Bill Text: VA HB919 | 2018 | Regular Session | Engrossed
Bill Title: Virginia Community College System; changes to ensure a standard quality of education.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)
Status: (Passed) 2018-04-18 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0832) [HB919 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2018-HB919-Engrossed.html
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§23.1-203, 23.1-907, 23.1-908, 23.1-2904, 23.1-2906.1, 23.1-3136, and 23.1-3137 of the Code of Virginia are amended as follows:
§23.1-203. Duties of Council.
The Council shall:
1. Develop a statewide strategic plan that (i) reflects the goals set forth in subsection A of §23.1-1002 or (ii) once adopted, reflects the goals and objectives developed pursuant to subdivision B 5 of §23.1-309 for higher education in the Commonwealth, identifies a coordinated approach to such state and regional goals, and emphasizes the future needs for higher education in the Commonwealth at both the undergraduate and the graduate levels and the mission, programs, facilities, and location of each of the existing institutions of higher education, each public institution's six-year plan, and such other matters as the Council deems appropriate. The Council shall revise such plan at least once every six years and shall submit such recommendations as are necessary for the implementation of the plan to the Governor and the General Assembly.
2. Review and approve or disapprove any proposed change in the statement of mission of any public institution of higher education and define the mission of all newly created public institutions of higher education. The Council shall report such approvals, disapprovals, and definitions to the Governor and the General Assembly at least once every six years. No such actions shall become effective until 30 days after adjournment of the session of the General Assembly next following the filing of such a report. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to authorize the Council to modify any mission statement adopted by the General Assembly or empower the Council to affect, either directly or indirectly, the selection of faculty or the standards and criteria for admission of any public institution of higher education, whether relating to academic standards, residence, or other criteria. Faculty selection and student admission policies shall remain a function of the individual public institutions of higher education.
3. Study any proposed escalation of any public institution of higher education to a degree-granting level higher than that level to which it is presently restricted and submit a report and recommendation to the Governor and the General Assembly relating to the proposal. The study shall include the need for and benefits or detriments to be derived from the escalation. No such institution shall implement any such proposed escalation until the Council's report and recommendation have been submitted to the General Assembly and the General Assembly approves the institution's proposal.
4. Review and approve or disapprove all enrollment projections proposed by each public institution of higher education. The Council's projections shall be organized numerically by level of enrollment and shall be used solely for budgetary, fiscal, and strategic planning purposes. The Council shall develop estimates of the number of degrees to be awarded by each public institution of higher education and include those estimates in its reports of enrollment projections. The student admissions policies for such institutions and their specific programs shall remain the sole responsibility of the individual governing boards but all baccalaureate public institutions of higher education shall adopt dual admissions policies with comprehensive community colleges as required by §23.1-907.
5. Review and approve or disapprove all new undergraduate or graduate academic programs that any public institution of higher education proposes.
6. Review and require the discontinuance of any undergraduate or graduate academic program that is presently offered by any public institution of higher education when the Council determines that such academic program is (i) nonproductive in terms of the number of degrees granted, the number of students served by the program, the program's effectiveness, and budgetary considerations or (ii) supported by state funds and unnecessarily duplicative of academic programs offered at other public institutions of higher education. The Council shall make a report to the Governor and the General Assembly with respect to the discontinuance of any such academic program. No such discontinuance shall become effective until 30 days after the adjournment of the session of the General Assembly next following the filing of such report.
7. Review and approve or disapprove the establishment of any department, school, college, branch, division, or extension of any public institution of higher education that such institution proposes to establish, whether located on or off the main campus of such institution. If any organizational change is determined by the Council to be proposed solely for the purpose of internal management and the institution's curricular offerings remain constant, the Council shall approve the proposed change. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to authorize the Council to disapprove the establishment of any such department, school, college, branch, division, or extension established by the General Assembly.
8. Review the proposed closure of any academic program in a high demand or critical shortage area, as defined by the Council, by any public institution of higher education and assist in the development of an orderly closure plan, when needed.
