preeminence of Florida’s highest
   14  performing state research universities in accordance with this
   15  section. The partnership stems from the State University System
   16  Governance Agreement executed on March 24, 2010, wherein the
   17  Board of Governors and leaders of the Legislature agreed to a
   18  framework for the collaborative exercise of their joint
   19  authority and shared responsibility for the State University
   20  System. The governance agreement confirmed the commitment of the
   21  Board of Governors and the Legislature to continue collaboration
   22  on accountability measures, the use of data, and recommendations
   23  derived from such data.
   24         (2) ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH EXCELLENCE STANDARDS.—Effective
   25  July 1, 2013, The following academic and research excellence
   26  standards are established for the preeminent state research
   27  universities program:
   28         (a) An average weighted grade point average of 4.0 or
   29  higher on a 4.0 scale and an average SAT score of 1800 or higher
   30  on a 2400-point scale or 1200 or higher on a 1600-point scale
   31  for fall semester incoming freshmen, as reported annually.
   32         (b) A top-50 ranking on at least two well-known and highly
   33  respected national public university rankings, including, but
   34  not limited to, the U.S. News and World Report rankings,
   35  reflecting national preeminence, using most recent rankings.
   36         (c) A freshman retention rate of 90 percent or higher for
   37  full-time, first-time-in-college students, as reported annually
   38  to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).
   39         (d) A 6-year graduation rate of 70 percent or higher for
   40  full-time, first-time-in-college students, as reported annually
   41  to the IPEDS.
   42         (e) Six or more faculty members at the state university who
   43  are members of a national academy, as reported by the Center for
   44  Measuring University Performance in the Top American Research
   45  Universities (TARU) annual report or the official membership
   46  directories maintained by each national academy.
   47         (f) Total annual research expenditures, including federal
   48  research expenditures, of $200 million or more, as reported
   49  annually by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
   50         (g) Total annual research expenditures in diversified
   51  nonmedical sciences of $150 million or more, based on data
   52  reported annually by the NSF.
   53         (h) A top-100 university national ranking for research
   54  expenditures in five or more science, technology, engineering,
   55  or mathematics fields of study, as reported annually by the NSF.
   56         (i) One hundred or more total patents awarded by the United
   57  States Patent and Trademark Office for the most recent 3-year
   58  period.
   59         (j) Four hundred or more doctoral degrees awarded annually,
   60  including professional doctoral degrees awarded in medical and
   61  health care disciplines, as reported in the Board of Governors
   62  Annual Accountability Report.
   63         (k) Two hundred or more postdoctoral appointees annually,
   64  as reported in the TARU annual report.
   65         (l) An endowment of $500 million or more, as reported in
   66  the Board of Governors Annual Accountability Report.
   67         (3) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY DESIGNATION.—
   68         (a) The Board of Governors shall designate each state
   69  research university that annually meets at least 11 of the 12
   70  academic and research excellence standards identified in
   71  subsection (2) as a preeminent state research university.
   72  preeminent state research university.
   73         (b)The Board of Governors shall designate each state
   74  university that annually meets at least 6 of the 12 academic and
   75  research excellence standards identified in subsection (2) as an
   76  “emerging preeminent state research university.”
   77         (5) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES PROGRAM
   78  UNIVERSITY SUPPORT.—
   79         (a) A state research university that is designated as a
   80  preeminent state research university, as of July 1, 2013, meets
   81  all 12 of the academic and research excellence standards
   82  identified in subsection (2), as verified by the Board of
   83  Governors, shall submit to the Board of Governors a 5-year
   84  benchmark plan with target rankings on key performance metrics
   85  for national excellence. Upon approval by the Board of
   86  Governors, and upon the university’s meeting the benchmark plan
   87  goals annually, the Board of Governors shall award the
   88  university its proportionate share of any funds provided
   89  annually to support the program created under this section an
   90  amount specified in the General Appropriations Act to be
   91  provided annually throughout the 5-year period. Funding for this
   92  purpose is contingent upon specific appropriation in the General
   93  Appropriations Act.
   94         (b)A state university designated as an emerging preeminent
   95  state research university shall submit to the Board of Governors
   96  a 5-year benchmark plan with target rankings on key performance
   97  metrics for national excellence. Upon approval by the Board of
   98  Governors, and upon the university’s meeting the benchmark plan
   99  goals annually, the Board of Governors shall award the
  100  university its proportionate share of any funds provided
  101  annually to support the program created under this section.
