Bill Text: FL S0266 | 2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Higher Education
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (? 3-1)
Status: (Passed) 2023-05-16 - Chapter No. 2023-82, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/HB 1035 (Ch. 2023-38) [S0266 Detail]
Download: Florida-2023-S0266-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Higher Education
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (? 3-1)
Status: (Passed) 2023-05-16 - Chapter No. 2023-82, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/HB 1035 (Ch. 2023-38) [S0266 Detail]
Download: Florida-2023-S0266-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2023 SB 266
By Senator Grall
29-01465B-23 2023266__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to higher education; amending s.
3 1001.706, F.S.; revising the mission of each state
4 university; revising requirements for the Board of
5 Governors’ strategic plan relating to the goals and
6 objectives of the State University System; requiring
7 each state university to submit documentation of its
8 efforts to promote specified educational topics and
9 information relating to the removal of certain
10 courses; requiring the Board of Governors to annually
11 require each state university to include certain
12 information in its economic security report;
13 authorizing a post-tenure review of state university
14 faculty at any time, with cause; amending s.
15 1001.7065, F.S.; requiring each state university to
16 annually report certain research expenditures of a
17 specified amount; creating s. 1001.725, F.S.;
18 providing that each state university board of trustees
19 is responsible for hiring faculty; authorizing the
20 board to delegate hiring authority to the president;
21 prohibiting a university from using specified methods
22 in its hiring process; authorizing each state
23 university board of trustees to review any faculty
24 member’s tenure status; requiring each state
25 university board of trustees to confirm specified
26 employee reappointments and contracts; requiring each
27 state university president to annually present
28 specified performance evaluations and salaries to the
29 board of trustees; amending s. 1004.06, F.S.;
30 prohibiting specified educational institutions from
31 expending funds to promote specified concepts;
32 providing construction; amending s. 1004.6496, F.S.;
33 authorizing the Board of Trustees of the University of
34 Florida to use funds to establish and fund the
35 Hamilton College for Classical and Civic Education;
36 revising the goals of the college; providing powers of
37 the college; amending s. 1004.6499, F.S.; renaming the
38 Florida Institute of Politics at the Florida State
39 University as the Florida Institute for Governance and
40 Civics; providing the goals of the institute; amending
41 s. 1004.64991, F.S.; authorizing the Adam Smith Center
42 for the Study of Economic Freedom to perform certain
43 tasks in order to carry out its established purpose;
44 amending s. 1007.25, F.S.; revising how general
45 education core courses are established; requiring the
46 Commissioner of Education and Chancellor of the State
47 University System to consider approval of certain
48 courses; requiring faculty committees to submit
49 recommendations to the Articulation Coordinating
50 Committee and the commissioner relating to certain
51 courses by a specified date and every three years
52 thereafter; prohibiting general education core courses
53 from teaching certain topics or presenting information
54 in specified ways; providing requirements for general
55 education core courses; requiring specified
56 educational institutions to offer certain courses;
57 creating s. 1007.55, F.S.; providing legislative
58 findings; requiring the Articulation Coordinating
59 Committee to submit an annual report to specified
60 entities relating to courses that have been approved
61 as meeting specified requirements to be used by public
62 postsecondary educational institutions; providing
63 requirements for general education courses; requiring
64 public postsecondary educational institution boards of
65 trustees and presidents to annually review and approve
66 general education requirements; providing a penalty
67 for failing to meet such review and approval
68 requirements; requiring public postsecondary
69 educational institutions to report certain courses to
70 the department; amending s. 1008.47, F.S.; removing a
71 prohibition against a public postsecondary institution
72 from being accredited by the same accrediting body for
73 multiple consecutive accreditation cycles; providing
74 an effective date.
