Bill Amendment: FL S1720 | 2013 | Regular Session

NOTE: For additional amemendments please see the Bill Drafting List

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Bill Title: Education

Status: 2013-05-20 - Chapter No. 2013-51, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/CS/SB 1076 (Ch. 2013-27), SB 1500 (Ch. 2013-40) [S1720 Detail]

Download: Florida-2013-S1720-Appropriations_Committee_Amendment_619490.html

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       Florida Senate - 2013                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. PCS (621676) for CS for SB 1720
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 619490                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  03/28/2013           .                                
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       The Committee on Appropriations (Galvano) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete lines 347 - 520
    4  and insert:
    5         (j) Four hundred or more doctoral degrees awarded annually,
    6  as reported in the Board of Governors Annual Accountability
    7  Report.
    8         (k) Two hundred or more postdoctoral appointees annually,
    9  as reported in the TARU annual report.
   10         (l) An endowment of $500 million or more, as reported in
   11  the Board of Governors Annual Accountability Report.
   12         (3) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY DESIGNATION.—The
   13  Board of Governors shall designate each state research
   14  university that meets at least 11 of the 12 academic and
   15  research excellence standards identified in subsection (2) a
   16  preeminent state research university.
   17         (4) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE FOR
   18  ONLINE LEARNING.—The state research university that has attained
   19  the highest level on the academic and research excellence
   20  standards identified in subsection (2), as verified by the Board
   21  of Governors, shall establish an institute for online learning.
   22  The institute shall establish a robust offering of high-quality,
   23  fully online baccalaureate degree programs at an affordable cost
   24  in accordance with this subsection.
   25         (a) By August 1, 2013, the Board of Governors shall convene
   26  an advisory board to support the development of high-quality,
   27  fully online baccalaureate degree programs at the preeminent
   28  university.
   29         (b) The advisory board shall:
   30         1. Offer expert advice, as requested by the preeminent
   31  university, in the development and implementation of a business
   32  plan to expand the offering of high-quality, fully online
   33  baccalaureate degree programs.
   34         2. Authorize the release of funding to the preeminent
   35  university subject to appropriation in the General
   36  Appropriations Act and upon approval by the Board of Governors
   37  of the plan developed by the preeminent university.
   38         3. Monitor, evaluate, and report on the implementation of
   39  the plan to the Board of Governors, the Governor, the President
   40  of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
   41         (c) The advisory board shall be composed of the following
   42  five members:
   43         1. The chair of the Board of Governors or the chair’s
   44  permanent designee.
   45         2. A member with expertise in online learning, appointed by
   46  the Board of Governors.
   47         3. A member with expertise in global marketing, appointed
   48  by the Governor.
   49         4. A member with expertise in cloud virtualization,
   50  appointed by the President of the Senate.
   51         5. A member with expertise in disruptive innovation,
   52  appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
   53         (d) The president of the preeminent university shall be
   54  consulted on the advisory board member appointments.
   55         (e) A majority of the advisory board constitutes a quorum,
   56  elect the chair, and appoint an executive director.
   57         (f) By September 1, 2013, the university shall submit to
   58  the advisory board a comprehensive plan to expand high-quality,
   59  fully online baccalaureate degree program offerings. The plan
   60  must include:
   61         1. Existing on-campus general education courses and
   62  baccalaureate degree programs that will be offered online.
   63         2. New courses that will be developed and offered online.
   64         3. Support services that will be offered to students
   65  enrolled in online baccalaureate degree programs.
   66         4. A tuition and fee structure that meets the requirements
   67  in paragraph (k) for online courses, baccalaureate degree
   68  programs, and student support services.
   69         5. A timeline for offering, marketing, and enrolling
   70  students in the online baccalaureate degree programs.
   71         6. A budget for developing and marketing the online
   72  baccalaureate degree programs.
   73         7. Detailed strategies for ensuring the success of students
   74  and the sustainability of the online baccalaureate degree
   75  programs.
   76  
   77  Upon recommendation of the plan by the advisory board and
   78  approval by the Board of Governors, the Board of Governors shall
   79  award the university funds for implementation of the online
   80  baccalaureate degree program, as provided in the General
   81  Appropriations Act.
   82         (g) Beginning in January 2014, the university shall offer
   83  high-quality, fully online baccalaureate degree programs that:
   84         1. Accept full-time, first-time-in-college students.
   85         2. Have the same rigorous admissions criteria as equivalent
   86  on-campus degree programs.
   87         3. Offer curriculum of equivalent rigor to on-campus degree
   88  programs.
   89         4. Offer rolling enrollment or multiple opportunities for
   90  enrollment throughout the year.
   91         5. Do not require any on-campus courses. However, for
   92  courses or programs that require clinical training or
   93  laboratories that cannot be delivered online, the university
   94  shall offer convenient locational options to the student, which
   95  may include, but are not limited to, the option to complete such
   96  requirements at a summer-in-residence on the university campus.
   97  The university may provide a network of sites at convenient
   98  locations and contract with commercial testing centers or
   99  identify other secure testing services for the purpose of
  100  proctoring assessments or testing.
  101         6. Apply the university’s existing policy for accepting
  102  credits for both freshman applicants and transfer applicants.
  103         (h) The university may offer a fully online Masters in
  104  Business Administration degree program and other masters degree
  105  programs.
  106         (i) The university may develop and offer degree programs
  107  and courses that are competency based as appropriate for the
  108  quality and success of the program.
  109         (j) The university shall periodically expand its offering
