Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research	BILL ANALYSIS
Higher Education Committee

HB 1755

Brief Description:  Enacting the college awareness project act.

Sponsors:  Representatives Kenney, Cox, Gombosky, Lantz, Skinner, Edmonds, Jarrett and Keiser.

Brief Summary of Bill

$Establishes the College Awareness Project to encourage under served and under represented populations of this state to seek a higher education.

Hearing Date:  2/12/01

Staff:  Tracey Taylor (786‑7196).

Background: 

In November 1998, the voters of the state of Washington approved Initiative 200 (I-200).  I-200 forbids the discrimination against, or the grant of preferential treatment to, "any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting."  Therefore, the use of race or gender as criteria in the admissions process is prohibited. 

There are over 1 million residents of Washington who are African American, Indian, Eskimo, Aeut, Asian, Pacific Islander, or Hispanic.  However, according to a 1999 Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) report on Diversity and Participation of People of Color, the participation rates in higher education for these groups were only 5-6 percent at the community and technical colleges and 1-3 percent at the public baccalaureate institutions.

Summary of Bill: 

The College Awareness Project (CAP) is created to design and implement strategies to encourage the participation of underserved populations in higher education, including professional development for faculty and staff, early outreach, and institution specific proposals.

CAP statewide programs include:

Professional Development Acadamies: K-12 teachers, counselors, curriculum specialist, administrators, community service professionals, and volunteers may attend to address the complex issues of educating a diverse population.  There will be four academies during the 2001-2002 academic year and during the summer of 2002.  The focus should be on working with a culturally diverse student population and the various resources.

Regional Partnerships: Six regional partnerships among the public two year and four year institutions of higher education and the school districts with a high proportion of underserved students.  The focus is to engage the faculty, teachers, staff, students, and their families and to promote college readiness.  The focus will be on grades four to six as well as middle school and high school students. 

Steering Committee: The Council of Presidents, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the HECB will create a steering committee to oversee the implementation and the management of CAP as well as develop an evaluation plan.  The committee will work with The Evergreen Center for Educational Improvement, the fiscal agent for the funding associated with CAP. An advisory committee will be convened by the Steering Committee. 

Individual Institutional Programs: To the extent funds are appropriated, individual public baccalaureate institutions will implement programs.  These could include the following:

University of Washington: Programs that increase outreach and recruitment efforts will be funded.  College admissions counselors will be placed in strategic Seattle and Tacoma high schools.  A student development coordinator will be hired to work in eastern Washington to expand high school tutor and mentor programs.  Middle and high school students will be brought to the University of Washington Campus.  Programs that focus on enhancing skills and experiences needed for an application to a competitive college will also be established.

Washington State University: New initiatives to improve the campus climate will begin.  A diversity course requirement will be added.  A summer program to orient students to college life will be established.  Additional opportunities will be available for high school students to visit the campuses. The number of community liaisons and tribal contacts will be increased.  Programs that promote college awareness and teach skills necessary for academic success will be established.

Central Washington University: Admissions and teacher education information and course work will be provided to 11th and 12th grade students from the Yakima Valley, Wenatchee Valley and the Columbia Basin.  A multi-cultural student center will be established.

Eastern Washington University: In creating a campus climate that values diversity, a presidential commission on diversity will be established.  An analyst will be hired to establish baseline data and continually assess the campus climate.  Also, learning and development plans will be designed and implemented for such key campus community members as faculty, students, and community members.  Strategies that strengthen the academic support programs will also be employed.

Western Washington University: Programs that are designed to enhance diverse student recruitment and retention efforts will be established.  The curriculum will be diversified by expanding the diversity fellowship program, increasing outreach efforts, and offering grants through The Center for Innovative Instruction.  A summer camp for first generation, low-income, first-time students will be created.  Additional freshman interest group clusters will be developed.  Woodring College of Education shall participate in the summer academic institutions.

The Evergreen State College: An outreach program to minority and low-income students will be established.  A new orientation program, incorporating an enhanced academic component for all students, and a live-in mentoring and academic workshop for newly enrolled students of color, will be established.  Focusing on middle school student who live in areas with high levels of poverty and little evidence of academic achievement and success, the Reach Back Program will be created.

Reports: The CAP Steering Committee will report on the progress of the program during the 2003 legislative session.

Appropriation: The sum of $3,879,664 is appropriated for fiscal year ending June 30, 2002 and the same amount for fiscal year ending June 30, 2003 from the general fund to the evergreen center for educational improvement.

The sum of $1,100,000 is appropriated for fiscal year ending June 30, 2002 and the same amount for fiscal year ending June 30, 2003 from the general fund to the University of Washington.

The sum of $750,000 is appropriated for fiscal year ending June 30, 2002 and the same amount for fiscal year ending June 30, 2003 from the general fund to the Washington State University.

The sum of $450,625 is appropriated for fiscal year ending June 30, 2002 and the same amount for fiscal year ending June 30, 2003 from the general fund to Central Washington University.

The sum of $424,281 is appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002 and the same amount for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003 from the general fund to Eastern Washington University.

The sum of $616,784 is appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002 and $660,839 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003 from the general fund to Western Washington University.

The sum of $310,000 is appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002 and same amount for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003 from the general fund to The Evergreen State College.

Fiscal Note:  Requested on February 6, 2001.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.