Posted by Corrin Sullivan, Intern at the Office of Planning & Budget and Educational Policy student through the month of July 2014. My focus is on higher education access and聽policy. I look forward to sharing newsworthy events聽in the higher ed world with you.
Let’s start with a quick聽summary of two articles from this past week in higher ed news.
The California State Assembly Committee on Higher Education approved (SB850) this past week, which launches a pilot program offering fifteen community colleges the opportunity to offer a four-year degree program as soon as January 1, 2015. The Community College Board of Governors and chancellor, in consultation with the California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) systems, will consider a variety of colleges and select fifteen districts based on four-year degree proposals that meet a variety of criteria; most notably, degrees not available at any of California鈥檚 four-year schools and that address the state鈥檚 unmet workforce needs. Although the UC system has yet to comment on SB850, California鈥檚 Community College Chancellor, Brice Harris, commends the Assembly Committee鈥檚 approval of legislation stating that it has the potential to broaden higher educational access and offer more job training opportunities for Californians.
The North Dakota Board of Higher Education recently approved its biennium budget request, which asks for an approximate 14 percent increase in funding in exchange for freezing tuition rates among its eleven colleges and universities for the coming biennium (2015-17). Based on a new funding formula instituted in the 2013 legislative session that relies largely on credit-hour completion, the budget鈥檚 $774 base request reflects a $94 million dollar increase from the previous year鈥檚 request. The $94 million dollar increase includes a $49 million dollar request to cover operating costs associated with additional credits taken at the state鈥檚 colleges and universities. In addition to the $94 million base increase, the board has also requested $9.5 million dollars to cover sums 鈥渟tudents would have to cover without a freeze,鈥� compounded with several smaller requests to meet institutional equipment and staffing needs. The Board states that they will freeze tuition rates at all colleges and universities from 2015 through 2017 if and only if, the legislature agrees to fully fund the base budget and increase employee salaries and benefits. Noting affordability as an issue in declining student enrollment numbers, the freeze aims to decrease tuition so that rates are competitive with the state鈥檚 regional counterparts.
While the Board has frozen tuition rates at the state鈥檚 two-year schools for four of the past six years, this request to freeze tuition for all North Dakota higher education institutions is unprecedented. The budget is before Governor Jack Dalrymple, pending recommendations, prior to advancing to the state鈥檚 legislature.