HOUSE BILL REPORT

                     ESSB 5174

                     As Reported By House Committee on:

                              Higher Education

Title:  An act relating to additional enrollments at institutions of higher education.

Brief Description:  Providing for additional enrollments at state institutions of higher education.

Sponsor(s):  Senate Committee on Higher Education (originally sponsored by Senators Saling, Bauer, Patterson, von Reichbauer, Jesernig, Cantu, Skratek, Amondson, Stratton, Anderson, Snyder, Newhouse, Gaspard, Johnson, Thorsness, Nelson, L. Smith, Craswell, West, Bailey, Talmadge, Sutherland, Vognild, Hansen, Williams, Madsen, Owen, Matson, Rasmussen, Pelz, Roach and Conner).

Brief History:

   Reported by House Committee on:

Higher Education, April 3, 1991, DPA.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON

HIGHER EDUCATION

Majority Report: Do pass as amended.  Signed by 13 members:  Representatives Jacobsen, Chair; Ogden, Vice Chair; Wood, Ranking Minority Member; May, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Basich; Dellwo; Fraser; Ludwig; Miller; Prince; Sheldon; Spanel; and Van Luven.

Staff:  Susan Hosch (786-7120).

Background:  State universities and The Evergreen State College are limited, by law, in the number of state funded students that each may enroll.  The community college system is limited in the total number of state funded students that may be enrolled in the entire system.  During the current biennium, institutions must receive the approval of the Office of Financial Management to exceed their enrollment levels by more than 2 percent.

Currently, institutions of higher education are authorized to enroll 157,241 full-time equivalent, state funded students.  This enrollment level is about 17,000 fewer full-time students than the state was funding 10 years ago.  Institutions enroll additional self supporting students.

The Higher Education Coordinating Board has adopted a long-term enrollment policy and plan entitled  "Design for the 21st Century: Expanding Higher Education Opportunity in Washington."  The board established a long-term enrollment goal to achieve, statewide, a level of upper division and graduate enrollment equal to the 70th percentile in national participation rates by 2010.  These enrollment increases in upper division and graduate programs, coupled with additional enrollments in the community college system, are designed to move the state to the 90th percentile in national participation rates by 2010.

The board has proposed a phased plan to achieve these goals.  Under the plan, undergraduate enrollment levels would increase at the regional institutions by about 1 percent per year until 2000.  Graduate enrollments would increase by 2 percent per year.  Graduate enrollments at the University of Washington and Washington State University would increase to full capacity.  Branch campuses would gradually add students until 17,000 students were served by those campuses.  Community college enrollments would increase to reflect population growth and anticipated demand for transfer programs in areas served by branch campuses. 

Summary of Amended Bill:  The Legislature intends to endorse the long-term enrollment goals adopted by the Higher Education Coordinating Board.  The Legislature further intends to fund new enrollments based on the board's 1990 cost study, including both direct and indirect costs per student.

The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 1991 is created.  Through the act, enrollments will be increased at each state college and university and at each branch campus.  If the legislature is unable to approve sufficient funding for the enrollment levels in this legislation, any enrollment levels in this bill will be reduced proportionately to the level of funding provided.

The state funded enrollment level at the University of Washington will be increased by 809 full-time equivalent upper-division and graduate students during the next biennium.  The new enrollments will be divided between the two years of the biennium.  During the 1991-92 fiscal year, the university will receive 328 full-time equivalent students.  During the 1992-93 fiscal year, the university will receive 481 full-time equivalent students.  The university will divide those new enrollments among the main campus, the branch campuses, and the evening degree program by levels described in the bill.

The state funded enrollment level at Washington State University will be increased by 394 full-time equivalent upper-division and graduate students during the next biennium.  The new enrollments will be divided between the two years of the biennium.  During the 1991-92 fiscal year, the university will receive 214 full-time equivalent students.  During the 1992-93 fiscal year, the university will receive 180 full-time equivalent students.  The university will divide those new enrollments among the main and  branch campuses by levels described in the bill. 

