BILL REQ. #:  S-4214.1 

Read first time 01/17/08.   Referred to Committee on Higher Education.

     AN ACT Relating to polytechnic colleges; and amending RCW 28B.10.056.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 28B.10.056 and 2006 c 180 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) A state priority is established for institutions of higher education, including community colleges, to encourage growing numbers of enrollments and degrees in the fields of engineering, technology, biotechnology, sciences, computer sciences, and mathematics.
     (2) In meeting this state priority, the legislature understands and recognizes that the demands of the economic marketplace and the desires of students are not always on parallel tracks. Therefore, institutions of higher education:
     (a) Shall determine local student demand for programs in the fields of engineering, technology, biotechnology, sciences, computer sciences, and mathematics and submit findings and proposed alternatives to meet demand to the higher education coordinating board and the legislature by November 1, 2008; and
     (b) May examine its instructional programs, costs, research initiatives, student enrollment characteristics, and regional context and make a recommendation by June 1, 2009, to the higher education coordinating board regarding the desirability and feasibility of a two-year or four-year degree-granting institution evolving into a four-year degree-granting institution of higher education with a polytechnic focus. The board shall 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 December 1, 2009. The board, after reviewing polytechnic institutions in other states, shall include in its report to the legislature a proposed model for a polytechnic-focused four-year institution of higher education that incorporates minimum standards and criteria for a polytechnic college curriculum.
     (3) While it is understood that these areas of emphasis should not be the sole focus of institutions of higher education. It is the intent of the legislature that steady progress in these areas occur. The higher education coordinating board shall track and report progress in the fields of engineering, technology, biotechnology, sciences, computer sciences, and mathematics including, but not limited to, the following information:
     (a) The number of students enrolled in these fields on a biennial basis;
     (b) The number of associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees conferred in these fields on a biennial basis;
     (c) The amount of expenditures in enrollment and degree programs in these fields; and
     (d) The number and type of public-private partnerships established relating to these fields among institutions of higher education, including community colleges, and leading corporations in Washington state.
     (4) Institutions of higher education, including community colleges, shall be provided discretion and flexibility in achieving the objectives under this section. Examples of the types of institutional programs that may help achieve these objectives include, but are not limited to, establishment of institutes of technology, new polytechnic-based institutions, new divisions of existing institutions, and a flexible array of delivery models, including face-to-face learning, interactive courses, internet-based offerings, and instruction on main campuses, branch campuses, and other educational centers.
     (5) The legislature recognizes the global needs of the economic marketplace for technologically prepared graduates, and the relationship between technology industries and higher education. Institutions of higher education, including community colleges, are strongly urged to consider science, engineering, and technology program growth in areas of the state that exhibit a high concentration of aerospace, biotechnology, and technology industrial presence. Expanded science and technology programs can gain from the proximity of experienced and knowledgeable industry leaders, while industry can benefit from access to new sources of highly trained and educated graduates.