9. Develop a uniform, comprehensive data information system designed to gather all information necessary to the performance of the Council's duties. The system shall include information on admissions, enrollment, self-identified students with documented disabilities, personnel, programs, financing, space inventory, facilities, and such other areas as the Council deems appropriate. When consistent with the Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act (§2.2-3800 et seq.), the Virginia Unemployment Compensation Act (§60.2-100 et seq.), and applicable federal law, the Council, acting solely or in partnership with the Virginia Department of Education or the Virginia Employment Commission, may contract with private entities to create de-identified student records in which all personally identifiable information has been removed for the purpose of assessing the performance of institutions and specific programs relative to the workforce needs of the Commonwealth.
10. In cooperation with public institutions of higher education, develop guidelines for the assessment of student achievement. Each such institution shall use an approved program that complies with the guidelines of the Council and is consistent with the institution's mission and educational objectives in the development of such assessment. The Council shall report each institution's assessment of student achievement in the revisions to the Commonwealth's statewide strategic plan for higher education.
11. In cooperation with the appropriate state financial and accounting officials, develop and establish uniform standards and systems of accounting, recordkeeping, and statistical reporting for public institutions of higher education.
12. Review biennially and approve or disapprove all changes in the inventory of educational and general space that any public institution of higher education proposes and report such approvals and disapprovals to the Governor and the General Assembly. No such change shall become effective until 30 days after the adjournment of the session of the General Assembly next following the filing of such report.
13. Visit and study the operations of each public institution of higher education at such times as the Council deems appropriate and conduct such other studies in the field of higher education as the Council deems appropriate or as may be requested by the Governor or the General Assembly.
14. Provide advisory services to each accredited nonprofit private institution of higher education whose primary purpose is to provide collegiate or graduate education and not to provide religious training or theological education on academic, administrative, financial, and space utilization matters. The Council may review and advise on joint activities, including contracts for services between public institutions of higher education and such private institutions of higher education or between such private institutions of higher education and any agency or political subdivision of the Commonwealth.
15. Adopt such policies and regulations as the Council deems necessary to implement its duties established by state law. Each public institution of higher education shall comply with such policies and regulations.
16. Issue guidelines consistent with the provisions of the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. §1232g), requiring public institutions of higher education to release a student's academic and disciplinary record to a student's parent.
17. Require each institution of higher education formed, chartered, or established in the Commonwealth after July 1, 1980, to ensure the preservation of student transcripts in the event of institutional closure or revocation of approval to operate in the Commonwealth. An institution may ensure the preservation of student transcripts by binding agreement with another institution of higher education with which it is not corporately connected or in such other way as the Council may authorize by regulation. In the event that an institution closes or has its approval to operate in the Commonwealth revoked, the Council, through its director, may take such action as is necessary to secure and preserve the student transcripts until such time as an appropriate institution accepts all or some of the transcripts. Nothing in this subdivision shall be deemed to interfere with the right of a student to his own transcripts or authorize disclosure of student records except as may otherwise be authorized by law.
18. Require the development and submission of articulation, dual admissions, and guaranteed admissions agreements between associate-degree-granting and baccalaureate public institutions of higher education.
19. Provide periodic updates of base adequacy funding guidelines adopted by the Joint Subcommittee Studying Higher Education Funding Policies for each public institution of higher education.
20. In consultation with each public institution of higher
education, develop Develop, pursuant to the provisions of §23.1-907,
guidelines for a one-year uniform certificate of general studies program
Uniform Certificate of General Studies Program to be offered at each
comprehensive community college. Such program shall ensure that a
comprehensive community college student who completes the one-year certificate
program is eligible to transfer all credits earned in academic subject
coursework to a baccalaureate public institution of higher education upon
acceptance to such baccalaureate institution. and a Passport Program.
The guidelines developed pursuant to this subdivision shall be developed in
consultation with all public institutions of higher education in the
Commonwealth and shall ensure standardization, quality, and transparency in the
implementation of the programs at each comprehensive community college. At the
discretion of the Council, private institutions of higher education eligible
for tuition assistance grants may also be consulted.
