READ FIRST TIME 02/05/04.   

     AN ACT Relating to higher education branch campuses; amending RCW 28B.45.050 and 28B.80.510; adding new sections to chapter 28B.45 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28B.30 RCW; creating a new section; recodifying RCW 28B.80.510 and 28B.45.050; and repealing RCW 28B.45.070, 28B.80.500, and 28B.80.520.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 28B.45 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) In 1989, the legislature created five branch campuses to be operated by the state's two public research universities. Located in growing urban areas, the branch campuses were charged with two missions:
     (a) Increasing access to higher education by focusing on upper division and graduate programs, targeting placebound students, and operating as models of a two plus two educational system in cooperation with the community colleges; and
     (b) Promoting regional economic development by responding to demand for degrees from local businesses and supporting regional economies through research activities.
     (2) Fifteen years later, the legislature finds that branch campuses are responding to their original mission:
     (a) Branch campuses accounted for half of statewide upper division and graduate public enrollment growth since 1990;
     (b) Branch campuses have grown steadily and enroll increasing numbers of transfer students each year;
     (c) Branch campuses enroll proportionately more older and part-time students than their main campuses and attract increasing proportions of students from nearby counties;
     (d) Although the extent of their impact has not been measured, branch campuses positively affect local economies and offer degree programs that roughly correspond with regional occupational projections; and
     (e) The capital investments made by the state to support branch campuses represent a significant benefit to regional economic development.
     (3) However, the legislature also finds the policy landscape in higher education has changed since the original creation of the branch campuses. Demand for access to baccalaureate and graduate education is increasing rapidly. Economic development efforts increasingly recognize the importance of focusing on local and regional economic clusters and improving collaboration among communities, businesses, and colleges and universities. Each branch campus has evolved into a unique institution, and it is appropriate to assess the nature of this evolution to ensure the role and mission of each campus is aligned with the state's higher education goals and the needs of the region where the campus is located.
     (4) Therefore, it is the legislature's intent to recognize the unique nature of Washington's higher education branch campuses, reaffirm the role and mission of each, and set the course for their continued future development.
     (5) It is the further intent of the legislature that the campuses be identified by the following names: University of Washington Bothell, University of Washington Tacoma, Washington State University Tri-Cities, and Washington State University Vancouver.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28B.45 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The primary mission of the higher education branch campuses created under this chapter remains to expand access to baccalaureate and master's level graduate education in under-served urban areas of the state in collaboration with community and technical colleges.
     (2) Branch campuses shall collaborate with the community and technical colleges in their region to develop articulation agreements, dual admissions policies, and other partnerships to ensure that branch campuses serve as innovative models of a two plus two educational system. Other possibilities for collaboration include but are not limited to joint development of curricula and degree programs, colocation of instruction, and arrangements to share faculty.
     (3) In communities where a private postsecondary institution is located, representatives of the private institution may be invited to participate in the conversation about meeting the baccalaureate and master's level graduate needs in underserved urban areas of the state.
     (4) However, the legislature recognizes there are alternative models for achieving this primary mission. Some campuses may have additional missions in response to regional needs and demands. At selected branch campuses, an innovative combination of instruction and research targeted to support regional economic development may be appropriate to meet the region's needs for both access and economic viability. Other campuses should focus on becoming models of a two plus two educational system through continuous improvement of partnerships and agreements with community and technical colleges. Still other campuses may be best suited to transition to a four-year comprehensive university or be removed from designation as a branch campus entirely.
     (5) It is the legislature's intent that each branch campus be funded commensurate with its unique mission, the degree programs offered, and the institutional combination of instruction and research, but at a level less than a research university.
     (6) In consultation with the higher education coordinating board, a branch campus may propose legislation to authorize practice-oriented or professional doctoral programs if: (a) Unique research facilities and equipment are located near the campus; or (b) the campus can clearly demonstrate student and employer demand in the region that is linked to regional economic development.
     (7) It is not the legislature's intent to have each campus chart its own future path without legislative guidance. Instead, the legislature intends to consider carefully the mission and model of education that best suits each campus and best meets the needs of students, the community, and the region.

Sec. 3   RCW 28B.45.050 and 1991 c 205 s 11 are each amended to read as follows:
     Washington State University and Eastern Washington University ((are responsible for providing upper-division and graduate level)) shall collaborate with one another and with local community colleges in providing educational pathways and programs to the citizens of the Spokane area((, under rules or guidelines adopted by the joint center for higher education. However, before any degree is authorized under this section it shall be subject to the review and approval of the higher education coordinating board. Washington State University shall meet its responsibility through the operation of a branch campus in the Spokane area. Eastern Washington University shall meet its responsibility through the operation of programs and facilities in Spokane)).

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   (1) Each branch campus shall examine its instructional programs, costs, research initiatives, student enrollment characteristics, programs offered in partnership with community and technical colleges, and regional context and make a recommendation by November 15, 2004, to the higher education coordinating board regarding the future evolution of the campus. The board will analyze the recommendations of each campus in the context of statewide goals for higher education and provide policy options along with the original campus recommendations to the higher education and fiscal committees of the legislature by January 15, 2005. The recommendations and options must address:
     (a) The model of education that best suits the campus, including the possibility of continuing as a two plus two model and areas for possible improvement in working with community and technical colleges, making a transition to a four-year university or some other alternative;
     (b) The mission that best suits the campus, including the possibility of focusing on upper division baccalaureate education, combining instruction and research targeted to support regional economic development, or some other alternative;
     (c) Data and analysis that illustrate how the model will increase baccalaureate and master's degree production; and
     (d) An estimate of the costs to implement the recommendation.
     (2) In developing its recommendation, each branch campus shall solicit input from students, local community and technical colleges, the main campus and other four-year institutions, and community stakeholders such as economic development councils and business and labor leaders.
     (3) The higher education coordinating board, in cooperation with the branch campuses, shall develop parameters and a standard format for the evaluation and recommendations to permit comparison by the legislative committees.

Sec. 5   RCW 28B.80.510 and 1989 1st ex.s. c 7 s 8 are each amended to read as follows:
     ((In rules and guidelines adopted for purposes of chapter 7, Laws of 1989 1st ex. sess.,)) The higher education coordinating board shall adopt performance measures to ensure a collaborative partnership between the community and technical colleges and the ((four-year institutions)) branch campuses. The partnership shall be one in which the community and technical colleges prepare students for transfer to the upper-division programs of the branch campuses and the branch campuses work with community and technical colleges to enable students to transfer and obtain degrees efficiently.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6   (1) RCW 28B.80.510 as amended by this act is recodified as a new section in chapter 28B.45 RCW.
     (2) RCW 28B.45.050 as amended by this act is recodified as a new section in chapter 28B.30 RCW.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 7   The following acts or parts of acts are each repealed:
     (1) RCW 28B.45.070 (Authorization subject to legislative appropriation) and 1989 1st ex.s. c 7 s 14;
     (2) RCW 28B.80.500 (Branch campuses -- Adjustment of enrollment lids) and 1989 1st ex.s. c 7 s 2; and
     (3) RCW 28B.80.520 (Branch campuses -- Facilities acquisition) and 1989 1st ex.s. c 7 s 9.