Full Text of HJR0052 99th General Assembly
HJ0052eng 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 52
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois Public Agenda for College and Career | 3 | | Success has documented the critical role higher education plays | 4 | | in economic recovery and growth, particularly in ensuring the | 5 | | State has an educated workforce to meet the needs of business | 6 | | and industry; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois Public Agenda for College and Career | 8 | | Success recommends that the Board of Higher Education, in | 9 | | consultation with other State agencies for education, | 10 | | employment, and economic development, "increase the number of | 11 | | high-quality postsecondary credentials to meet the demands of | 12 | | the economy and an increasingly global society"; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Illinois has committed to the goal that 60% of its | 14 | | workforce will hold a high-quality college credential by 2025 | 15 | | to ensure its economic future; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Most recent projections from the Georgetown | 17 | | University Center on Education and the Workforce are that 70% | 18 | | of Illinois jobs will require postsecondary education by 2020; | 19 | | and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Currently, only 42.5% of the State's nearly 7 | 21 | | million working-age adults between the ages of 25 and 64 years |
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| 1 | | hold at least a 2-year college degree; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, There is a critical need for Illinois institutions | 3 | | of higher education to increase the number of postsecondary | 4 | | degrees in fields of critical skills shortages, such as | 5 | | healthcare, construction, computer technology, public safety, | 6 | | and mechanical fields; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Illinois' economic success requires providing | 8 | | college credentials aligned with current and future workforce | 9 | | needs at the State and regional levels; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Achieving workforce needs depends upon additional | 11 | | strategic State investment in higher education, along with | 12 | | improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of the higher | 13 | | education system; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Working age adults attempting to return to school | 15 | | to complete certificates and degrees in high-demand fields face | 16 | | many barriers to success; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois Council of Community College | 18 | | Presidents has recommended that the community college system be | 19 | | allowed to grant 4-year baccalaureate degrees for nursing and | 20 | | other applied career areas; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The development of postsecondary degree programs | 2 | | should be predicated on evidence of the needs of Illinois | 3 | | residents rather than institutional interests; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, The Board of Higher Education has the statutory | 5 | | authority and responsibility to review all applications for new | 6 | | academic degree programs for public community colleges and | 7 | | universities; therefore, be it
| 8 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 9 | | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | 10 | | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Board of Higher Education | 11 | | establish a Higher Education Commission on the Future of the | 12 | | Workforce; and be it further
| 13 | | RESOLVED, That the Commission shall be comprised of 11 | 14 | | members, including one senator appointed by the President of | 15 | | the Senate, one senator appointed by the Minority Leader of the | 16 | | Senate, one representative appointed by the Speaker of the | 17 | | House of Representatives, one representative appointed by the | 18 | | Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, and the | 19 | | remaining 7 members appointed by the Board of Higher Education | 20 | | to represent a cross-section of the education, employment, and | 21 | | economic development communities, as well as experts in quality | 22 | | postsecondary degree creation; and be it further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That the Board of Higher Education shall provide | 2 | | administrative support to the Commission; and be it further | 3 | | RESOLVED, That the Commission's study shall include, but | 4 | | not be limited to the following: | 5 | | (1) examining and analyzing current and projected | 6 | | workforce needs for each economic region of the State and | 7 | | postsecondary degree and credential production capacity | 8 | | and goals; | 9 | | (2) identifying State, regional, and national partners | 10 | | available to support efficient and effective delivery of | 11 | | postsecondary credential and degree programs aligned with | 12 | | regional workforce needs; | 13 | | (3) determining current policies and practices in | 14 | | Illinois being utilized among Illinois' public and private | 15 | | colleges and universities for partnerships for degree | 16 | | completion; | 17 | | (4) examining opportunities for expanding | 18 | | postsecondary certificates and associate and baccalaureate | 19 | | completions using effective and efficient strategies and | 20 | | partnerships among high schools, technical schools, | 21 | | community colleges, and 4-year colleges and universities; | 22 | | (5) developing distance and online learning, as well as | 23 | | competency-based credits to serve place-bound and adult | 24 | | learners, including military personnel and veterans; | 25 | | (6) examining incentives for students to enter and |
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| 1 | | complete degree programs in critical-needs areas, | 2 | | particularly aimed at underemployed and displaced workers; | 3 | | (7) examining improvements in student advising, | 4 | | including articulation, transfer, and acceptance of | 5 | | credits to streamline the education pipeline to the | 6 | | workforce; | 7 | | (8) providing incentives, including financial | 8 | | assistance, for working adults and individuals with | 9 | | substantial college credit, but no degree, to complete | 10 | | college degrees; | 11 | | (9) analyzing best practices implemented in other | 12 | | states for incentivizing certificate and degree | 13 | | completion, including incentives for students and for | 14 | | colleges and universities; and be it further
| 15 | | RESOLVED, That the Commission shall report to the General | 16 | | Assembly and the Governor 6 months from the formation of the | 17 | | Commission; and be it further | 18 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 19 | | delivered to the Governor, the chairperson of the Board of | 20 | | Higher Education, the chairperson of the Illinois Community | 21 | | College Board, the chairperson of the State Board of Education, | 22 | | the chairperson of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, | 23 | | the chairperson of the Employment Security Advisory Board, and | 24 | | the president of each public and private college and university |
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| 1 | | in the State.
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