Bill Text: NJ A2018 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires public institutions of higher education to implement certain practices concerning academic credits and residency requirements for military servicemembers.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-1)
Status: (Failed) 2013-04-04 - Withdrawn from Consideration [A2018 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-A2018-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
215th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2012 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman TROY SINGLETON
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Requires public institutions of higher education to implement certain practices concerning academic credits and residency requirements for military servicemembers.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning education of military servicemembers at public institutions of higher education and supplementing chapter 62 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that all public institutions of higher education in New Jersey should offer flexibility appropriate to the needs of military servicemembers, particularly with regard to credit transfer, recognition of applicable learning and experience gained in military service, and academic residency requirements, in order to improve access by servicemembers to postsecondary educational opportunities.
2. a. As used in this section, "military servicemember" means any member or honorably discharged veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States or a Reserve component thereof or the National Guard.
b. Every public institution of higher education in New Jersey shall:
(1) Provide academic credit transfer practices for military servicemembers who have completed coursework at other accredited degree-granting institutions, when applicable to the requirements of a servicemember's degree program, in order to minimize loss of previously earned credit and avoid duplication of coursework;
(2) Limit academic residency requirements for active duty military servicemembers to no more than 25% of an undergraduate degree program. If the institution offers 100% of an undergraduate degree program via the internet, the institution may require active duty military servicemembers to take 30% of that degree program online to obtain residency; and
(3) Award credit to military servicemembers for specialized training and experience acquired in military service when applicable to the requirements of a servicemember's degree program. To determine the credit value of learning acquired in military service, the institution may follow the recommendations of the American Council on Education (ACE) Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services.
3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall be first applicable to the 2012-2013 academic year.
STATEMENT
This bill requires all public institutions of higher education in New Jersey to implement certain practices to improve access by military servicemembers to higher educational opportunities. The bill defines "military servicemember" as any member or honorably discharged veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States or a Reserve component thereof or the National Guard. Under the bill, all public institutions of higher education in the State must: provide academic credit transfer practices for military servicemembers when applicable to the servicemember's degree program in order to minimize loss of previously earned credit; limit academic residency requirements for active duty servicemembers to no more than 25 percent of an undergraduate degree program; and award credit to servicemembers for specialized training and experience acquired in military service when applicable to a servicemember's degree program.
These requirements are designed to offset limiting conditions servicemembers often face in obtaining higher education degrees due to their frequent mobility, isolation from campuses, and part-time student status. The requirements of the bill are based on some of the criteria established by the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) for institutional membership in the SOC Consortium network. The SOC is a civilian-military partnership that was created in 1972 to help improve and coordinate postsecondary educational opportunities for servicemembers who, because military service demands frequent mobility, had trouble completing college degrees. The SOC Consortium currently consists of more than 1,900 college and university members, including 32 institutions of higher education in New Jersey.
