The Florida Senate

1004.875  State College Pilot Project.--

(1)  The Legislature finds that it is in the best interest of the state to provide the residents of the state affordable access to baccalaureate degree programs that are designed to meet regional and statewide employment needs.

(2)(a)  Beginning with the 2008-2009 fiscal year, the State College Pilot Project is created, which shall be conducted by Chipola College, Daytona Beach College, Edison College, Indian River College, Miami Dade College, Okaloosa-Walton College, Polk College, Santa Fe College, and St. Petersburg College in collaboration with the Florida College System Task Force. The purpose of the pilot project is to recommend to the Legislature an approval process for the transition of baccalaureate-degree-granting community colleges to state colleges in order to meet the employment needs of Florida, criteria for the transition of institutions in the Florida College System to state colleges, and a funding model for the Florida College System.

(b)  With the approval of the community college's board of trustees and continued compliance with the provisions of subsection (3), a community college identified in paragraph (a) as a participant in the State College Pilot Project may change the institution's name and use the designation "state college." An institution participating in the State College Pilot Project shall not use the designation "university."

(3)  Each institution identified in subsection (2) as a participant in the pilot project shall:

(a)  Maintain, as the institution's primary mission, responsibility for responding to community needs for postsecondary academic education and career degree education as prescribed in s. 1004.65(6).

(b)  Maintain an open-door admissions policy for associate-level degree programs and workforce education programs.

(c)1.  Require, as a condition of admission to upper-division programs, successful completion of the college-level communication and mathematics skills examination (CLAST), established pursuant to s. 1008.29, unless the student has been awarded an associate degree from a community college or a state university.

2.  For purposes of a longitudinal analysis of the CLAST, and notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, administer the CLAST to each student admitted to an upper-division program unless the student has previously achieved the minimum scores that constitute successful completion of the examination as established pursuant to s. 1008.29(4). The institution shall report annually the test scores of each student tested pursuant to the provisions of this subparagraph and any exemption the student has been provided pursuant to s. 1008.29(9) to the Florida College System Task Force until its dissolution, to the State Board of Education once the task force is dissolved, and to the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability.

(d)  Continue to provide outreach to underserved populations.

(e)  Continue to provide remedial education.

(f)  Comply with all provisions of the statewide articulation agreement that relate to 2-year and 4-year public degree-granting institutions as adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to s. 1007.23

(g)  Be prohibited from awarding graduate credit or graduate degrees.

(h)  Be prohibited from participating in intercollegiate athletics beyond the 2-year level.

(i)  Deliver the programs and services in providing associate and baccalaureate degrees in a cost-effective manner that demonstrates substantial savings to the student and to the state over the cost of providing the degree at a state university.

(4)(a)  The institutions participating in the pilot project shall collaborate with the Florida College System Task Force to make recommendations to the State Board of Education, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on specific issues that should be addressed in the transition of a community college to a state college. Any recommendations of the institutions participating in the pilot project require approval by two-thirds of the participating institutions. At a minimum, the following areas should be addressed during the course of the pilot project:

1.  The development of a program approval process to be followed by the State Board of Education when considering proposals for new baccalaureate degree programs that are designed to meet the employment needs of Florida. Proposals for new baccalaureate degree programs are not limited to proposals designed to meet regional workforce needs.

2.  The formulation of criteria for the transition of an institution from a community college to a state college.

3.  The development of a funding model for state colleges.

(b)  A final report, including a status report on the transition of the institutions participating in the pilot project and recommendations on the issues outlined in paragraph (a), shall be submitted to the State Board of Education, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Florida College System Task Force by January 1, 2009.

History.--s. 5, ch. 2008-52.