S-4611

WHEREAS, Chapter 370, Laws of 1985, created the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board to plan, coordinate, and provide policy analysis for higher education and to represent the broad public interest above the interests of individual colleges and universities; and

WHEREAS, Section 4, chapter 370, Laws of 1985, requires the board to prepare and update a master plan for higher education and requires the Legislature, by concurrent resolution, to "approve or recommend changes" to the master plan and its subsequent updates; and

WHEREAS, The provisions of the master plan that are approved by the Legislature become state higher education policy unless legislation is subsequently enacted to revise those policies; and

WHEREAS, The Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board submitted the initial master plan to the Legislature in December 1987, and submitted updates to the plan in December 1992, January 1996, and January 2000; and

WHEREAS, During the process used to develop the 2000 master plan, the board consulted with students and families, educators, business, labor, and civic organizations representing a cross-section of Washington citizens; and

WHEREAS, The board learned that the need and expectation for higher education among Washington citizens will continue to grow through the next decade, because of population increases as well as the demands of the state's increasingly technology-based economy; and

WHEREAS, The board reported that Washington's public and private colleges and universities and career schools would need to provide opportunities for at least seventy thousand additional full-time students by the year 2010, including at least fifty-two thousand five hundred additional full-time enrollments in the public colleges and universities; and

WHEREAS, The board has spelled out its commitment to continuing to expand enrollment opportunities for Washington students, to keep public higher education affordable for students and families, and to provide financial assistance to those who cannot otherwise afford to go to college; and

WHEREAS, The board identified five specific goals for the state to address higher education needs in the next ten years:

(1) Making student learning the yardstick by which institutional accountability, effectiveness, and efficiency is measured;

(2) Linking students' participation in higher education to their achievement in the K-12 grades;

(3) Providing the information citizens need to make the best use of the learning pathways available to them;

(4) Enhancing higher education opportunity through greater use of e-learning technologies and by increasingly efficient use of public facilities; and

(5) Helping colleges and universities meet student needs and compete in an increasingly competitive and complex education marketplace; and

WHEREAS, The board challenged itself, students, and families, the public and private institutions, the private sector, and the state to each accept its individual responsibilities and to collaborate in the development of solutions; and

WHEREAS, The board described an implementation plan to guide the state's response to the needs of higher education and to estimate the costs of the strategies;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the Senate of the State of Washington, the House of Representatives concurring, That the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board be commended for its dedication and commitment to the State of Washington in producing the 2000 update of the master plan for higher education titled "The 21st Century Learner"; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Legislature thank the board for describing many of the challenges facing the state in its attempts to provide the postsecondary education and training our citizens need to fulfill their personal goals and participate fully in the world of the twenty-first century; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Legislature approve the recommendations of the 2000 update of the master plan:

(1) The goal that, by the year 2010, Washington's system of postsecondary education needs to provide opportunities for at least seventy thousand additional full-time equivalent students to enroll in high-quality education and training programs;

(2) That solutions to the challenge may be found in strategies that (a) make student learning the yardstick by which institutional accountability, effectiveness, and efficiency is measured; and (b) link students' participation in higher education to their achievement in the K-12 grades;

(3) Provide the information citizens need to make the best use of the learning pathways available to them, and support outreach efforts designed to ensure that the higher education system reflects the diversity of the state's population;

(4) Expand the use of e-learning technologies and use public facilities to the fullest extent possible; and

(5) Help colleges and universities meet student needs and compete in an increasingly competitive and complex education marketplace; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the board examine alternatives to address the operating and capital budget needs that are identified in the 2000 update of the master plan; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the board proceed with the implementation of the 2000 update of the master plan as described in "The 21st Century Learner" and report to the 2001 Legislature on progress toward implementing its strategies.