The state funded enrollment level at Central Washington University will be increased by 361 full-time equivalent upper-division and graduate students during the next biennium.  The new enrollments will be divided between the two years of the biennium.  During the 1991-92 fiscal year, the university will receive 221 full-time equivalent upper-division students and eleven full-time equivalent graduate students.  During the 1992-93 fiscal year, the university will receive 123 full-time equivalent upper-division students and six full-time equivalent graduate students.

The state funded enrollment level at Eastern Washington University will be increased by 348 full-time equivalent upper-division and graduate students during the next biennium.  The new enrollments will be divided between the two years of the biennium.  During the 1991-92 fiscal year, the university will receive 155 full-time equivalent upper-division students and 24 full-time equivalent graduate students.  During the 1992-93 fiscal year, the university will receive 146 full-time equivalent upper-division students and 23 full-time equivalent graduate students.

The state funded enrollment level at The Evergreen State College will be increased by 78 full-time equivalent upper-division and graduate students during the next biennium.  The new enrollments will be divided between the two years of the biennium.  During the 1991-92 fiscal year, the college will receive 38 full-time equivalent upper-division students and two full-time equivalent graduate students.  During the 1992-93 fiscal year, the college will receive 36 full-time equivalent upper-division students and two full-time equivalent graduate students.

The state funded enrollment level at Western Washington University will be increased by 351 full-time equivalent upper-division and graduate students during the next biennium.  The new enrollments will be divided between the two years of the biennium.  During the 1991-92 fiscal year, the university will receive 95 full-time equivalent upper-division students and 80 full-time equivalent graduate students.  During the 1992-93 fiscal year, the university will receive 96 full-time equivalent upper-division students and 80 full-time equivalent graduate students.

The state funded enrollment level for the community college system will be increased by 3,800 full-time equivalent students during the next biennium.  The enrollments will be divided equally between the two years of the biennium.

The act will be null and void under three circumstances.  Those circumstances are:  if funding for the enrollment increases is not provided by June 30, 1991, if the essential requirements funding level of the institutions is not fully funded by June 30, 1991, and if the enrollments provided in the bill are not funded at least at the level established in the 1990 cost study.

Amended Bill Compared to Engrossed Substitute Bill:  In the striking amendment, enrollments for each institution and for the community college system are based on the recommendations of the Higher Education Coordinating Board for the 1991-93 biennium.  The enrollments begin the process of phased increases described in the board's long-term enrollment plan.  The number of increased enrollments for each institution and for the community college system are different in the two versions.  In the striking amendment, increases for the four-year institutions are limited to upper-division and graduate students, and are divided among the main and branch campuses.  The striking amendment includes additional null and void clauses if the essential requirements funding level is not fully restored, and if the enrollments are not funded at least at the level of the 1990 cost study.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date of Amended Bill:  The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect July 1, 1991.

Testimony For:  Enrollment lids at state colleges and universities are keeping thousands of qualified students from attending the institutions of their choice.  Many of those students cannot attend any institution when they are turned away.  Universities are closing admissions much earlier than they used to.  Community college transfer students sometimes have to wait a year or more before they can get into a four-year institution to complete a baccalaureate degree.  These circumstances may well inhibit the state's economic growth and prosperity in coming years.

While the enrollment increases described in this legislation are needed and desired, unless the essential requirements funding level for the institutions is fully restored before new enrollments are approved, educational quality for all students will suffer. Educational quality will also suffer unless any new enrollments are fully funded.

Testimony Against:  While the enrollment increases described in this legislation are needed and desired, unless the essential requirements funding level for the institutions is fully restored before new enrollments are approved, educational quality for all students will suffer. Educational quality will also suffer unless any new enrollments are fully funded.

Witnesses:  Jim Pappas and Dick Thompson, Central Washington University; Ann Daley, Higher Education Coordinating Board; Terry Teale; Maureen Anderson, Washington State University; Jan Yoshiwara, S.B.C.C.E.; Bob Edie and Sherry Burkey, University of Washington;  Pirkko Ballweg, Associated Students of the University of Washington; and Judy McNickle, Western Washington University.