Florida Senate - 2015 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 948
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LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
03/23/2015 .
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The Committee on Higher Education (Gaetz) recommended the
following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Between lines 329 and 330
4 insert:
5 Section 10. Subsections (3) and (4) of section 1001.7065,
6 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
7 1001.7065 Preeminent state research universities program.—
8 (3) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY DESIGNATION.—The
9 Board of Governors shall designate each state research
10 university that meets at least 11 of the 12 academic and
11 research excellence standards identified in subsection (2) and
12 that enters into and maintains a formal agreement with the
13 National Merit Scholarship Corporation to offer college
14 sponsored merit scholarship awards a preeminent state research
15 university.
16 (4) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE FOR
17 ONLINE LEARNING.—A state research university that, as of July 1,
18 2013, met meets all 12 of the academic and research excellence
19 standards identified in subsection (2), as verified by the Board
20 of Governors, shall establish an institute for online learning.
21 Continuation of the institute for online learning is contingent
22 upon a state research university entering into and maintaining a
23 formal agreement with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation
24 to offer college-sponsored merit scholarship awards. The
25 institute shall establish a robust offering of high-quality,
26 fully online baccalaureate degree programs at an affordable cost
27 in accordance with this subsection.
28 (a) By August 1, 2013, the Board of Governors shall convene
29 an advisory board to support the development of high-quality,
30 fully online baccalaureate degree programs at the university.
31 (b) The advisory board shall:
32 1. Offer expert advice, as requested by the university, in
33 the development and implementation of a business plan to expand
34 the offering of high-quality, fully online baccalaureate degree
35 programs.
36 2. Advise the Board of Governors on the release of funding
37 to the university upon approval by the Board of Governors of the
38 plan developed by the university.
39 3. Monitor, evaluate, and report on the implementation of
40 the plan to the Board of Governors, the Governor, the President
41 of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
42 (c) The advisory board shall be composed of the following
43 five members:
44 1. The chair of the Board of Governors or the chair’s
45 permanent designee.
46 2. A member with expertise in online learning, appointed by
47 the Board of Governors.
48 3. A member with expertise in global marketing, appointed
49 by the Governor.
50 4. A member with expertise in cloud virtualization,
51 appointed by the President of the Senate.
52 5. A member with expertise in disruptive innovation,
53 appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
54 (d) The president of the university shall be consulted on
55 the advisory board member appointments.
56 (e) A majority of the advisory board shall constitute a
57 quorum, elect the chair, and appoint an executive director.
58 (f) By September 1, 2013, the university shall submit to
59 the advisory board a comprehensive plan to expand high-quality,
60 fully online baccalaureate degree program offerings. The plan
61 shall include:
62 1. Existing on-campus general education courses and
63 baccalaureate degree programs that will be offered online.
64 2. New courses that will be developed and offered online.
65 3. Support services that will be offered to students
66 enrolled in online baccalaureate degree programs.
67 4. A tuition and fee structure that meets the requirements
68 in paragraph (k) for online courses, baccalaureate degree
69 programs, and student support services.
70 5. A timeline for offering, marketing, and enrolling
71 students in the online baccalaureate degree programs.
72 6. A budget for developing and marketing the online
73 baccalaureate degree programs.
74 7. Detailed strategies for ensuring the success of students
75 and the sustainability of the online baccalaureate degree
76 programs.
77
78 Upon recommendation of the plan by the advisory board and
79 approval by the Board of Governors, the Board of Governors shall
80 award the university $10 million in nonrecurring funds and $5
81 million in recurring funds for fiscal year 2013-2014 and $5
82 million annually thereafter, subject to appropriation in the
83 General Appropriations Act.
84 (g) Beginning in January 2014, the university shall offer
85 high-quality, fully online baccalaureate degree programs that:
86 1. Accept full-time, first-time-in-college students.
87 2. Have the same rigorous admissions criteria as equivalent
88 on-campus degree programs.
89 3. Offer curriculum of equivalent rigor to on-campus degree
90 programs.
91 4. Offer rolling enrollment or multiple opportunities for
92 enrollment throughout the year.
