BILL REQ. #:  H-4246.1 

Prefiled 01/10/08. Read first time 01/14/08.   Referred to Committee on Higher Education.

     AN ACT Relating to the acquisition and dissemination of data regarding institutions of higher education; amending RCW 28B.76.290 and 28B.76.020; and adding a new section to chapter 28B.76 RCW.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 28B.76.290 and 1993 c 77 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     The board shall coordinate educational activities among all segments of higher education taking into account the educational programs, facilities, and other resources of both public and independent two and four-year colleges and universities. The four-year institutions and the state board for community and technical colleges shall coordinate information and activities with the board. The board shall have the following additional responsibilities:
     (1) Promote interinstitutional cooperation;
     (2) Establish minimum admission standards for four-year institutions, including a requirement that coursework in American sign language or an American Indian language shall satisfy any requirement for instruction in a language other than English that the board or the institutions may establish as a general undergraduate admissions requirement;
     (3) Establish transfer policies;
     (4) Adopt rules implementing statutory residency requirements;
     (5) Develop and administer reciprocity agreements with bordering states and the province of British Columbia;
     (6) Review and recommend compensation practices and levels for administrative employees, exempt under chapter 28B.16 RCW, and faculty using comparative data from peer institutions;
     (7) Monitor higher education activities for compliance with all relevant state policies for higher education;
     (8) Arbitrate disputes between and among four-year institutions or between and among four-year institutions and community colleges at the request of one or more of the institutions involved, or at the request of the governor, or from a resolution adopted by the legislature. The decision of the board shall be binding on the participants in the dispute;
     (9) Establish and implement a state system for collecting, analyzing, and distributing information;
     (10) In consultation with the institutions of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016 and the state board for community and technical colleges, develop a uniform home page link and a uniform dashboard template, to be completed and displayed by each institution, that organizes and presents the following information so that it is easily accessible to the public:
     (a) Student enrollment:
     (i) Projected total;
     (ii) Actual total;
     (iii) Income level;
     (iv) Race and ethnicity;
     (v) Gender;
     (vi) Age group;
     (vii) State and county of residence;
     (viii) Student level;
     (ix) Full or part-time; and
     (x) Academic degree, workforce degree, graduate degree, or undeclared;
     (b) Degrees awarded:
     (i) Total;
     (ii) By income;
     (iii) By race and ethnicity;
     (iv) By gender;
     (v) By age group;
     (vi) By state and county of residence; and
     (vii) By type and level of degree;
     (c) Student to faculty ratio:
     (i) Overall; and
     (ii) By course level;
     (d) Financial aid recipients:
     (i) By source;
     (ii) By income;
     (iii) By race and ethnicity;
     (iv) By gender;
     (v) By age group;
     (vi) By state and county of residence; and
     (vii) By student level;
     (e) Transfer rate:
     (i) To or from Washington public community and technical colleges;
     (ii) To or from four-year institutions; and
     (iii) To or from private and out-of-state institutions of higher education;
     (f) Admission rate:
     (i) Freshmen;
     (ii) Students with transfer associate degrees;
     (iii) Running start students;
     (iv) International students; and
     (v) Students in graduate programs;
     (g) Retention rate:
     (i) By income;
     (ii) By race and ethnicity;
     (iii) By gender;
     (iv) By age group;
     (v) By state and county of residence; and
     (vi) By grade level;
     (h) Faculty:
     (i) Percentage holding highest degree in field;
     (ii) Average salary by department; and
     (iii) Average salary by rank;
     (i) Funding for research:
     (i) By source; and
     (ii) By amount;
     (j) Student survey:
     (i) Number of responses; and
     (ii) Percentage rate of responses;
     (k) Remedial education courses:
     (i) Number enrolled by course; and
     (ii) Number completing by course;
     (l) English as a second language (ESL) courses:
     (i) Number enrolled; and
     (ii) Number completing;
     (m) High school dual credit programs:
     (i) Number enrolled; and
     (ii) Number completing;
     (n) Workforce measures to be determined on or before July 1, 2008, by the board in consultation with the workforce training and education coordinating board; and
     (o) Financial cost measures to be determined on or before July 1, 2008, by the board;
     (11) Annually report total enrollment numbers for all postsecondary institutions, to the extent that the numbers are reported to the board by the institutions;
     (12) Recommend to the governor and the legislature ways to remove any economic incentives to use off-campus program funds for on-campus activities; and
     (((11))) (13) Make recommendations to increase minority participation, and monitor and report on the progress of minority participation in higher education.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28B.76 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Annually, on a schedule to be determined by the board, each institution of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016 shall complete and update the data displayed on the dashboard template developed under RCW 28B.76.290.
     (2) Each institution of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016 shall prominently post on its home page: (a) A uniform, visible link to its own dashboard; and (b) a uniform, visible link to the board's home page in order to facilitate access to the dashboards of the other institutions of higher education.
     (3) The board shall prominently post on its home page a uniform, visible link to the dashboards of all institutions of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016.

Sec. 3   RCW 28B.76.020 and 1985 c 370 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     ((For the purposes of)) The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter((:)) unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
     (1) "Board" means the higher education coordinating board((; and)).
     (2) "Dashboard" means a visual display of information consolidated and arranged on a computer screen in an easy to read fashion so that the information can be seen at a glance.
     (3) "Four-year institutions" means the University of Washington, Washington State University, Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, Western Washington University, and The Evergreen State College.