110 ILCS 205/9.16

(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 an equity plan and practices that include methods and strategies to increase the access, retention, completion, and student loan repayment rates of minorities, rural students, adult students, women, and individuals with disabilities who are traditionally underrepresented in education programs and activities. To encourage private institutions of higher education to develop and implement an equity plan and practices. For the purpose of this Section, minorities shall mean persons who are any of the following:

(1) American Indian or Alaska Native (a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America, including Central America, and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment).

(2) Asian (a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, but not limited to, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam).

(3) Black or African American (a person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa).

(4) Hispanic or Latino (a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race).

(5) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands).

The Board shall adopt any rules necessary to administer this Section. The Board, in collaboration with the Illinois Community College Board, shall also do the following:

(a) require all public institutions of higher education to develop and submit an equity plan and implement practices that, at a minimum, close gaps in enrollment, retention, completion, and student loan repayment rates for underrepresented groups and encourage all private institutions of higher education to develop and submit such equity plans and implement such practices;

(b) conduct periodic review of public institutions of higher education and private 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 and outcomes of the methods and strategies outlined in an institution's equity plan, as well as others designed to increase participation and success of students in education programs and activities in which minorities, rural students, adult students, women, and individuals with disabilities are traditionally underrepresented, and monitor and report the outcomes for students as a result of the implementation of equity plans;

(e) require components of an institution's equity plan to include strategies to increase minority student recruitment, retention, and student loan repayment rates 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 and private institutions of higher education for minority student recruitment, retention, and student loan repayment rates, including requirements to establish campus climate and culture surveys, the review and monitoring of minority student services, programs, and supports implemented at public institutions of higher education and private 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 services, programs, and supports at public institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, the dissemination of successful programs as models, and the encouragement of cooperative partnerships between community colleges, local school attendance centers, and 4-year colleges and universities to support enrollment of minority students;

(f) mandate all public institutions of higher education and encourage all private 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 and each private institution of higher education for implementation of this Section, including financial data relating to the most recent fiscal year, 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 and each private 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 outcomes and institutional success as required by paragraph (d) of this Section. With respect to each public institution of higher education and each private 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 and student loan repayment rate statistics; admission, retention, graduation, and student loan repayment rate statistics of all students who are the first in their immediate family to attend an institution of higher education; number of financial assistance awards, not including student loans, 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. 102-465, eff. 1-1-22; 102-1030, eff. 5-27-22; 102-1046, eff. 6-7-22; 103-154, eff. 6-30-23.)