SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 5429

BYSenators Rinehart, Saling, Gaspard and Stratton

Establishing the Washington community college instructional improvement program.

Senate Committee on Higher Education

Senate Hearing Date(s):January 20, 1987; January 29, 1987; January 28, 1988; February 1, 1988

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5429 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

      Signed by Senators Saling, Chairman; Patterson, Vice Chairman; Anderson, Hansen, McMullen, Smitherman, von Reichbauer.

Senate Staff:Jean Six (786-7423)

                  February 2, 1988

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION, FEBRUARY 1, 1988

BACKGROUND:

In 1985 the Legislature created the Washington distinguished professors' program to help four-year colleges and universities create endowments for distinguished scholars who occupy chairs within the institutions.  The program allows institutions to apply for $250,000 from trust funds when they can match state funds with equal pledged or contributed private donations.  Interest income from the endowments may be used to supplement salary of the holder of the professorship, pay salaries of his or her assistants, and pay expenses associated with the holder's scholarly work.  In 1987 the State Board for Community College Education requested for its faculty a program similar to the distinguished professors' program.

SUMMARY:

The Washington community college instructional improvement program is established to help community colleges create endowments for funding distinguished professorships.  The program will be administered by the State Board for Community College Education, which will set priorities and evaluate requests for matching funds.  All community colleges will be eligible to receive matching funds, but none may receive more than two professorships in any one biennium.  Colleges may apply for grants of $50,000 to $100,000 when they can match the state funds with equal cash donations from private sources.

Once granted, the professorship becomes the property of the individual college, which shall designate the recipient and may name the professorship in honor of a donor, benefactor or honoree.  Each college is responsible for soliciting private donations, investing and maintaining all endowment funds, administering the professorship and reporting on the program. Each college may augment the endowment fund with additional, unrestricted private donations, but none shall reduce the principal of the invested endowment fund.

Interest income from the endowment fund may be used either to supplement the salary of the holder of the professorship, to pay salaries for the professor's assistants, and to pay expenses associated with the professor's program area, or to enable a professor to be relieved of teaching duties for one year to pursue scholarly work or enhance instructional skills.

Funds appropriated for the community college instructional improvement program shall be administered and invested by the state treasurer, who is authorized to release state matching funds to the local endowment fund of colleges designated to receive them by the State Board for Community College Education.

Public or private monies deposited in the trust fund or any local endowment fund for the professorship program are not subject to negotiations.

EFFECT OF PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE:

The provision which would have enabled a professor to be relieved of teaching duties for one year is eliminated.

Appropriation:    none

Revenue:    none

Fiscal Note:      requested January 14, 1988

Senate Committee - Testified: no one