Florida Senate - 2013 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. PCS (621676) for CS for SB 1720
Barcode 619490
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
03/28/2013 .
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The Committee on Appropriations (Galvano) recommended the
following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete lines 347 - 520
4 and insert:
5 (j) Four hundred or more doctoral degrees awarded annually,
6 as reported in the Board of Governors Annual Accountability
7 Report.
8 (k) Two hundred or more postdoctoral appointees annually,
9 as reported in the TARU annual report.
10 (l) An endowment of $500 million or more, as reported in
11 the Board of Governors Annual Accountability Report.
12 (3) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY DESIGNATION.—The
13 Board of Governors shall designate each state research
14 university that meets at least 11 of the 12 academic and
15 research excellence standards identified in subsection (2) a
16 preeminent state research university.
17 (4) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE FOR
18 ONLINE LEARNING.—The state research university that has attained
19 the highest level on the academic and research excellence
20 standards identified in subsection (2), as verified by the Board
21 of Governors, shall establish an institute for online learning.
22 The institute shall establish a robust offering of high-quality,
23 fully online baccalaureate degree programs at an affordable cost
24 in accordance with this subsection.
25 (a) By August 1, 2013, the Board of Governors shall convene
26 an advisory board to support the development of high-quality,
27 fully online baccalaureate degree programs at the preeminent
28 university.
29 (b) The advisory board shall:
30 1. Offer expert advice, as requested by the preeminent
31 university, in the development and implementation of a business
32 plan to expand the offering of high-quality, fully online
33 baccalaureate degree programs.
34 2. Authorize the release of funding to the preeminent
35 university subject to appropriation in the General
36 Appropriations Act and upon approval by the Board of Governors
37 of the plan developed by the preeminent university.
38 3. Monitor, evaluate, and report on the implementation of
39 the plan to the Board of Governors, the Governor, the President
40 of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
41 (c) The advisory board shall be composed of the following
42 five members:
43 1. The chair of the Board of Governors or the chair’s
44 permanent designee.
45 2. A member with expertise in online learning, appointed by
46 the Board of Governors.
47 3. A member with expertise in global marketing, appointed
48 by the Governor.
49 4. A member with expertise in cloud virtualization,
50 appointed by the President of the Senate.
51 5. A member with expertise in disruptive innovation,
52 appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
53 (d) The president of the preeminent university shall be
54 consulted on the advisory board member appointments.
55 (e) A majority of the advisory board constitutes a quorum,
56 elect the chair, and appoint an executive director.
57 (f) By September 1, 2013, the university shall submit to
58 the advisory board a comprehensive plan to expand high-quality,
59 fully online baccalaureate degree program offerings. The plan
60 must include:
61 1. Existing on-campus general education courses and
62 baccalaureate degree programs that will be offered online.
63 2. New courses that will be developed and offered online.
64 3. Support services that will be offered to students
65 enrolled in online baccalaureate degree programs.
66 4. A tuition and fee structure that meets the requirements
67 in paragraph (k) for online courses, baccalaureate degree
68 programs, and student support services.
69 5. A timeline for offering, marketing, and enrolling
70 students in the online baccalaureate degree programs.
71 6. A budget for developing and marketing the online
72 baccalaureate degree programs.
73 7. Detailed strategies for ensuring the success of students
74 and the sustainability of the online baccalaureate degree
75 programs.
76
77 Upon recommendation of the plan by the advisory board and
78 approval by the Board of Governors, the Board of Governors shall
79 award the university funds for implementation of the online
80 baccalaureate degree program, as provided in the General
81 Appropriations Act.
82 (g) Beginning in January 2014, the university shall offer
83 high-quality, fully online baccalaureate degree programs that:
84 1. Accept full-time, first-time-in-college students.
85 2. Have the same rigorous admissions criteria as equivalent
86 on-campus degree programs.
87 3. Offer curriculum of equivalent rigor to on-campus degree
88 programs.
89 4. Offer rolling enrollment or multiple opportunities for
90 enrollment throughout the year.
91 5. Do not require any on-campus courses. However, for
92 courses or programs that require clinical training or
93 laboratories that cannot be delivered online, the university
94 shall offer convenient locational options to the student, which
95 may include, but are not limited to, the option to complete such
96 requirements at a summer-in-residence on the university campus.
97 The university may provide a network of sites at convenient
98 locations and contract with commercial testing centers or
99 identify other secure testing services for the purpose of
100 proctoring assessments or testing.
101 6. Apply the university’s existing policy for accepting
102 credits for both freshman applicants and transfer applicants.
103 (h) The university may offer a fully online Masters in
104 Business Administration degree program and other masters degree
105 programs.
106 (i) The university may develop and offer degree programs
107 and courses that are competency based as appropriate for the
108 quality and success of the program.
109 (j) The university shall periodically expand its offering
110 of online baccalaureate degree programs to meet student and
111 market demands.
112 (k) The university shall establish a tuition structure for
113 its online institute in accordance with this paragraph,
114 notwithstanding any other provision of law.