75
76 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
77
78 Section 1. Paragraphs (a) through (d) of subsection (5) and
79 paragraph (b) of subsection (6) of section 1001.706, Florida
80 Statutes, are amended to read:
81 1001.706 Powers and duties of the Board of Governors.—
82 (5) POWERS AND DUTIES RELATING TO ACCOUNTABILITY.—
83 (a) The Legislature intends that the Board of Governors
84 shall align the missions of each constituent university with the
85 academic success of its students; the education for citizenship
86 of the constitutional republic; the alignment of its programs to
87 Florida’s existing and emerging workforce needs; the national
88 reputation of its faculty and its academic and research
89 programs; the quantity of externally generated research,
90 patents, and licenses; and the strategic and accountability
91 plans required in paragraphs (b) and (c). The Board of Governors
92 shall periodically review the mission of each constituent
93 university and make updates or revisions as needed. Upon
94 completion of a review of the mission, the board shall review
95 existing academic programs to ensure alignment with the mission.
96 The board shall include in its review direction to each
97 constituent university to examine its programs for the inclusion
98 of any specified major or minor in critical race theory, gender
99 studies, or intersectionality or any derivative major of these
100 belief systems, that is, any major that engenders beliefs in
101 those concepts defined in s. 1000.05(4)(a). The mission
102 alignment and strategic plan shall consider peer institutions at
103 the constituent universities. The mission alignment and
104 strategic plan shall acknowledge that universities that have a
105 national and international impact have the greatest capacity to
106 promote the state’s economic development through: new
107 discoveries, patents, licenses, and technologies that generate
108 state businesses of global importance; research achievements
109 through external grants and contracts that are comparable to
110 nationally recognized and ranked universities; the creation of a
111 resource rich academic environment that attracts high-technology
112 business and venture capital to the state; and this generation’s
113 finest minds focusing on solving the state’s economic, social,
114 environmental, and legal problems in the areas of life sciences,
115 water, sustainability, energy, and health care. A nationally
116 recognized and ranked university that has a global perspective
117 and impact shall be afforded the opportunity to enable and
118 protect the university’s competitiveness on the global stage in
119 fair competition with other institutions of other states in the
120 highest Carnegie Classification.
121 (b) The Board of Governors shall develop a strategic plan
122 specifying goals and objectives for the State University System
123 and each constituent university, including each university’s
124 contribution to overall system goals and objectives. The
125 strategic plan must:
126 1. Include performance metrics and standards common for all
127 institutions and metrics and standards unique to institutions
128 depending on institutional core missions, including, but not
129 limited to, student admission requirements, the education for
130 citizenship of the constitutional republic, retention,
131 graduation, percentage of graduates who have attained
132 employment, percentage of graduates enrolled in continued
133 education, licensure passage, industry certification attainment,
134 average wages of employed graduates, average cost per graduate,
135 excess hours, student loan burden and default rates, faculty
136 awards, total annual research expenditures, patents, licenses
137 and royalties, intellectual property, startup companies, annual
138 giving, endowments, and well-known, highly respected national
139 rankings for institutional and program achievements.
140 2. Consider reports and recommendations of the Florida
141 Talent Development Council under s. 1004.015 and the
142 Articulation Coordinating Committee under s. 1007.01.
143 3. Include student enrollment and performance data
144 delineated by method of instruction, including, but not limited
145 to, traditional, online, and distance learning instruction.
146 4. Include criteria for designating baccalaureate degree
147 and master’s degree programs at specified universities as high
148 demand programs of emphasis. The programs of emphasis list
149 adopted by the Board of Governors before July 1, 2021, shall be
150 used for the 2021-2022 academic year. Beginning in the 2022-2023
151 academic year, the Board of Governors shall adopt the criteria
152 to determine value for and prioritization of degree credentials
153 and degree programs established by the Credentials Review
154 Committee under s. 445.004 for designating high-demand programs
155 of emphasis. The Board of Governors must review designated
156 programs of emphasis, at a minimum, every 3 years to ensure
157 alignment with the prioritization of degree credentials and
158 degree programs identified by the Credentials Review Committee.
159 5. Include criteria for nondegree credential offerings.
