SJ0057 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0057 LRB095 12267 NHT 36748 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Postsecondary education is essential in the modern economy; and

WHEREAS, The demographics of Illinois' population are changing dramatically and rapidly; and

WHEREAS, The demands of employers in every sector of the economy require ever-higher levels of educational attainment; and

WHEREAS, The National Conference of State Legislatures issued a Blue Ribbon Commission report, "Transforming Higher Education - National Imperative, State Responsibility", in October 2006, calling for the development of a state higher education agenda; and

WHEREAS, The Board of Higher Education has the statutory responsibility for higher education master planning; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Board of Higher Education undertake a master plan for Illinois higher education through the creation of a Task Force on Higher Education and the Economy to study the challenges and opportunities facing higher education, the State's workforce needs, demographic trends, and higher education funding and student financial aid; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall be chaired by the Chairperson of the Board of Higher Education and be comprised of 4 members of the General Assembly, one appointed by the Speaker of the House, one appointed by the Minority Leader of the House, one appointed by the President of the Senate, and one appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; and 12 members appointed by the Governor from nominees recommended by the Board of Higher Education as follows:

(1) a trustee or senior administrator of a public university;

(2) a trustee or senior administrator of a community college;

(3) a trustee or senior administrator of an independent college or university;

(4) 2 business leaders from statewide business associations or the Illinois Workforce Investment Board;

(5) a leader of the healthcare industry;

(6) a local school superintendent;

(7) a labor leader representing a statewide labor organization;

(8) 2 faculty members, one from a community college and one from a public university;

(9) one student; and

(10) one representative of the proprietary education sector; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the master plan shall do the following:

(1) define the public needs for higher education, through collection and analysis of data about the State's (i) social conditions, including age, race and ethnicity, family structure, family income, regional differences, educational attainment, population migration, and health characteristics; (ii) economic conditions, including industry mix, importing and exporting, economic strengths, effects of globalization, State gross domestic product, tax collections, new business starts, regional differences, personal income, and healthcare quality and availability; and (iii) educational conditions, including governance and coordination, finance, achievement gaps, student pipeline issues, healthcare and professional education, institutional focus, and regional differences;

(2) review existing policies to determine how the Illinois higher education system operates and meets the public needs of this State in such areas as (i) preparation for the workplace and college, including kindergarten through grade 12 student development, teacher and school leader preparation, dual enrollment, curriculum alignment between kindergarten through grade 12 schools and higher education, use of placement examinations, high school graduation standards, and college entrance requirements, the need for remedial coursework in colleges and universities, adult education and adult literacy, mechanisms for feedback on student and graduate performance, data systems, efficiency and productivity, marketing, and financial implications; (ii) postsecondary participation, including institutional and sector capacity, underrepresented groups, distance education, off-campus degree completion opportunities, dual enrollment, counseling, advising, and other student services, adult education, healthcare, graduate and professional training, certificate and workforce training, data systems, efficiency, and productivity, marketing, and financial implications; (iii) affordability, including adequacy of campus funding, tuition and fee policies, financial aid programs and policies (including need-based aid, merit-based aid, institutional aid, waiver programs, savings programs, loan programs, healthcare, and graduate professional training), the relationship between public funding, tuition and fees, and financial aid, data systems, and efficiency and productivity, (iv) degree completion, including counseling, advising, childcare, and other student services, underrepresented groups, off-campus degree completion, transfer agreements, the Illinois Articulation Initiative, the Course Applicability System, stop-out and dropout intervention, student goals less than a degree, and data systems, efficiency, and productivity, (v) research and economic development, focusing on critical workforce needs, workforce development, adult education and retraining, research and development, applied research activities, technology transfer, retention of graduates, health care provision and training, regional cultural resources, data systems, efficiency, and productivity, and financial implications; and (vi) learning, including student assessment, use of placement exams, achievement gaps, remediation, and student performance feedback systems; and

(3) provide recommendations for statewide goals for higher education, sector and institutional roles and responsibilities, accountability measures, coordination strategies, and a schedule for implementation; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Board of Higher Education may draw on the expertise and research of national educational consultants and State institutional policy centers; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the House and Senate higher education and higher education appropriation committees may hold hearings to explore such issues as college preparation, degree persistence and completion, affordability, the needs of nontraditional students, the effect of demographic trends on enrollments, student services, and degree completion, finance and student aid, deferred maintenance and capital needs, and other topics as determined by these committees; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Board of Higher Education shall present a preliminary report to the Task Force on its findings and conclusions based on the collection and review of data, its audit of existing policies, and public hearings; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Board of Higher Education shall provide quarterly progress reports to the Governor, legislative leaders, the House and Senate Higher Education Committees, the House Appropriations - Higher Education Committee, and the Senate Appropriations III Committee, with the first report to be completed within 3 months after the appointment of the Task Force; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall establish a public comment period and mechanisms, including public hearings and a web-based outlet for written testimony, to gather evidence and viewpoints of the public, institutional administrators, students and families, faculty, employers, local civic and educational leaders, and other interested parties and stakeholders regarding the preliminary report; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall create a master plan and public agenda for higher education that shall consider, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(1) demographics of the State's population;

(2) the State's economic and educational conditions;

(3) educational attainment levels and needs of the State's residents;

(4) integration of prekindergarten through grade 12 schools and postsecondary education in goals, outcomes, and data collection;

(5) student pipeline issues, including college readiness, articulation to college, and postsecondary retention, transfer, and graduation rates;

(6) adult learners;

(7) workforce readiness;

(8) college affordability and trends in higher education financing, financial aid, and student debt and alternatives to maximize efficient use of resources;

(9) capital needs and deferred maintenance at public colleges and universities;

(10) future academic and financial pressures for public higher education, including retention of faculty and staff;

(11) innovation in approaches to teaching and learning;

(12) the role of higher education in the global competitiveness of the State;

(13) the value of academic research;

(14) partnerships involving prekindergarten through grade 12 schools, higher education, and business; and

(15) productivity and accountability; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall report to the General Assembly and the Governor on or before August 15, 2008 with a master plan and public agenda for Illinois higher education that includes each of the following:

(1) goals for academic preparation, participation in postsecondary education, affordability, degree completion, research and economic development, and learning;

(2) responsibilities for educational sectors and financial implications;

(3) accountability measures;

(4) coordination; and

(5) timelines and responsibilities; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Governor, the Chairperson of the Board of Higher Education, the Chairperson of the Illinois Community College Board, the Chairperson of the State Board of Education, the Chairperson of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and the President of each public college and university in this State.