115 1. For students classified as residents for tuition
116 purposes, tuition for an online baccalaureate degree program
117 shall be set at no more than 75 percent of the tuition rate as
118 specified in the General Appropriations Act pursuant to s.
119 1009.24(4) and 75 percent of the tuition differential pursuant
120 to s. 1009.24(16). No distance learning fee, fee for campus
121 facilities, or fee for on-campus services may be assessed,
122 except that online students shall pay the university’s
123 technology fee, financial aid fee, and Capital Improvement Trust
124 Fund fee. The revenues generated from the Capital Improvement
125 Trust Fund fee shall be dedicated to the university’s institute
126 for online learning.
127 2. For students classified as nonresidents for tuition
128 purposes, tuition may be set at market rates in accordance with
129 the business plan.
130 3. Tuition for an online degree program must include all
131 costs associated with instruction, materials, and enrollment,
132 excluding costs associated with the provision of textbooks
133 pursuant to s. 1004.085 and physical laboratory supplies.
134 4. Subject to the limitations in subparagraph 1., tuition
135 may be differentiated by degree program as appropriate to the
136 instructional and other costs of the program in accordance with
137 the business plan. Pricing must incorporate innovative
138 approaches that incentivize persistence and completion,
139 including, but not limited to, a fee for assessment, a bundled
140 or all-inclusive rate, and sliding scale features.
141 5. The university shall accept advance payment contracts
142 and student financial aid.
143 6. Fifty percent of the net revenues generated from the
144 online institute of the university shall be used to enhance and
145 enrich the online institute offerings, and 50 percent of the net
146 revenues generated from the online institute shall be used to
147 enhance and enrich the university’s campus state-of-the-art
148 research programs and facilities.
149 7. The institute may charge additional local user fees
150 pursuant to s. 1009.24(14) upon the approval of the Board of
151 Governors.
152 8. The institute shall submit a proposal to the president
153 of the university authorizing additional user fees for the
154 provision of voluntary student participation in activities and
155 additional student services.
156 (5) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY SUPPORT.—The state
157 research university that has attained the highest level on the
158 academic and research excellence standards identified in
159 subsection (2), as verified by the Board of Governors, shall
160 submit to the Board of Governors a 5-year benchmark plan with
161 target rankings on key performance metrics for national
162 excellence. Upon approval by the Board of Governors, and upon
163 the university’s meeting the benchmark plan goals annually, the
164 Board of Governors shall award the university funding for this
165 purpose, as provided in the General Appropriations Act.
166 (6) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY ENHANCEMENT
167 INITIATIVE.—The state research university that has attained the
168 second highest level on the academic and research excellence
169 standards identified in subsection (2), as verified by the Board
170 of Governors, shall submit to the Board of Governors a 5-year
171 benchmark plan with target rankings on key performance metrics
172 for national excellence. Upon the university’s meeting the
173 benchmark plan goals annually, the Board of Governors shall
174 award the university funding as provided in the General
175 Appropriations Act for the purpose of recruiting National
176 Academy Members, expediting the provision of a masters degree in
177 cloud virtualization, and instituting an entrepreneurs-in
178 residence program throughout its campus.
179 (7) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY SPECIAL COURSE
180 REQUIREMENT AUTHORITY.—In order to provide a jointly shared
181 educational experience, a university that is designated a
182 preeminent state research university may require its incoming
183 first-time-in-college students to take a 9-to-12-credit set of
184 unique courses specifically determined by the university and
185 published on the university’s website. The university may
186 stipulate that credit for such courses may not be earned through
187 any acceleration mechanism pursuant to s. 1007.27 or s. 1007.271
188 or any other transfer credit. All accelerated credits earned up
189 to the limits specified in ss. 1007.27 and 1007.271 shall be
190 applied toward graduation at the student’s request.
191 (8) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY FLEXIBILITY
192 AUTHORITY.—The Board of Governors is encouraged to identify and
193 grant all reasonable, feasible authority and flexibility to
194 ensure that a designated preeminent state research university is
195 free from unnecessary restrictions.
196 (9) PROGRAMS OF EXCELLENCE THROUGHOUT THE STATE UNIVERSITY
197 SYSTEM.—The Board of Governors is encouraged to establish
198 standards and measures whereby individual programs in state
199 universities which objectively reflect national excellence can
200 be identified and make recommendations to the Legislature as to
201 how any such programs could be enhanced and promoted.
202
203 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
204 And the title is amended as follows:
205 Delete lines 26 - 66
206 and insert:
207 establishing academic and research excellence
208 standards for a university to be designated a
209 preeminent state research university; providing for a
210 preeminent state research university to establish an
211 institute for online learning; providing duties and
212 responsibilities of an advisory board, the university,
213 and the Board of Governors to provide high-quality,
214 fully online baccalaureate degree programs, including
215 establishment of a tuition structure for the
216 institute; providing for the award of funding to
217 preeminent state research universities based upon
218 performance and subject to appropriation; authorizing
219 a preeminent state research university to establish
220 special course requirements; providing for preeminent
221 state research university flexibility; encouraging the
222 Board of Governors to promote additional programs of
223 excellence; amending s. 1004.02,