93 5. Do not require any on-campus courses. However, for
94 courses or programs that require clinical training or
95 laboratories that cannot be delivered online, the university
96 shall offer convenient locational options to the student, which
97 may include, but are not limited to, the option to complete such
98 requirements at a summer-in-residence on the university campus.
99 The university may provide a network of sites at convenient
100 locations and contract with commercial testing centers or
101 identify other secure testing services for the purpose of
102 proctoring assessments or testing.
103 6. Apply the university’s existing policy for accepting
104 credits for both freshman applicants and transfer applicants.
105 (h) The university may offer a fully online Master’s in
106 Business Administration degree program and other master’s degree
107 programs.
108 (i) The university may develop and offer degree programs
109 and courses that are competency based as appropriate for the
110 quality and success of the program.
111 (j) The university shall periodically expand its offering
112 of online baccalaureate degree programs to meet student and
113 market demands.
114 (k) The university shall establish a tuition structure for
115 its online institute in accordance with this paragraph,
116 notwithstanding any other provision of law.
117 1. For students classified as residents for tuition
118 purposes, tuition for an online baccalaureate degree program
119 shall be set at no more than 75 percent of the tuition rate as
120 specified in the General Appropriations Act pursuant to s.
121 1009.24(4) and 75 percent of the tuition differential pursuant
122 to s. 1009.24(16). No distance learning fee, fee for campus
123 facilities, or fee for on-campus services may be assessed,
124 except that online students shall pay the university’s
125 technology fee, financial aid fee, and Capital Improvement Trust
126 Fund fee. The revenues generated from the Capital Improvement
127 Trust Fund fee shall be dedicated to the university’s institute
128 for online learning.
129 2. For students classified as nonresidents for tuition
130 purposes, tuition may be set at market rates in accordance with
131 the business plan.
132 3. Tuition for an online degree program shall include all
133 costs associated with instruction, materials, and enrollment,
134 excluding costs associated with the provision of textbooks
135 pursuant to s. 1004.085 and physical laboratory supplies.
136 4. Subject to the limitations in subparagraph 1., tuition
137 may be differentiated by degree program as appropriate to the
138 instructional and other costs of the program in accordance with
139 the business plan. Pricing must incorporate innovative
140 approaches that incentivize persistence and completion,
141 including, but not limited to, a fee for assessment, a bundled
142 or all-inclusive rate, and sliding scale features.
143 5. The university must accept advance payment contracts and
144 student financial aid.
145 6. Fifty percent of the net revenues generated from the
146 online institute of the university shall be used to enhance and
147 enrich the online institute offerings, and 50 percent of the net
148 revenues generated from the online institute shall be used to
149 enhance and enrich the university’s campus state-of-the-art
150 research programs and facilities.
151 7. The institute may charge additional local user fees
152 pursuant to s. 1009.24(14) upon the approval of the Board of
153 Governors.
154 8. The institute shall submit a proposal to the president
155 of the university authorizing additional user fees for the
156 provision of voluntary student participation in activities and
157 additional student services.
158 Section 11. (1) The State University System Performance
159 Based Incentive shall be based on indicators of institutional
160 attainment of performance metrics adopted by the Board of
161 Governors. The performance-based funding metrics shall include,
162 but are not limited to, metrics that measure graduation and
163 retention rates; degree production; affordability;
164 postgraduation employment, salaries, or further education;
165 student loan default rates; access; and any other metrics
166 approved by the board.
167 (2) The Board of Governors shall evaluate the institutions’
168 performance on the metrics based on benchmarks adopted by the
169 board which measure the achievement of institutional excellence
170 or improvement. Each fiscal year, the amount of funds available
171 for allocation to the institutions based on the performance
172 funding model shall consist of the state’s investment in
173 performance funding, plus an institutional investment consisting
174 of funds to be redistributed from the base funding of the State
175 University System, as determined in the General Appropriations
176 Act. The institutional investment shall be restored for all
177 institutions eligible for the state’s investment under the
178 performance funding model. Any institution that fails to meet
179 the board’s minimum performance funding threshold will not be
180 eligible for the state’s investment, will have a portion of its
181 institutional investment withheld, and must submit an
182 improvement plan to the board that specifies the activities and
183 strategies for improving the institution’s performance.