21. Cooperate with the Board of Education in matters of interest to both public elementary and secondary schools and public institutions of higher education, particularly in connection with coordination of the college admission requirements, coordination of teacher training programs with the public school programs, and the Board of Education's Six-Year Educational Technology Plan for Virginia. The Council shall encourage public institutions of higher education to design programs that include the skills necessary for the successful implementation of such Plan.
22. Advise and provide technical assistance to the Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Committee in the implementation and administration of the Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Program pursuant to Chapter 34.1 (§30-231.01 et seq.) of Title 30.
23. Insofar as possible, seek the cooperation and utilize the facilities of existing state departments, institutions, and agencies in carrying out its duties.
24. Serve as the coordinating council for public institutions of higher education.
25. Serve as the planning and coordinating agency for all postsecondary educational programs for all health professions and occupations and make recommendations, including those relating to financing, for providing adequate and coordinated educational programs to produce an appropriate supply of properly trained personnel. The Council may conduct such studies as it deems appropriate in furtherance of the requirements of this subdivision. All state departments and agencies shall cooperate with the Council in the execution of its responsibilities under this subdivision.
26. Carry out such duties as the Governor may assign to it in response to agency designations requested by the federal government.
27. Insofar as practicable, preserve the individuality, traditions, and sense of responsibility of each public institution of higher education in carrying out its duties.
28. Insofar as practicable, seek the assistance and advice of each public institution of higher education in fulfilling its duties and responsibilities.
29. Develop the Commonwealth Research and Technology Strategic Roadmap pursuant to the provisions of §23.1-3134 to be submitted to the Virginia Research Investment Committee for approval, and otherwise assist the Virginia Research Investment Committee with the administration of the Virginia Research Investment Fund consistent with the provisions of Article 8 (§ 23.1-3130 et seq.) of Chapter 31.
30. Administer the Virginia Longitudinal Data System as a multiagency partnership for the purposes of developing educational, health, social service, and employment outcome data; improving the efficacy of state services; and aiding decision making.
§23.1-907. Articulation, dual admissions, and guaranteed admissions agreements; admission of certain comprehensive community college graduates.
A. The board of visitors of each baccalaureate public institution of higher education shall develop, consistent with Council guidelines and the institution's six-year plan as set forth in §23.1-306, articulation, dual admissions, and guaranteed admissions agreements with each associate-degree-granting public institution of higher education.
B. The Council and each public institution of higher
education System, in cooperation with the Council and each public
institution of higher education and consistent with the guidelines developed
pursuant to subdivision 20 of §23.1-203, shall develop establish
a passport credit program, including any necessary guidelines for such
program Passport Program. In developing the program, the Council
and each public institution of higher education shall establish competencies
and standards for each passport credit course. Any course that does not meet or
exceed the standards developed under the program shall not be deemed a passport
credit course. Such passport credit program shall require that it is the
responsibility of the course provider to ensure that a passport credit course
meets the standards of the program The Passport Program shall consist of
15 course credit hours and be delivered as a component of the Certificate of
General Studies Program set forth in subsection C. Each passport credit
Passport Program course shall satisfy a lower division general education
requirement at any public institution of higher education.
C. 1. The System, in consultation with the
Council and each public institution of higher education and consistent with
the guidelines developed pursuant to subdivision 20 of §23.1-203, shall
develop a one-year uniform certificate of general studies program as set
forth in subdivision 20 of §23.1-203 Uniform Certificate of General
Studies, consisting of at least 30 course credit hours. All credits earned
in academic subject coursework by students attending an
associate-degree-granting public institution of higher education who complete
the one-year uniform certificate of general studies program are transferrable
to a baccalaureate public institution of higher education in accordance with
Council guidelines The Certificate Program shall be available at each
comprehensive community college.
