BILL REQ. #:  H-1943.1 

Read first time 02/16/09.   Referred to Committee on Higher Education.

     WHEREAS, The system of public higher education in Washington includes eleven baccalaureate degree granting system campuses, ten university centers, thirty-nine off-campus teaching sites around the state, and thirty-four community and technical colleges, seven of which also offer applied baccalaureate degrees on a pilot basis; and
     WHEREAS, Residents in a number of regions in the state participate less in baccalaureate education than the state average, and the state average in Washington is well below the national average; and
     WHEREAS, In 2008 the legislature unanimously approved Engrossed Substitute House Concurrent Resolution No. 4408, approving the 2008 strategic master plan for higher education and thereby adopting as state policy the plan's goals to significantly increase the number of mid-level, baccalaureate, and advanced degrees conferred in Washington; and
     WHEREAS, The higher education coordinating board worked collaboratively with higher education institutions and stakeholders in 2008 to develop an implementation plan to address the goals and objectives described in the strategic master plan; and
     WHEREAS, A central planning principle of the implementation plan calls for Washington's higher education system to expand on demand so that new postsecondary educational resources are authorized when there is demonstrated demand, and to ensure that new resources contribute to and are in concert with all other parts of the existing system of higher education; and
     WHEREAS, The legislature has already developed comprehensive plans to meet the higher education needs in Snohomish, Island, Skagit, King, and Kitsap counties that will guide state investments and ensure that new resources are deployed in a time and manner that are well matched with student and employer demand; and
     WHEREAS, The legislature recognizes the importance of creating a more nimble system of learning that is student-centric, more welcoming of nontraditional and underserved students, more tailored to today's student needs and expectations, easier to access and use, and maximizes the use of existing capacity at our two and four-year institutions; and
     WHEREAS, The higher education coordinating board is undertaking, in collaboration with the council of presidents, the state board for community and technical colleges, and the independent colleges of Washington, an examination of the structure of the current higher education system and how that structure can be expanded and shaped over the next twenty years to build off the recommendations of past planning processes, and best meet the needs of the citizens while optimizing the public investment in postsecondary education;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the House of Representatives of the state of Washington, the Senate concurring, That the higher education coordinating board is commended for its initiative to develop the system design plan; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the higher education coordinating board is encouraged to include stakeholders and representatives of the institutions and agencies that compose the higher education system in Washington, as well as business, labor, and civic leaders across the state, as it conducts the system design planning work; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the legislature will work with the higher education coordinating board to gradually and deliberately implement both the system design planning work and the implementation plan for the strategic master plan for higher education.