CS/HB 7071

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to postsecondary education; amending s.
31000.21, F.S.; redesignating the names of certain
4community colleges as colleges; creating s. 1001.60, F.S.;
5establishing the Florida College System to be comprised of
6public postsecondary educational institutions meeting
7certain criteria; providing system purposes; providing
8limitations; authorizing the name change of an institution
9under certain conditions; providing for local boards of
10trustees and membership thereof; amending s. 1004.35,
11F.S.; conforming provisions; creating s. 1004.87, F.S.;
12establishing the Florida College System Task Force for the
13purpose of developing recommendations for the transition
14of community colleges to baccalaureate-degree-granting
15colleges and for establishing and funding state colleges;
16providing for membership and appointments; providing
17duties of the task force; requiring reporting; providing
18for dissolution of the task force; creating s. 1004.875,
19F.S.; creating the State College Pilot Project for the
20purpose of developing recommendations for the transition
21of community colleges to state colleges and for developing
22a funding model for the Florida College System;
23designating certain institutions to participate in the
24pilot project; providing duties of the institutions;
25requiring reporting; providing an effective date.
26
27Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
28
29     Section 1.  Paragraphs (b), (e), and (k) of subsection (3)
30of section 1000.21, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
31     1000.21  Systemwide definitions.--As used in the Florida K-
3220 Education Code:
33     (3)  "Community college," except as otherwise specifically
34provided, includes the following institutions and any branch
35campuses, centers, or other affiliates of the institution:
36     (b)  Broward Community College.
37     (e)  Daytona Beach Community College.
38     (k)  Indian River Community College.
39     Section 2.  Section 1001.60, Florida Statutes, is created
40to read:
41     1001.60  Florida College System.--
42     (1)  PURPOSES.--In order to maximize open access for
43students, respond to community needs for postsecondary academic
44education and career degree education, and provide associate and
45baccalaureate degrees that will best meet the state's employment
46needs, the Legislature establishes a system of governance for
47the Florida College System.
48     (2)  FLORIDA COLLEGE SYSTEM.--There shall be a single
49Florida College System comprised of the public postsecondary
50educational institutions identified in s. 1000.21(3) that grant
512-year and 4-year academic degrees as provided by law. An
52institution within the Florida College System may not offer
53graduate degree programs.
54     (a)  The programs and services offered by institutions in
55the Florida College System in providing associate and
56baccalaureate degrees shall be delivered in a cost-effective
57manner that demonstrates substantial savings to the student and
58to the state over the cost of providing the degree at a state
59university.
60     (b)1.  With the approval of the institution's local board
61of trustees, an institution in the Florida College System may
62change the institution's name and use the designation "college"
63if it has been authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees
64pursuant to s. 1004.73 or s. 1007.33 or if it has received
65approval from the State Board of Education pursuant to this
66paragraph.
67     2.  With the approval of an institution's local board of
68trustees, any institution in the Florida College System may
69request approval from the State Board of Education to change the
70institution's name and use the designation "college." The State
71Board of Education may approve the request if the institution
72enters into an agreement with the State Board of Education to do
73the following:
74     a.  Maintain as the institution's primary mission
75responsibility for responding to community needs for
76postsecondary academic education and career degree education as
77prescribed in s. 1004.65(6).
78     b.  Maintain an open-door admissions policy for associate-
79level degree programs and workforce education programs.
80     c.  Continue to provide outreach to underserved
81populations.
82     d.  Continue to provide remedial education.
83     e.  Comply with all provisions of the statewide
84articulation agreement that relate to 2-year and 4-year public
85degree-granting institutions as adopted by the State Board of
86Education pursuant to s. 1007.23.
87     3.  An institution in the Florida College System shall not
88use the designation "university."
89     (3)  LOCAL BOARDS OF TRUSTEES.--Each institution within the
90Florida College System shall be governed by a local board of
91trustees as provided in s. 1001.64. The membership of each local
92board of trustees shall be as provided in s. 1001.61.
