Senate Bill 1320
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 SB 1320
By Senator Holzendorf
2-11B-00
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to community colleges; amending
3 s. 240.498, F.S., relating to the Florida
4 Education Fund; establishing the Community
5 College Executive and Faculty Diversity
6 Program; providing for fellowships; requiring
7 an annual accountability report; requiring
8 service or repayment; establishing
9 requirements; requiring the adoption of rules;
10 providing an appropriation to the Division of
11 Community Colleges; providing an effective
12 date.
13
14 WHEREAS, the Florida Legislature recognizes the need
15 for additional ethnic and gender minorities as faculty and
16 executive, administrative, and managerial personnel in Florida
17 community colleges, and
18 WHEREAS, the Florida Legislature is interested in
19 increasing the number of ethnic and gender minorities employed
20 in these positions, and
21 WHEREAS, national availability statistics indicate a
22 severe shortage of minorities holding the requisite degrees to
23 enter the pool of potential faculty and senior-level employees
24 in Florida community colleges, and
25 WHEREAS, the Florida Legislature wishes to establish a
26 means to develop, utilize, promote, and maintain human
27 resources currently employed in the Florida Community College
28 System, NOW, THEREFORE,
29
30 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
31
1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 SB 1320
2-11B-00
1 Section 1. Subsection (9) is added to section 240.498,
2 Florida Statutes, to read:
3 240.498 Florida Education Fund.--
4 (9) There is created the Community College Executive
5 and Faculty Diversity Program of the Florida Education Fund, a
6 collaborative effort of the State Board of Community Colleges
7 and the Florida Education Fund, to increase the number of
8 ethnic minorities and women holding doctoral degrees and
9 holding executive and faculty positions in the Florida
10 Community College System. The Executive and Faculty Diversity
11 Program shall include, but need not be limited to, a
12 fellowship program that receives funds from the Division of
13 Community Colleges, in accordance with criteria adopted by the
14 State Board of Community Colleges, to be administered by the
15 Board of Directors of the Florida Education Fund for this
16 purpose.
17 (a) The board of directors shall provide financial,
18 academic, and other support to individuals selected for
19 participation in the program from funds appropriated for this
20 purpose. Administrative costs received by the board of
21 directors must not exceed 8 percent of the cost per fellow.
22 (b) The board of directors must appropriately
23 distribute between sponsoring institutions and selected
24 fellows the funds for the financial support of such fellows
25 and submit to the State Board of Community Colleges an annual
26 report of program expenditures and activities.
27 (c) The sponsoring community college must agree to
28 grant the program participant release time for study and
29 continue the fellow on the payroll at up to one-half salary,
30 based on the salary earned by the fellow at the time of
31 initial entry into the program, and with full benefits.
2
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 SB 1320
2-11B-00
1 Furthermore, the sponsoring institution must submit to the
2 Florida Education Fund a plan for the promotion and hiring of
3 the candidates upon their completion of the doctoral degrees.
4 (d) Selection of participants must be made in
5 accordance with policies established by the Florida Education
6 Fund, adopted by the board of directors for that purpose, and
7 approved by the State Board of Community Colleges. Selection
8 must be based, in part, on an assessment of potential for
9 student success, merit, and financial need. Such selection
10 shall consider representation of participants from throughout
11 the state. First preference shall be given to ethnic
12 minorities and candidates holding credentials to attain
13 admission to, and to complete, doctoral programs. Preference
14 shall also be given to participants employed by institutions
15 where ethnic minorities and women are underrepresented in
16 faculty and executive-level positions. Selections must also
17 consider applicants pursuing fields of study consistent with
18 the goals of the sponsoring institution.
19 (e) Each fellow must agree in writing to return to the
20 sponsoring college in the term immediately following
21 completion of the targeted degree to:
22 1. Render an amount of service equal in value to the
23 cost of aid provided by the college; or
24 2. Repay the amount of aid, including salary and
25 benefits, received from the institution and from the Florida
26 Education Fund, pursuant to paragraph (f).
27 (f) Each fellow must agree in writing that, if the
28 fellow fails to complete the targeted degree within the time
29 approved by the sponsoring institution or if the fellow fails
30 to meet the requirements of paragraph (e), the fellow must
31 repay to the college and to the Florida Education Fund an
3
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 SB 1320
2-11B-00
1 amount equal to the amount of aid, including salary and
2 benefits, received from each of these entities, including
3 principal and applicable accrued interest. Repayment to the
4 Florida Education Fund must be consistent with policies and
5 procedures established by the board of directors.
6 (g) The State Board of Community Colleges shall adopt
7 rules for the implementation of this subsection, including
8 procedures for repayment of funds to a community college by a
9 fellow who fails to complete the doctoral degree as agreed or
10 who, upon completing the degree, fails to serve the college as
11 agreed. Such rules shall address applicable interest rates
12 and provisions for the exemption of an individual from
13 paragraphs (e) and (f), based on a demonstration of hardship
14 or extenuating circumstances as determined by the sponsoring
15 institution.
16 Section 2. The sum of $250,000 is appropriated from
17 the General Revenue Fund to the Division of Community Colleges
18 for fiscal year 2000-2001 for the purpose of implementing this
19 act. The State Board of Community Colleges must enter into an
20 agreement with the Board of Directors of the Florida Education
21 Fund to implement this act which shall provide for a minimum
22 of 10 fellowships at a minimum of $23,000 per fellow to defray
23 the cost of doctoral study and to replace community college
24 employees granted educational leave pursuant to this act. At
25 the discretion of the board of directors, as an additional
26 means to increase the number of doctoral scholars in Florida
27 community colleges, allowances may be made to provide partial
28 fellowships, equivalent to 10 full fellowships, to candidates
29 who need less than full-time study in order to complete the
30 doctoral degree. The Board of Directors of the Florida
31 Education Fund may enter into agreements, at its discretion,
4
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 SB 1320
2-11B-00
1 with the Southern Region Education Board (SREB) to support
2 community college fellows who desire to complete their
3 doctoral study in institutions outside of Florida which
4 participate in the SREB Doctoral Scholars Program. Funds for
5 the fellowship program shall be transmitted to the Florida
6 Education Fund by the Division of Community Colleges in
7 semiannual payments in July and January of the fiscal year.
8 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.
9
10 *****************************************
11 SENATE SUMMARY
12 Relates to the Florida Education Fund. Establishes the
Community College Executive and Faculty Diversity
13 Program. Provides for fellowships. Requires an annual
accountability report. Requires service or repayment.
14 Establishes requirements. Provides for rulemaking.
Provides an appropriation to the Division of Community
15 Colleges.
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
5