2. The System shall endeavor to develop the content and curriculum of the additional courses beyond the Passport Program courses that comprise the Uniform Certificate of General Studies Program in such a way that each course in the Program shall be eligible for transfer to a baccalaureate public institution of higher education and shall fulfill a course set forth in following a career education pathway developed pursuant to subsection D.
D. 1. The Council shall develop guidelines for associate-degree-granting and baccalaureate public institutions of higher education to use in mapping career education pathways for the completion of credits in particular programs of study, including the courses recommended to be taken in a dual enrollment, community college, and four-year public institution setting in order to prepare for a specific career path. Such guidelines shall define the elements of a pathway and identify the standard content that shall be included in each pathway. The guidelines shall also identify the specific programs of study and career paths for which pathways shall be developed, based on the most commonly used transfer paths. Initial guidelines adopted for the mapping career education pathways shall establish a multi-year schedule for the identification, development, and implementation of the individual pathways.
2. Each baccalaureate public institution of higher education, in cooperation and consultation with the System, shall develop career education pathway maps for transfer pathways consistent with the guidelines established pursuant to subdivision 1. Such program maps shall clearly set forth the classes that a student at a comprehensive community college is encouraged to complete as part of a General Education Certificate and additional electives prior to transferring to the baccalaureate institution. The goal of the career education pathway maps shall be to assist students in achieving optimal efficiencies in the time and cost of completing a degree program. Such program map shall also clearly state which classes from the Passport Program the baccalaureate institution has received a waiver pursuant to §23.1-908 from transfer for a particular career education pathway.
E. 1. The Council shall prepare an annual report on the pertinent aspects of the pipeline of students transferring from comprehensive community colleges to baccalaureate public institutions of higher education. Beginning with the 2019-2020 academic year, such report shall annually identify the degree of success of each transfer pathway. For purposes of the report, "degree of success" shall be a comparative measure of all transfer pathways based on completion rates, time to degree, the number of credits accumulated, and grade point averages. The Council shall identify those academic courses offered at comprehensive community colleges that baccalaureate public institutions of higher education routinely do not accept credit from a transfer student, including those courses for which a waiver has been granted pursuant to §23.1-908. The report shall be made available at the end of each academic year and shall be shared with the Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System, each individual comprehensive community college, and each baccalaureate public institution of higher education.
2. To assist in the preparation of the report required by this subsection, each baccalaureate public institution of higher education shall report annually to the Council, in a format determined by the Council and in accordance with guidelines established by the Council, data concerning transfer students and academic outcomes. Such report shall include, at a minimum, student grade point averages in the first year after a transfer from a comprehensive community college, graduation rates, time to degree completion, and the number of credits at degree completion. Data shall be reported in such a manner as to provide details regarding the outcomes of transfer students from individual comprehensive community colleges compared with outcomes of college students who have enrolled solely at the baccalaureate public institution of higher education and dual enrollment students at the baccalaureate public institution of higher education.
E. F. The Council, consistent with its
responsibility to facilitate the development of articulation, dual admissions,
and guaranteed admissions agreements set forth in §§23.1-203 and 23.1-908,
shall develop guidelines for such agreements.
F. G. Each comprehensive community college shall
develop agreements for postsecondary degree attainment with the public
high schools in the school divisions that such comprehensive community college
serves specifying the options for students to complete an associate degree
or a one-year Uniform Certificate of General Studies, Passport Program,
or Uniform Certificate of General Studies concurrent with a high school
diploma. Such agreements shall specify the credit available for dual enrollment
courses and Advanced Placement courses with qualifying exam scores of three or
higher.
[ H. The provisions of this section shall not apply to the Virginia Military Institute. ]
§23.1-908. State Transfer Tool.
A. The Council shall develop, in cooperation with the System and each public institution of higher education, a State Transfer Tool that designates each general education course that is offered in an associate degree program at an associate-degree-granting public institution of higher education and transferable for course credit to a baccalaureate public institution of higher education. All courses offered as a part of the Passport Program established pursuant to §23.1-907 shall be transferrable to a baccalaureate public institution of higher education, unless a waiver is granted pursuant to subsection C.
