Brief Description: Commending the higher education coordinating board for its work in preparing the 2004 Interim Strategic Master Plan for Higher Education.

Sponsors: Representatives Kenney, Cox and Morrell; by request of Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Hearing Date: 2/3/04

Staff: Barbara McLain (786-7383).

Background:

Every four years, the HECB is required to develop a comprehensive master plan for the state's higher education system. After the plan is adopted by the HECB, it is submitted to the Governor and Legislature. The first plan was approved in 1988, with subsequent updates in 1993, 1996, and 2000.

Legislation enacted in 2003 intended to reaffirm and strengthen the HECB's strategic planning role. Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2076 elaborated the topics to be addressed in a master plan, directed institutions of higher education to align their institution-level plans with the state plan, and created a legislative work group during the 2003 interim to guide development of the 2004 plan. The HECB submitted an interim plan to the Legislature in December 2003. By law, the Legislature must, by concurrent resolution, approve or recommend changes to the plan. The HECB will publish a final report that incorporates any legislative changes by June of the year in which the Legislature approves the concurrent resolution.

Summary of Bill:

The Legislature commends the HECB for its work in preparing the 2004 Interim Strategic Master Plan for Higher Education.

The Legislature concurs in the HECB's statements of the mission and vision for higher education and supports the core values reflected in the interim plan. The Legislature also concurs with the HECB's goals for higher education: (1) increase by about 20 percent the total number of students who earn college degrees and job-training credentials; and (2) respond to the state's economic needs.

The Legislature endorses the proposed strategies for achieving the goals by 2010: (1) increase public college and university enrollment; (2) increase educational efficiency; (3) promote innovation in service delivery; (4) address higher education budget needs through various means; (5) create an ongoing program to identify high demand fields and recognize higher educational costs; and (6) improve K-12 higher education linkages. A number of possible actions to achieve each strategy are listed in the resolution.

In addition, the Legislature concurs with the HECB's recommendation that the state should review governance options and consider consolidating the higher education functions of three boards into one state governing board.

In the final 2004 strategic master plan, the HECB will articulate options for state action, provide guidance to institutions of higher education for carrying out the strategies, and provide measurable performance indicators and benchmarks to gauge progress toward the statewide goals. The HECB will develop cost projections to guide the state and institutions in developing operating and capital budget proposals for the 2005-07 biennium and beyond

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.