Public Act 097-0588
 
SB0122 EnrolledLRB097 06223 NHT 46298 b

    AN ACT concerning education.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Board of Higher Education Act is amended by
changing Section 9.16 as follows:
 
    (110 ILCS 205/9.16)  (from Ch. 144, par. 189.16)
    Sec. 9.16. Underrepresentation of certain groups in higher
education. To require public institutions of higher education
to develop and implement methods and strategies to increase the
participation of minorities, women and handicapped individuals
who are traditionally underrepresented in education programs
and activities. For the purpose of this Section, minorities
shall mean persons who are citizens of the United States or
lawful permanent resident aliens of the United States and who
are: (a) Black (a person having origins in any of the black
racial groups in Africa); (b) Hispanic (a person of Spanish or
Portuguese culture with origins in Mexico, South or Central
America, or the Caribbean, regardless of race); (c) Asian
American (a person having origins in any of the original people
of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent or the
Pacific Islands); or (d) American Indian or Alaskan Native (a
person having origins in any of the original people of North
America).
    The Board shall adopt any rules necessary to administer
this Section. The Board shall also do the following:
    (a) require all public institutions of higher education to
develop and submit plans for the implementation of this
Section;
    (b) conduct periodic review of public institutions of
higher education to determine compliance with this Section; and
if the Board finds that a public institution of higher
education is not in compliance with this Section, it shall
notify the institution of steps to take to attain compliance;
    (c) provide advice and counsel pursuant to this Section;
    (d) conduct studies of the effectiveness of methods and
strategies designed to increase participation of students in
education programs and activities in which minorities, women
and handicapped individuals are traditionally
underrepresented, and monitor the success of students in such
education programs and activities;
    (e) encourage minority student recruitment and retention
in colleges and universities. In implementing this paragraph,
the Board shall undertake but need not be limited to the
following: the establishment of guidelines and plans for public
institutions of higher education for minority student
recruitment and retention, the review and monitoring of
minority student programs implemented at public institutions
of higher education to determine their compliance with any
guidelines and plans so established, the determination of the
effectiveness and funding requirements of minority student
programs at public institutions of higher education, the
dissemination of successful programs as models, and the
encouragement of cooperative partnerships between community
colleges and local school attendance centers which are
experiencing difficulties in enrolling minority students in
four-year colleges and universities;
    (f) mandate all public institutions of higher education to
submit data and information essential to determine compliance
with this Section. The Board shall prescribe the format and the
date for submission of this data and any other education equity
data; and
    (g) report to the General Assembly and the Governor
annually with a description of the plans submitted by each
public institution of higher education for implementation of
this Section, including financial data relating to the most
recent fiscal year expenditures for specific minority
programs, the effectiveness of such plans and programs and the
effectiveness of the methods and strategies developed by the
Board in meeting the purposes of this Section, the degree of
compliance with this Section by each public institution of
higher education as determined by the Board pursuant to its
periodic review responsibilities, and the findings made by the
Board in conducting its studies and monitoring student success
as required by paragraph d) of this Section. With respect to
each public institution of higher education such report also
shall include, but need not be limited to, information with
respect to each institution's minority program budget
allocations; minority student admission, retention and
graduation statistics; admission, retention, and graduation
statistics of all students who are the first in their immediate
family to attend an institution of higher education; number of
financial assistance awards to undergraduate and graduate
minority students; and minority faculty representation. This
paragraph shall not be construed to prohibit the Board from
making, preparing or issuing additional surveys or studies with
respect to minority education in Illinois.
(Source: P.A. 90-730, eff. 8-10-98.)