In developing the State Transfer Tool, the Council shall also seek the participation of private institutions of higher education.
B. The Council shall develop guidelines to govern the development and implementation of articulation, dual admissions, and guaranteed admissions agreements between associate-degree-granting public institutions of higher education and baccalaureate public institutions of higher education. Dual admissions agreements shall set forth (i) the obligations of each student accepted to such a program, including grade point average requirements, acceptable associate degree majors, and completion timetables, and (ii) the extent to which each student accepted to such a program may access the privileges of enrollment at both institutions while he is enrolled at either institution. Such agreements are subject to the admissions requirements of the baccalaureate public institutions of higher education.
C. The Council shall develop and make available to the
public information identifying all passport credit courses and other general
education courses offered at associate-degree-granting public institutions of
higher education and designating those that are transferable for course credit
at baccalaureate public institutions of higher education and baccalaureate
private institutions of higher education A baccalaureate public
institution of higher education may seek a waiver from the Council from
accepting for transfer credit a course that is part of the Passport Program.
The Council shall establish procedures to request such waivers and shall adopt
guidelines regarding the criteria used to review and issue decisions regarding
the waiver requests. A waiver shall not be granted allowing a baccalaureate
public institution to (i) generally reject the transfer of all coursework that
is a part of the Passport Program or (ii) generally reject a course from the
Passport Program in all mapped career education pathways. An application for a
waiver shall identify with particularity the course the institution is seeking
to waive from the transfer requirement and the particular education pathway to
which the waiver would apply and shall provide justification for the waiver.
Once a waiver is approved, notice of the waiver shall be included in the online
repository maintained by the System pursuant to subsection D.
D. Each baccalaureate public institution of higher education shall update its transfer agreements annually and shall send a copy of its updated agreement and any other transfer-related documents and resources, including any course transfer waivers approved by the Council pursuant to subsection C, to the System. The Council shall also send to the System a copy of any transfer-related guidelines and resources that it possesses. The System shall maintain a single, online repository of all such agreements, documents, and resources. The repository shall include course-equivalency tools and shall identify all courses labeled as Passport Program courses and any additional courses offered at associate-degree-granting public institutions of higher education that are transferrable for course credit at baccalaureate public institutions of higher education. Such online repository shall be available to the public on the website of the Council and each baccalaureate public institution of higher education.
§23.1-2904. State Board; duties.
In addition to the duties of governing boards of public institutions of higher education set forth in Chapter 13 (§23.1-1300 et seq.), the State Board shall:
1. Be the state agency with primary responsibility for coordinating workforce training at the postsecondary through the associate degree level, exclusive of the career and technical education programs provided through and administered by the public school system. This responsibility shall not preclude other agencies from also providing such services as appropriate, but these activities shall be coordinated with the comprehensive community colleges;
2. Report on actions that comprehensive community colleges have taken to meet the requirements of §23.1-2906 in its annual report to the General Assembly on workforce development activities required by the general appropriation act;
3. Prepare and administer a plan providing standards and
policies for the establishment, development, and administration of
comprehensive community colleges under its authority. It shall determine the
need for comprehensive community colleges and develop a statewide plan for
their location and a time schedule for their establishment. In the development
of such plan, a principal objective is to provide and maintain a system of
comprehensive community colleges, as that term is defined in §23.1-100 to make
appropriate educational opportunities and programs available throughout the
Commonwealth. In providing these offerings, the State Board shall recognize the
need for excellence in all curricula and shall endeavor to establish and
maintain standards appropriate to the various purposes the respective programs
are designed to serve;
4. Establish policies providing for the creation of a local community college board for each comprehensive community college established under this chapter and the procedures and regulations under which such local boards shall operate. These boards shall assist in ascertaining educational needs and enlisting community involvement and support and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the State Board;
5. Adhere to the policies of the Council for the coordination of higher education as required by law; and
6. Develop a mental health referral policy directing comprehensive community colleges to designate at least one individual at each college to serve as a point of contact with an emergency services system clinician at a local community services board, or another qualified mental health services provider, for the purposes of facilitating screening and referral of students who may have emergency or urgent mental health needs and of assisting the college in carrying out the duties specified by §§23.1-802 and 23.1-805. Each comprehensive community college may establish relationships with community services boards or other mental health providers for referral and treatment of persons with less serious mental health needs.