160 (c) The Board of Governors shall develop an accountability
161 plan for the State University System and each constituent
162 university. The accountability plan must address institutional
163 and system achievement of goals and objectives specified in the
164 strategic plan adopted pursuant to paragraph (b) and must be
165 submitted as part of its legislative budget request. Each
166 university shall submit, as a component of the university’s
167 annual accountability plan, information on the effectiveness of
168 its plan for improving 4-year graduation rates and the level of
169 financial assistance provided to students pursuant to paragraph
170 (h). In addition, each university must submit documentation of
171 its efforts to promote the education for citizenship of the
172 constitutional republic and the cultivation of the intellectual
173 autonomy of its undergraduates. It must also submit, as a
174 component of the university’s annual accountability plan,
175 information on the university’s process to remove from its
176 course catalogues any specified major or minor in critical race
177 theory, gender studies, or intersectionality or any derivative
178 major of these belief systems, that is, any major that engenders
179 beliefs in those concepts described in s. 1000.05(4)(a).
180 (d) Beginning in the 2014-2015 academic year and annually
181 thereafter, The Board of Governors shall annually require a
182 state university prior to registration to provide each enrolled
183 student electronic access to the economic security report of
184 employment and earning outcomes prepared by the Department of
185 Economic Opportunity pursuant to s. 445.07. In addition, the
186 Board of Governors shall require a state university to provide
187 each student electronic access to the following information each
188 year prior to registration using the data described in s.
189 1008.39:
190 1. The top 25 percent of degrees reported by the university
191 in terms of highest full-time job placement and highest average
192 annualized earnings in the year after earning the degree.
193 2. The bottom 10 percent of degrees reported by the
194 university in terms of lowest full-time job placement and lowest
195 average annualized earnings in the year after earning the
196 degree.
197 (6) POWERS AND DUTIES RELATING TO PERSONNEL.—
198 (b) The Board of Governors may adopt a regulation requiring
199 each tenured state university faculty member to undergo a
200 comprehensive post-tenure review every 5 years. Each university
201 may initiate a post-tenure review of a faculty member at any
202 time, with cause. The board may include other considerations in
203 the regulation, but the regulation must address:
204 1. Accomplishments and productivity;
205 2. Assigned duties in research, teaching, and service;
206 3. Performance metrics, evaluations, and ratings; and
207 4. Recognition and compensation considerations, as well as
208 improvement plans and consequences for underperformance.
209 Section 2. Paragraph (m) is added to subsection (2) of
210 section 1001.7065, Florida Statutes, to read:
211 1001.7065 Preeminent state research universities program.—
212 (2) ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH EXCELLENCE STANDARDS.—The
213 following academic and research excellence standards are
214 established for the preeminent state research universities
215 program and shall be reported annually in the Board of Governors
216 Accountability Plan:
217 (m) Total annual research expenditures of $50 million or
218 more benefiting STEM-related occupations, businesses, or
219 industry partners located in this state and currently employing,
220 or seeking to employ, residents of this state.
221 Section 3. Section 1001.725, Florida Statutes, is created
222 to read:
223 1001.725 University boards of trustees; personnel.—
224 (1) Each university board of trustees is responsible for
225 hiring faculty. The president may provide hiring recommendations
226 to the board. The president and the board are not bound by
227 recommendations or opinions of faculty or other individuals or
228 groups.
229 (a) The board may delegate its hiring authority to the
230 president; however, the president may not delegate hiring
231 authority, and the board shall approve or deny any selection by
232 the president.
233 (b) A university is prohibited from using diversity,
234 equity, and inclusion statements, critical race theory, or other
235 forms of political identity filters as part of the hiring
236 process, including as part of employment applications, including
237 applications for promotion and tenure, conditions of employment,
238 or reviewing job qualifications. This prohibition applies to all
239 hiring at the institution, including the president.
240 (2) Each university board of trustees may, at the request
241 of its chair, initiate a process to review any faculty member’s
242 tenure status.
243 (3) Each university board of trustees shall confirm its
244 president’s selection and reappointment of the university’s
245 executive management team members and their respective contracts
246 and annual salaries, in accordance with the university’s
247 personnel program established by the Board of Governors.
248 Contracts and responsibilities of the president and executive
249 team members, including, but not limited to, provost positions,
250 must explicitly delineate that the duties of positions, other
251 than the president, are limited to administrative oversight and
252 operational supervision of curricular, instructional, and
253 research affairs, as applicable to the position.