184 (3) The Board of Governors must review the improvement
185 plan, and if approved, must monitor the institution’s progress
186 on implementing the specified activities and strategies. The
187 institutions shall submit monitoring reports to the board no
188 later than December 31 and May 31 of each year.
189 (4) The Chancellor of the State University System shall
190 withhold disbursement of the institutional investment until such
191 time as the monitoring report for the institution is approved by
192 the Board of Governors. Any institution that fails to make
193 satisfactory progress will not have its full institutional
194 investment restored. If all institutional investment funds are
195 not restored, any remaining funds shall be redistributed in
196 accordance with the board’s performance funding model.
197 (5) By October 1 of each year, the Board of Governors shall
198 submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the
199 Speaker of the House of Representatives a report on the previous
200 year’s performance funding allocation which reflects the
201 rankings and award distributions.
202 (6) The Board of Governors shall adopt a regulation to
203 implement this section.
204 Section 12. (1) The Florida College System Performance
205 Based Incentive shall be based on indicators of institutional
206 attainment of performance metrics adopted by the State Board of
207 Education. The performance-based funding metrics shall include,
208 but are not limited to, metrics that measure retention; program
209 completion and graduation rates; student loan default rates; job
210 placement; and postgraduation employment, salaries, or further
211 education.
212 (2) The State Board of Education shall evaluate the
213 institutions’ performance on the metrics based on benchmarks
214 adopted by the board which measure the achievement of
215 institutional excellence or improvement. Each fiscal year, the
216 amount of funds available for allocation to the institutions
217 based on the performance funding model shall consist of the
218 state’s investment in performance funding plus an institutional
219 investment consisting of funds to be redistributed from the base
220 funding of the Florida College System Program Fund, as
221 determined in the General Appropriations Act. The institutional
222 investment shall be restored for all institutions eligible for
223 the state’s investment under the performance funding model. Any
224 institution that fails to meet the board’s minimum performance
225 funding threshold will not be eligible for the state’s
226 investment, will have a portion of its institutional investment
227 withheld, and must submit an improvement plan to the board that
228 specifies the activities and strategies for improving the
229 institution’s performance.
230 (3) The State Board of Education must review the
231 improvement plan, and if approved, must monitor the
232 institution’s progress on implementing the specified activities
233 and strategies. The institutions shall submit monitoring reports
234 to the board no later than December 31 and May 31 of each year.
235 (4) The Commissioner of Education shall withhold
236 disbursement of the institutional investment until such time as
237 the monitoring report for the institution is approved by the
238 State Board of Education. Any institution that fails to make
239 satisfactory progress will not have its full institutional
240 investment restored. If all institutional investment funds are
241 not restored, any remaining funds shall be redistributed in
242 accordance with the board’s performance funding model.
243 (5) By October 1 of each year, the State Board of Education
244 shall submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and
245 the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report on the
246 previous year’s performance funding allocation which reflects
247 the rankings and award distributions.
248 (6) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
249 implement this section.
250
251 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
252 And the title is amended as follows:
253 Between lines 26 and 27
254 insert:
255 amending s. 1001.7065, F.S.; requiring a state
256 research university to enter into and maintain a
257 formal agreement with a specified organization to
258 offer college-sponsored merit scholarship awards as a
259 condition of designation as a preeminent state
260 research university; specifying that continuation of a
261 state research university’s institute for online
262 learning is contingent on the university entering into
263 and maintaining such an agreement; requiring the Board
264 of Governors and the State Board of Education to base
265 state performance funds for the State University
266 System and the Florida College System on a specified
267 metrics adopted by each board; specifying allocation
268 of the funds; requiring the Chancellor of the State
269 University System and the Commissioner of Education to
270 withhold disbursement of certain funds; requiring the
271 boards to submit reports by a specified time to the
272 Governor and the Legislature; requiring the boards to
273 adopt rules;