93     Section 3.  Section 1004.35, Florida Statutes, is amended
94to read:
95     1004.35  Broward County campuses of Florida Atlantic
96University; coordination with other institutions.--The State
97Board of Education, the Board of Governors, and Florida Atlantic
98University shall consult with Broward Community College and
99Florida International University in coordinating course
100offerings at the postsecondary level in Broward County. Florida
101Atlantic University may contract with the Board of Trustees of
102Broward Community College and with Florida International
103University to provide instruction in courses offered at the
104Southeast Campus. Florida Atlantic University shall increase
105course offerings at the Southeast Campus as facilities become
106available.
107     Section 4.  Section 1004.87, Florida Statutes, is created
108to read:
109     1004.87  Florida College System Task Force.--
110     (1)  The Florida College System Task Force is established
111within the Division of Community Colleges of the Department of
112Education for the purpose of developing findings and issuing
113recommendations regarding the transition of community colleges
114to baccalaureate-degree-granting colleges and the criteria for
115establishing and funding state colleges.
116     (2)(a)  All members of the task force must be appointed on
117or before August 31, 2008, and the task force shall hold its
118first meeting on or before September 15, 2008.
119     (b)  The task force shall be comprised of 12 members
120appointed by the Commissioner of Education. The appointees shall
121include eight community college presidents, one state university
122president, the president of an institution that is eligible to
123participate in the William L. Boyd, IV, Florida Resident Access
124Grant Program, the president of an institution that is licensed
125by the Commission for Independent Education and grants
126baccalaureate degrees, and one member at large. The community
127college presidents appointed to the task force may not include
128the presidents of the institutions named to participate in the
129State College Pilot Project. The community college presidents
130appointed to the task force must reflect the diversity of
131program offerings and service areas of the 28 community colleges
132and include representatives of community colleges that are
133authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees, community colleges
134that are not authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees,
135community colleges that have urban service areas, community
136colleges that have rural service areas, community colleges the
137service areas of which have populations of 500,000 or more, and
138community colleges the service areas of which have populations
139of fewer than 500,000. The Commissioner of Education shall be a
140voting member of the task force and the chair of the task force.
141     (3)  The task force shall:
142     (a)  Recommend a program approval process for new
143baccalaureate degree programs that are designed to meet the
144employment needs of Florida, including approval as a
145baccalaureate-degree-granting community college and as a state
146college.
147     (b)  Recommend a funding model that considers projected
148enrollment, adjustments for actual enrollment, program mix, and
149comparable support for similar programs across all institutions,
150including state colleges and community colleges authorized by
151the State Board of Education to award baccalaureate degrees
152pursuant to s. 1007.33. The funding model must ensure that the
153programs and services offered by institutions in the Florida
154College System in providing associate and baccalaureate degrees
155are delivered in a cost-effective manner that demonstrates
156substantial savings to the student and to the state over the
157cost of providing the degree at a state university.
158     (c)  Identify the areas, both geographic and academic, in
159which an increased number of graduates who have baccalaureate
160degrees are necessary in order to meet regional and statewide
161workforce needs.
162     (d)  Monitor implementation of the State College Pilot
163Project.
164     (e)  Recommend priorities and criteria for baccalaureate
165programs that may be offered without specific approval by the
166State Board of Education.
167     (4)  Any recommendation from the task force to the
168Legislature requires approval by at least nine members of the
169task force.
170     (5)  The task force shall be staffed by existing employees
171of the Division of Community Colleges.
172     (6)(a)  Community colleges, state universities, the
173Commission for Independent Education, and the Agency for
174Workforce Innovation shall provide information and assistance to
175the task force.
176     (b)  Independent postsecondary educational institutions,
177representatives of the business community, and other
178stakeholders are encouraged to provide the task force with
179information to assist the task force in its deliberations.
180     (7)  The task force shall submit a report and
181recommendations to the Governor, the State Board of Education,
182the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
183Representatives by March 2, 2009. The report must include any
184comments from the task force regarding the final report
185resulting from the State College Pilot Project and any specific
186recommendations of the task force for legislative action during
187the 2009 Regular Session of the Legislature.
188     (8)  The task force shall be dissolved effective June 30,
1892010, prior to which time it shall issue its final report with
190recommended detailed criteria for implementing the Florida
191College System as a permanent part of the state system of higher
192education.
