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 interest 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 enacted to revise those policies; and
WHEREAS, The Washington
Higher Education Coordinating Board submitted the initial master plan to the
Legislature for approval in December 1987, and submitted updates to the plan in
December 1992 and January 1996; and
WHEREAS, During the
most recent process used to update the plan, the board, through a public
opinion survey and public meetings, learned that Washington residents have high
expectations for the postsecondary system including accountability, quality,
and a high level of access for themselves and their children; and
WHEREAS, The board
reported that Washington's public and private colleges, universities, and
career schools would need to provide opportunities for a minimum of an
additional 84,100 full-time equivalent students in the year 2010, if Washington
is to provide its residents the education and training necessary to keep pace
with the demands of an ever-changing world; and
WHEREAS, The board has
identified the areas where potential solutions to the access challenge may lie
and recognized that, in this era of rapid change, many questions must be
addressed to clarify the role that each area may play in defining solutions to
the access challenge; and
WHEREAS, The board
challenged itself, the students, the institutions, and the Legislature to each
accept its individual responsibilities and to collaborate in the development of
potential solutions; and
WHEREAS, The
Legislature and the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board recognize
that the master plan is a living document, responding to the constantly
changing world of access to information and the needs of Washington citizens;
and
WHEREAS, The
Legislature recognizes that the historic methods and systems for delivering
postsecondary education and training are constantly changing;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT
RESOLVED, By the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, the
Senate concurring, That the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board be
commended for its dedication and commitment to the State of Washington in
producing the 1996 update of the master plan for higher education titled "The
Challenge for Higher Education"; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
That the Legislature thank the board for describing many of the daunting
challenges facing the state in its attempts to provide the postsecondary
education and training that our citizens need to navigate successfully in the
world of the twenty-first century; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
That the Legislature approve the following recommendations of the 1996 update
of the master plan:
(1) That, by the year
2010, Washington's system of postsecondary education needs to provide
opportunities for at least 84,100 additional full-time equivalent students in
quality programs of postsecondary education and training;
(2) That solutions to
this enrollment challenge, in part, may be found in the following areas: (a)
The shift in focus from teaching to learning; (b) the use of technology to
increase and redefine access, improve quality, and offer alternative methods of
instruction; (c) the expansion of partnerships among educational sectors, and
with local communities, business, and labor; (d) the provision of financial aid
for needy and meritorious students; and (e) the use of existing institutional
capacities in a way that ensures provision of a cost-effective, efficient, and
accountable educational enterprise; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
That the board solicit advice from a diverse group of people, including
students, faculty, and staff, from all education sectors; business and labor
representatives; community leaders; innovators; representatives from distinct
ethnic populations; and experts from other states to further refine, through
innovative approaches, the solution options described in the 1996 master plan
update; and that the board report to the 1997 Legislature with refinements to
the plan in areas that include, but need not be limited to:
(1) Recommendations on
the governance structure and state framework for the integration of technology
into the entire education enterprise while recognizing that enhancing learning
through technology requires more than just the access to equipment, services,
and networks; it requires new ways of teaching, new roles for learners, new
learning goals, different uses of time and resources, and a strong support
system for educators. The recommendations should include a location plan of
sites to be connected to the higher education telecommunications network. For
each potential site, the plan should include an assessment of community needs,
and programming and service delivery levels that provide effective use of network
resources. The recommendations should include a governance and coordination
structure for the on-going operation of the network. The recommendations
should also include a state educational technology plan that is developed in
cooperation with the superintendent of public instruction, the department of
information services, the state board for community and technical colleges, the
public baccalaureate institutions, independent institutions, and the state
library. The technology plan should review existing technology planning
efforts, identify community educational programming needs, identify
opportunities to collaborate among educational sectors and entities, and
identify areas for further development. The recommendations should also
identify methods for integrating instructional technologies into the entire
education enterprise;
(2) An initial list of
duplicative and low-productivity programs; a process for examining those
programs that might be reconfigured, consolidated, or eliminated; and a
recommendation on a process to eliminate programs not conducive to
consolidation or reconfiguration;
(3) Recommendations on
ways institutions can increase access while maintaining quality and reducing
costs. The recommendations may, in part, be based on draft restructuring plans
submitted by institutions of higher education within timelines specified by the
board, and may include but need not be limited to efforts to: Use technology;
share resources; expand the use of the higher education system's physical plant;
encourage additional collaborative projects between institutions of higher
education and the common schools and among public and independent institutions;
expand the use of 2 + 2 programs and extended degree centers; provide students
with opportunities to make smooth transitions as they move among education
levels and sectors and into the workplace; ensure equitable educational and
training outcomes for persons from diverse ethnic backgrounds; improve
time-to-degree; and emphasize the role of teacher preparation programs;
(4) Recommendations to
the institutions and the Legislature on appropriate state and institutional
roles for providing remedial and developmental education;
(5) The development of
a student information system that includes a data system to track student
progress between levels and sectors; and
(6) A study of existing
physical capacity in public and private colleges in Washington; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
That by December 15, 1996, the board provide to the citizens and the legislature
the report required under RCW 28B.80.616, and include in the report information
about the family incomes of freshmen entering the state's public and
independent baccalaureate institutions; and
BE IT
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the 1997 Legislature respond by concurrent resolution to
the refinements brought forward by the Higher Education Coordinating Board.