  110  of online baccalaureate degree programs to meet student and
  111  market demands.
  112         (k) The university shall establish a tuition structure for
  113  its online institute in accordance with this paragraph,
  114  notwithstanding any other provision of law.
  115         1. For students classified as residents for tuition
  116  purposes, tuition for an online baccalaureate degree program
  117  shall be set at no more than 75 percent of the tuition rate as
  118  specified in the General Appropriations Act pursuant to s.
  119  1009.24(4) and 75 percent of the tuition differential pursuant
  120  to s. 1009.24(16). No distance learning fee, fee for campus
  121  facilities, or fee for on-campus services may be assessed,
  122  except that online students shall pay the university’s
  123  technology fee, financial aid fee, and Capital Improvement Trust
  124  Fund fee. The revenues generated from the Capital Improvement
  125  Trust Fund fee shall be dedicated to the university’s institute
  126  for online learning.
  127         2. For students classified as nonresidents for tuition
  128  purposes, tuition may be set at market rates in accordance with
  129  the business plan.
  130         3. Tuition for an online degree program must include all
  131  costs associated with instruction, materials, and enrollment,
  132  excluding costs associated with the provision of textbooks
  133  pursuant to s. 1004.085 and physical laboratory supplies.
  134         4. Subject to the limitations in subparagraph 1., tuition
  135  may be differentiated by degree program as appropriate to the
  136  instructional and other costs of the program in accordance with
  137  the business plan. Pricing must incorporate innovative
  138  approaches that incentivize persistence and completion,
  139  including, but not limited to, a fee for assessment, a bundled
  140  or all-inclusive rate, and sliding scale features.
  141         5. The university shall accept advance payment contracts
  142  and student financial aid.
  143         6. Fifty percent of the net revenues generated from the
  144  online institute of the university shall be used to enhance and
  145  enrich the online institute offerings, and 50 percent of the net
  146  revenues generated from the online institute shall be used to
  147  enhance and enrich the university’s campus state-of-the-art
  148  research programs and facilities.
  149         7. The institute may charge additional local user fees
  150  pursuant to s. 1009.24(14) upon the approval of the Board of
  151  Governors.
  152         8. The institute shall submit a proposal to the president
  153  of the university authorizing additional user fees for the
  154  provision of voluntary student participation in activities and
  155  additional student services.
  156         (5) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY SUPPORT.—The state
  157  research university that has attained the highest level on the
  158  academic and research excellence standards identified in
  159  subsection (2), as verified by the Board of Governors, shall
  160  submit to the Board of Governors a 5-year benchmark plan with
  161  target rankings on key performance metrics for national
  162  excellence. Upon approval by the Board of Governors, and upon
  163  the university’s meeting the benchmark plan goals annually, the
  164  Board of Governors shall award the university funding for this
  165  purpose, as provided in the General Appropriations Act.
  166         (6) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY ENHANCEMENT
  167  INITIATIVE.—The state research university that has attained the
  168  second highest level on the academic and research excellence
  169  standards identified in subsection (2), as verified by the Board
  170  of Governors, shall submit to the Board of Governors a 5-year
  171  benchmark plan with target rankings on key performance metrics
  172  for national excellence. Upon the university’s meeting the
  173  benchmark plan goals annually, the Board of Governors shall
  174  award the university funding as provided in the General
  175  Appropriations Act for the purpose of recruiting National
  176  Academy Members, expediting the provision of a masters degree in
  177  cloud virtualization, and instituting an entrepreneurs-in
  178  residence program throughout its campus.
  179         (7) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY SPECIAL COURSE
  180  REQUIREMENT AUTHORITY.—In order to provide a jointly shared
  181  educational experience, a university that is designated a
  182  preeminent state research university may require its incoming
  183  first-time-in-college students to take a 9-to-12-credit set of
  184  unique courses specifically determined by the university and
  185  published on the university’s website. The university may
  186  stipulate that credit for such courses may not be earned through
  187  any acceleration mechanism pursuant to s. 1007.27 or s. 1007.271
  188  or any other transfer credit. All accelerated credits earned up
  189  to the limits specified in ss. 1007.27 and 1007.271 shall be
  190  applied toward graduation at the student’s request.
  191         (8) PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY FLEXIBILITY
  192  AUTHORITY.—The Board of Governors is encouraged to identify and
  193  grant all reasonable, feasible authority and flexibility to
  194  ensure that a designated preeminent state research university is
  195  free from unnecessary restrictions.
  196         (9) PROGRAMS OF EXCELLENCE THROUGHOUT THE STATE UNIVERSITY
  197  SYSTEM.—The Board of Governors is encouraged to establish
  198  standards and measures whereby individual programs in state
  199  universities which objectively reflect national excellence can
  200  be identified and make recommendations to the Legislature as to
  201  how any such programs could be enhanced and promoted.
  202  
  203  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  204         And the title is amended as follows:
  205         Delete lines 26 - 66
  206  and insert:
  207         establishing academic and research excellence
  208         standards for a university to be designated a
  209         preeminent state research university; providing for a
  210         preeminent state research university to establish an
  211         institute for online learning; providing duties and
  212         responsibilities of an advisory board, the university,
  213         and the Board of Governors to provide high-quality,
  214         fully online baccalaureate degree programs, including
  215         establishment of a tuition structure for the
  216         institute; providing for the award of funding to
  217         preeminent state research universities based upon
  218         performance and subject to appropriation; authorizing
  219         a preeminent state research university to establish
  220         special course requirements; providing for preeminent
  221         state research university flexibility; encouraging the
  222         Board of Governors to promote additional programs of
  223         excellence; amending s. 1004.02,