7. Develop and implement, in coordination with the Virginia Department of Education, a plan to establish and maintain standards to ensure quality in all dual enrollment courses offered at local school divisions pursuant to §23.1-2906.1. Such standards shall meet the same standards regarding quality and consistency as are required for other courses taught in the System and shall subject dual enrollment courses to the same level of evaluation and review as all other courses.
8. Prepare and administer a plan to standardize the courses offered, and the quality and content of such courses, offered across all comprehensive community colleges, as well as to standardize the application and registration process at all comprehensive community colleges. Such plan shall allow for a comprehensive community college to provide additional courses, beyond the standard class content offered across the System, that meet specific regional interests and needs. Regional courses shall be subject to the standards of quality applied to all courses offered in the System.
9. Develop and implement accountability measures to review the performance of each comprehensive community college at least once annually to ensure that all standards established by the Board are being met, with a goal of ensuring a consistent quality of education and opportunity across the System. If it is found that such standards are not being met at a particular, the Board shall develop a plan for corrective action specific to the issues presented at that institution.
§23.1-2906.1. Dual enrollment; high school equivalency; workforce training.
A. Each comprehensive community college shall enter into agreements with the local school divisions it serves to facilitate dual enrollment of eligible students into a Career Pathways program preparing students to pass a high school equivalency examination offered by the local school division and a postsecondary credential, certification, or license attainment program offered by the comprehensive community college. The school system and comprehensive community college offering a dual enrollment course shall clearly specify on any website, literature, or other materials describing or advertising the course whether the course meets the standards to be eligible for credit (i) towards a Uniform Certificate of General Studies, (ii) as a Passport Program course, or (iii) as a general elective credit, or whether the course is not likely to transfer as college credit. The equivalent non-dual enrollment course shall also be specified. Dual enrollment courses may also be included in the mapping of education pathways required by § 23.1-907.
B. The System shall maintain a database that includes information on all dual enrollment courses offered in the Commonwealth, including (i) a description of each course, and (ii) the specific academic, career, or technical programs in the System that will accept the course credit and which specific community colleges offer such programs.
§23.1-3136. Board of Trustees.
A. The Authority shall be governed by a Board of Trustees (the
Board) that has a total membership of 15 17 members that shall
consist of four members of the House of Delegates to be appointed by the
Speaker of the House of Delegates in accordance with the principles of
proportional representation contained in the Rules of the House of Delegates;
three members of the Senate to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules;
three nonlegislative citizen members to be appointed by the Governor; one
nonlegislative citizen member to be appointed by the board of visitors of
George Mason University; one nonlegislative citizen member to be appointed by
the board of visitors of Old Dominion University; one nonlegislative citizen
member to be appointed by the State Board; and three four
members who shall serve ex officio with voting privileges, consisting of the
President of George Mason University or his designee, the President of Old
Dominion University or his designee, the Chancellor of the Virginia
Community College System, and the Director of the Council. Nonlegislative
citizen members of the Authority shall be citizens of the Commonwealth.
B. Legislative and ex officio members of the Board shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office.
C. Appointments to fill vacancies, other than by expiration of a term, shall be for the unexpired terms. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments. All members may be reappointed.
D. After the initial staggering of terms, nonlegislative citizen members shall be appointed for a term of four years.
E. No House member shall serve more than four consecutive two-year terms, no Senate member shall serve more than two consecutive four-year terms, and no nonlegislative citizen member shall serve more than two consecutive four-year terms. The remainder of any term to which a member is appointed to fill a vacancy shall not constitute a term in determining the member's eligibility for reappointment.