193     Section 5.  Section 1004.875, Florida Statutes, is created
194to read:
195     1004.875  State College Pilot Project.--
196     (1)  The Legislature finds that it is in the best interest
197of the state to provide the residents of the state affordable
198access to baccalaureate degree programs that are designed to
199meet regional and statewide employment needs.
200     (2)(a)  Beginning with the 2008-2009 fiscal year, the State
201College Pilot Project is created, which shall be conducted by
202St. Petersburg College, Okaloosa-Walton College, Miami Dade
203College, and Indian River College in collaboration with the
204Florida College System Task Force. The purpose of the pilot
205project is to recommend to the Legislature an approval process
206for the transition of baccalaureate-degree-granting community
207colleges to state colleges in order to meet the employment needs
208of Florida, criteria for the transition of institutions in the
209Florida College System to state colleges, and a funding model
210for the Florida College System.
211     (b)  With the approval of the community college's board of
212trustees and continued compliance with the provisions of
213subsection (3), a community college identified in paragraph (a)
214as a participant in the State College Pilot Project may change
215the institution's name and use the designation "state college."
216An institution participating in the State College Pilot Project
217shall not use the designation "university."
218     (3)  The institutions participating in the pilot project
219shall:
220     (a)  Maintain, as the institution's primary mission,
221responsibility for responding to community needs for
222postsecondary academic education and career degree education as
223prescribed in s. 1004.65(6).
224     (b)  Maintain an open-door admissions policy for associate-
225level degree programs and workforce education programs.
226     (c)1.  Require, as a condition of admission to upper-
227division programs, successful completion of the college-level
228communication and mathematics skills examination (CLAST),
229established pursuant to s. 1008.29, unless the student has been
230awarded an associate degree from a community college or a state
231university.
232     2.  For purposes of a longitudinal analysis of the CLAST,
233and notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary,
234administer the CLAST to each student admitted to an upper-
235division program unless the student has previously achieved the
236minimum scores that constitute successful completion of the
237examination as established pursuant to s. 1008.29(4). The
238institution shall report annually the test scores of each
239student tested pursuant to the provisions of this subparagraph
240and any exemption the student has been provided pursuant to s.
2411008.29(9) to the Florida College System Task Force until its
242dissolution, to the State Board of Education once the task force
243is dissolved, and to the Office of Program Policy Analysis and
244Government Accountability.
245     (d)  Continue to provide outreach to underserved
246populations.
247     (e)  Continue to provide remedial education.
248     (f)  Comply with all provisions of the statewide
249articulation agreement that relate to 2-year and 4-year public
250degree-granting institutions as adopted by the State Board of
251Education pursuant to s. 1007.23.
252     (g)  Be prohibited from awarding graduate credit or
253graduate degrees.
254     (h)  Be prohibited from participating in intercollegiate
255athletics beyond the 2-year level.
256     (i)  Deliver the programs and services in providing
257associate and baccalaureate degrees in a cost-effective manner
258that demonstrates substantial savings to the student and to the
259state over the cost of providing the degree at a state
260university.
261     (4)(a)  The institutions participating in the pilot project
262shall collaborate with the Florida College System Task Force to
263make recommendations to the State Board of Education, the
264President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
265Representatives on specific issues that should be addressed in
266the transition of a community college to a state college. Any
267recommendations of the institutions participating in the pilot
268project require approval by three-fourths of the participating
269institutions. At a minimum, the following areas should be
270addressed during the course of the pilot project:
271     1.  The development of a program approval process to be
272followed by the State Board of Education when considering
273proposals for new baccalaureate degree programs that are
274designed to meet the employment needs of Florida. Proposals for
275new baccalaureate degree programs are not limited to proposals
276designed to meet regional workforce needs.
277     2.  The formulation of criteria for the transition of an
278institution from a community college to a state college.
279     3.  The development of a funding model for state colleges.
280     (b)  A final report, including a status report on the
281transition of the institutions participating in the pilot
282project and recommendations on the issues outlined in paragraph
283(a), shall be submitted to the State Board of Education, the
284President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of
285Representatives, and the Florida College System Task Force by
286January 1, 2009.
287     Section 6.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2008.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.