  102         (c)The award of funds under this subsection is contingent
  103  upon funding provided in the General Appropriations Act to
  104  support the preeminent state research universities program
  105  created under this section. Funding increases appropriated
  106  beyond the amounts funded in the previous fiscal year shall be
  107  distributed as follows:
  108         1.Each designated preeminent state research university
  109  that meets the criteria in paragraph (a) shall receive an equal
  110  amount of funding.
  111         2.Each designated emerging preeminent state research
  112  university that meets the criteria in paragraph (b) shall
  113  receive an amount of funding that is equal to one-half of the
  114  total increased amount awarded to each designated preeminent
  115  state research university.
  116         (6)PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY ENHANCEMENT
  117  INITIATIVE.—A state research university that, as of July 1,
  118  2013, meets 11 of the 12 academic and research excellence
  119  standards identified in subsection (2), as verified by the Board
  120  of Governors, shall submit to the Board of Governors a 5-year
  121  benchmark plan with target rankings on key performance metrics
  122  for national excellence. Upon the university’s meeting the
  123  benchmark plan goals annually, the Board of Governors shall
  124  award the university an amount specified in the General
  125  Appropriations Act to be provided annually throughout the 5-year
  126  period for the purpose of recruiting National Academy Members,
  127  expediting the provision of a master’s degree in cloud
  128  virtualization, and instituting an entrepreneurs-in-residence
  129  program throughout its campus. Funding for this purpose is
  130  contingent upon specific appropriation in the General
  131  Appropriations Act.
  132         (7)PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY SPECIAL COURSE
  133  REQUIREMENT AUTHORITY.—In order to provide a jointly shared
  134  educational experience, a university that is designated a
  135  preeminent state research university may require its incoming
  136  first-time-in-college students to take a 9-to-12-credit set of
  137  unique courses specifically determined by the university and
  138  published on the university’s website. The university may
  139  stipulate that credit for such courses may not be earned through
  140  any acceleration mechanism pursuant to s. 1007.27 or s. 1007.271
  141  or any other transfer credit. All accelerated credits earned up
  142  to the limits specified in ss. 1007.27 and 1007.271 shall be
  143  applied toward graduation at the student’s request.
  144         (6)(8) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY FLEXIBILITY
  145  AUTHORITY.—The Board of Governors is encouraged to identify and
  146  grant all reasonable, feasible authority and flexibility to
  147  ensure that a designated preeminent state research university is
  148  free from unnecessary restrictions.
  149         (7)(9) PROGRAMS OF EXCELLENCE THROUGHOUT THE STATE
  150  UNIVERSITY SYSTEM.—The Board of Governors is encouraged to
  151  establish standards and measures whereby individual programs in
  152  state universities that objectively reflect national excellence
  153  can be identified and make recommendations to the Legislature as
  154  to how any such programs could be enhanced and promoted.
  155  
  156  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  157  And the title is amended as follows:
  158         Between lines 3609 and 3610
  159  insert:
  160         amending s. 1001.7065, F.S.; deleting obsolete
  161         provisions; revising the academic and research
  162         excellence standards for the preeminent state research
  163         universities program; requiring the Board of Governors
  164         to designate a state university that meets specified
  165         requirements as an “emerging preeminent state research
  166         university”; requiring an emerging preeminent state
  167         research university to submit a certain plan to the
  168         board and meet specified expectations to receive
  169         certain funds; providing for the distribution of
  170         certain funding increases; deleting provisions
  171         relating to the preeminent state research university
  172         enhancement initiative and special course requirement
  173         authorization;