F. The Board shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman from among its membership. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. The meetings of the Board shall be held at the call of the chairman or whenever the majority of the members so request.
G. Legislative members of the Board shall receive such compensation as provided in §30-19.12, and nonlegislative citizen members shall receive such compensation for the performance of their duties as provided in § 2.2-2813. All members shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided in §§2.2-2813 and 2.2-2825. Funding for the costs of compensation and expenses of the members shall be provided by the Authority.
H. George Mason University and Old Dominion University shall provide staff support to the Authority and the Board. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Board, upon request.
§23.1-3137. Duties of the Authority.
The Authority shall:
1. Expand access to affordable higher education in the
Commonwealth by establishing the Online Virginia Network (the Network) for the purpose
of coordinating the online delivery of courses that facilitate the completion
of degrees at George Mason University and, Old Dominion
University, and comprehensive community colleges;
2. Encourage each public institution of higher education and each consortium of public institutions of higher education that offers online courses, online degree programs, or online credential programs to offer any such course, degree program, or credential program through the Network;
3. Oversee a process of approval for public institutions of higher education and consortia of such institutions to participate in the Network, with such funds as are appropriated for such purpose and made available to it;
4. Serve as a resource for residents of the Commonwealth and disseminate information regarding the opportunities for online learning offered by institutions and consortia that participate in the Network;
5. Coordinate the maintenance of an online portal through which potential students may examine and enroll seamlessly in Network offerings;
6. Collaborate with institutions and consortia that participate in the Network to ensure that the needs of enrolled students are met before, during, and after enrollment through online student support systems;
7. To the extent practicable, ensure that courses and degree programs offered through the Network (i) are accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or authorized by the Council, as applicable; (ii) expand access to underserved populations based on income, race, geography, and age; (iii) are responsive to the employment demands of the Commonwealth; (iv) employ learning and delivery technologies, which may include competency-based and experiential learning, in an efficient and cost-effective manner to promote flexibility for each student to pursue online courses and programs at his own pace and in his own location throughout the year; (v) minimize student expenses and reduce time-to-degree or time-to-credential; and (vi) are offered in collaboration with existing public and private providers of online courses;
8. Promote the refinement and implementation of articulation agreements to ensure that credits earned through the Network are transferable to each other public institution of higher education and contribute to on-time degree completion at each such institution;
9. Assist in developing processes to help institutions and consortia that participate in the Network to expand their online offerings;
10. Ensure that any course identified as a course in the Passport Program, established pursuant to §23.1-907, is available through the Network and encourage that any course that is part of the Uniform Certificate of General Studies be made available through the Network;
11. Develop specific goals for meeting the demand in the Commonwealth for affordable and accessible higher education through online learning;
11. 12. Review and report annually to the
Governor and the General Assembly on the cost structure of funds allocated to
the establishment, maintenance, and expansion of the Network. In addition, the
Authority shall examine ways to reduce the cost of online education and develop
a budget that incorporates estimated expected tuition revenue from online
students and its use in supporting the Network and assumes that any financial
aid will come from existing financial aid programs; and
12. 13. Accept, administer, and account for any
state, federal, or private moneys that it may receive. Any moneys, including
interest thereon, that have not been expended by the Authority by the end of
each fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund but shall remain in the
accounts of the Authority.
2. That the State Board for Community Colleges shall develop an initial plan for the standardization of courses offered at all comprehensive community colleges, including a timeline for completion of the standardization and the identification of any resources or funding needing to implement the standardization, to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Education, the House Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the Senate Committee on Finance no later than September 1, 2018.
3. That Richard Bland College shall offer a Uniform Certificate of General Studies and Passport Program in accordance with the guidelines developed by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia pursuant to subdivision 20 of sec. 23.1-203 as amended by this act. Baccalaureate public institutions of higher education shall be required to accept the transfer of such credits offered by Richard Bland College in the same manner as if such courses were offered at a comprehensive community college, as required by this act.
