Florida Senate - 2010 CS for SB 2442
By the Committee on Higher Education; and Senator Lynn
589-03761-10 20102442c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the state university system;
3 amending s. 1001.706, F.S.; revising the powers and
4 duties of the Board of Governors relating to
5 accountability; requiring that the board align the
6 missions of each constituent university; authorizing
7 the board and the Legislature to assign specific
8 projects, missions, exemptions, and other
9 responsibilities to institutions that are nationally
10 recognized and ranked and that have a global
11 perspective and impact; amending s. 1004.226, F.S.;
12 revising the legislative findings and intent relating
13 to the 21st Century Technology, Research, and
14 Scholarship Enhancement Act to conform to changes made
15 by the act; amending s. 1007.33, F.S.; revising
16 provisions that require a Florida college to provide
17 notice of its intent to propose a baccalaureate degree
18 program; providing an effective date.
19
20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
21
22 Section 1. Subsection (4) of section 1001.706, Florida
23 Statutes, is amended to read:
24 1001.706 Powers and duties of the Board of Governors.—
25 (4) POWERS AND DUTIES RELATING TO ACCOUNTABILITY.—
26 (a) The Board of Governors shall align the missions of each
27 constituent university with the quality of its students; the
28 national reputation of its faculty and its academic and research
29 programs; the quantity of externally generated research,
30 patents, and licenses; and the strategic and accountability
31 plans required in paragraphs (b) and (c). The mission alignment
32 and strategic plan shall consider peer institutions at the
33 constituent universities. The mission alignment and strategic
34 plan shall acknowledge that universities that have a national
35 and international impact have the greatest capacity to promote
36 the state’s economic development through: new discoveries,
37 patents, licenses, and technologies that generate state
38 businesses of global importance; research achievements of an
39 eminent faculty that brings over one-half billion dollars per
40 year into the state economy through external grants and
41 contracts; the creation of a resource-rich academic environment
42 that attracts high-technology business and venture capital to
43 the state; and this generation’s finest minds focusing on
44 solving the state’s economic, social, environmental, and legal
45 problems in the areas of agriculture, water, sustainability,
46 energy, and health care. A nationally recognized and ranked
47 university that has a global perspective and impact shall be
48 afforded the freedom to pursue an agenda on the global stage in
49 fair competition with other flagship institutions of other
50 states. The Board of Governors and the Legislature may assign
51 specific projects, missions, exemptions, and other
52 responsibilities to such institutions.
53 (b)(a) The Board of Governors shall develop a strategic
54 plan specifying goals and objectives for the State University
55 System and each constituent university.
56 (c)(b) The Board of Governors shall develop an
57 accountability plan for the State University System and each
58 constituent university.
59 (d)(c) The Board of Governors shall maintain an effective
60 information system to provide accurate, timely, and cost
61 effective information about each university. The board shall
62 continue to collect and maintain, at a minimum, the management
63 information databases as such databases existed on June 30,
64 2002.
65 (e)(d) If the Board of Governors of the State University
66 System determines that a state university board of trustees is
67 unwilling or unable to address substantiated allegations made by
68 any person relating to waste, fraud, or financial mismanagement
69 within the state university, the Office of the Inspector General
70 shall investigate the allegations.
71 Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 1004.226, Florida
72 Statutes, is amended to read:
73 1004.226 The 21st Century Technology, Research, and
74 Scholarship Enhancement Act.—
75 (1) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.—
76 (a) The Legislature finds that diversifying this state’s
77 economy requires a focus on building a growing base of high-wage
78 jobs and on nurturing those technologies and clusters that will
79 be the foundation of Florida’s growing economic diversity and
80 prosperity.
81 (b) The Legislature further finds that special programs are
82 needed to facilitate the recruitment of exceptional talent to
83 Florida’s research universities and centers and to provide the
84 infrastructure and resources that precipitate joint efforts and
85 coinvestment among state research and development institutions,
86 private industry, and government. Florida needs consistent
87 commitment and investment in order to further the state’s
88 strategy of capitalizing on innovative research and development
89 to build a thriving, technology-rich economy.
90 (c) The Legislature further finds that a university that
91 has a national and international impact has the greatest
92 capacity to promote the state’s economic development through:
93 new discoveries, patents, licenses, and technologies that
94 generate state businesses of global importance; research
95 achievements of an eminent faculty that brings over one-half
96 billion dollars per year into the state economy through external
97 grants and contracts; the creation of a resource-rich academic
98 environment that attracts high-technology business and venture
99 capital to the state; and this generation’s finest minds
100 focusing on solving the state’s economic, social, environmental,
101 and legal problems in the areas of agriculture, water,
102 sustainability, energy, and health care. A nationally recognized
103 and ranked university that has a global perspective and impact
104 shall be afforded the freedom to pursue an agenda on the global
105 stage in fair competition with other flagship institutions of
106 other states.
107 Section 3. Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (5) of
108 section 1007.33, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
109 1007.33 Site-determined baccalaureate degree access.—
110 (5) The approval process for baccalaureate degree programs
111 shall require:
112 (a) Each Florida college to submit a notice of its intent
113 to propose a baccalaureate degree program to the Division of
114 Florida Colleges and the Chancellor of the State University
115 System at least 100 days before the submission of its proposal
116 under paragraph (d). The notice must include a brief description
117 of the program, the workforce demand and unmet need for
118 graduates of the program, the geographic region to be served,
119 and an estimated timeframe for implementation. Notices of intent
120 may be submitted by a Florida college at any time throughout the
121 year.
122 (b) The Division of Florida Colleges to forward the notice
123 of intent within 10 business days after receiving such notice to
124 the Chancellor of the State University System, the President of
125 the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, and the
126 Executive Director of the Council for Independent Education.
127 State universities shall have 60 days following receipt of the
128 notice by the Chancellor of the State University System to
129 submit an alternative proposal to offer the baccalaureate degree
130 program. If a proposal from a state university is not received
131 within the 60-day period, the State Board of Education shall
132 provide regionally accredited private colleges and universities
133 30 days to submit an alternative proposal. Alternative proposals
134 shall be submitted to the Division of Florida Colleges and must
135 be considered by the State Board of Education in making its
136 decision to approve or deny a Florida college’s proposal.
137 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.