HB0656 Engrossed

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    AN ACT concerning education.

 
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    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
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represented in the General Assembly:


 
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    Section 5. The Public Community College Act is amended  by 
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adding Section 3-65 as follows:
 
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    (110 ILCS 805/3-65  new)
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    Sec. 3-65. Harper College pilot baccalaureate program.  The 
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Board of Trustees of Community College District No. 512 may 
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establish and offer a pilot program under which the district 
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may offer bachelor's degrees in 2 fields of study if all of the 
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following conditions are met:
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        (1)  The public universities in this State have the 
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    right of first refusal to offer the Bachelor of Applied 
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    Science Degree programs on the community college campus or 
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    a community college extension site in a manner that is 
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    mutually agreeable between the district and the 
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    university. If there is a disagreement on whether the 
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    university program meets local workforce needs, a 5-person 
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    panel shall be appointed to determine if the university's 
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    proposed program on the community college campus or 
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    extension site reasonably meets local workforce needs.  Two 
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    members of the panel shall be from local employers 
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    representing the applicable field of study, appointed by 
 


 






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    the Board of Trustees of Community College District No. 
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    512.  Two members of the panel shall be university officials 
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    with expertise in the applicable field of study, appointed 
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    by the board of trustees of the university submitting the 
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    program proposal.  One member shall be a Community College 
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    District No. 512 official with expertise in the applicable 
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    field of study, appointed by the Board of Trustees of 
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    Community College District No. 512.  Community College 
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    District No. 512 may only proceed with the pilot program if 
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    a majority of the panel rules that the university's 
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    proposed program on Community College District No. 512's 
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    campus or extension site does not reasonably meet local 
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    workforce needs. 
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        (2)  The Board of Trustees has determined that it has 
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    the expertise, resources, and interest to offer quality 
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    Bachelor of Applied Science Degree programs and the 
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    programs are consistent with existing board policy.
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        (3)  The district has identified and documented unmet 
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    workforce needs.
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        (4)  The degree programs will not compete with any 
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    nearby public university.
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        (5)  The degree programs will not require any additional 
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    funding from local taxes, the State, or Community College 
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    District No. 512 students not enrolled in the pilot 
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    program.  At the completion of the Community College 
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    District No. 512 pilot program, an independent audit must 
 


 






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    be conducted to determine if any of the funding for the 
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    pilot program was provided by local taxes, the State, or 
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    the community college students not enrolled in the program.
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        (6)  The Board of Higher Education has approved the 
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    offering of the degree programs in a manner consistent with 
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    approving new bachelor's degree programs at all State 
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    public universities.
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        (7)  The pilot program will expire 4 years after the 
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    initial offering of the degree programs, unless otherwise 
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    extended by law.
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    The intention of this Section is to allow Community College 
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District No. 512 to meet specific, documented workforce needs 
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in the district.  Community College District No. 512 is 
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prohibited from becoming a primarily baccalaureate 
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degree-granting, 4-year institution of higher learning. 
 

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    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 
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2009.