SB0122eng 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB0122 Engrossed LRB097 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;

(e-5) require all public institutions of higher education to track the status of those students who are the first in their family to attend an institution of higher education;

(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; number of financial assistance awards to undergraduate and graduate minority students; and minority faculty representation; and the status of those students who are the first in their family to attend an institution of higher education. 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.)