254 (4) Each university president shall annually present to his
255 or her board of trustees for review the results of performance
256 evaluations and associated salaries of all evaluated personnel
257 earning an annual compensation of $200,000 or more, regardless
258 of fund source.
259 Section 4. Section 1004.06, Florida Statutes, is amended to
260 read:
261 1004.06 Prohibited expenditures.—
262 (1) No Florida College System institution, state
263 university, Florida College System institution direct-support
264 organization, or state university direct-support organization
265 shall expend any funds, regardless of source, to purchase
266 membership in, or goods and services from, any organization that
267 discriminates on the basis of race, national origin, gender, or
268 religion.
269 (2)(a) No Florida College System institution, state
270 university, Florida College System institution direct-support
271 organization, or state university direct-support organization
272 may expend any funds, regardless of source, to promote, support,
273 or maintain any programs or campus activities that violate s.
274 1000.05(4)(a) or that espouse diversity, equity, and inclusion
275 or critical race theory rhetoric.
276 (b) Programs required for compliance with federal
277 regulations, or access programs for military veterans, Pell
278 Grant recipients, first generation college students,
279 nontraditional students, “2+2” transfer students from the
280 Florida College System, students from low-income families, or
281 students with unique abilities, are not prohibited by this
282 subsection.
283 Section 5. Section 1004.6496, Florida Statutes, is amended
284 to read:
285 1004.6496 Hamilton College Center for Classical and Civic
286 Education.—
287 (1) By July 1, 2024, the Board of Trustees of the
288 University of Florida may use funds as provided in the General
289 Appropriations Act and charitable donations to establish and
290 fund the Hamilton College Center for Classical and Civic
291 Education as an academic unit within the University of Florida.
292 The purpose of the college center is to support teaching and
293 research concerning the ideas, traditions, and texts that form
294 the foundations of Western and American civilization.
295 (2) The goals of the college center are to:
296 (a) Educate university students in core texts and great
297 debates of Western civilization and the Great Books.
298 (b) Educate university students in the principles, ideals,
299 and institutions of the American political order.
300 (c) Educate university students in the foundations of
301 responsible leadership and informed citizenship.
302 (d) Provide programming and training related to civic
303 education and the values of open inquiry and civil discourse to
304 support the K-20 system.
305 (e) Coordinate with the Florida Institute for Governance
306 and Civics of Politics created pursuant to s. 1004.6499 and the
307 Adam Smith Center for the Study of Economic Freedom created
308 pursuant to s. 1004.64991 and assist in the curation and
309 implementation of Portraits in Patriotism created pursuant to s.
310 1003.44.
311 (3) In order to carry out the purposes set forth in
312 subsection (2), the college is authorized to:
313 (a) Hire necessary faculty and staff;
314 (b) Enroll students;
315 (c) Develop curriculum and offer new courses, including
316 honors courses, certificates, and major and minor programs;
317 (d) Award degrees;
318 (e) Hold events, including fundraisers;
319 (f) Fulfill other actions approved by the president of the
320 university; and
321 (g) Generate resources based on student credit hour
322 enrollment, in the same manner as any other college within the
323 institution.
324 (4) The president of the university may hire a dean for the
325 college, subject to the approval of the board of trustees.
326 (a) If at any time the position of dean becomes vacant, the
327 president of the university may appoint a faculty member of the
328 college to serve as the acting dean. The president of the
329 university may remove the dean in accordance with the policies
330 and procedures established at the university.
331 (b) The dean of the college must report directly to the
332 president of the university.
333 (c) The dean of the college has the same delegated
334 authority, in the same manner, as any other dean at the
335 university.
336 (5) Faculty of the college may be awarded tenure subject to
337 the tenure policies of the university.
338 (6) Funds appropriated specifically to the college may not
339 be used for any other purpose at the university; however, the
340 university can provide additional funding as available to the
341 college.
342 Section 6. Section 1004.6499, Florida Statutes, is amended
343 to read:
344 1004.6499 Florida Institute for Governance and Civics of
345 Politics.—
346 (1) The Florida Institute for Governance and Civics of
347 Politics is established at the Florida State University within
348 the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. The purpose of
349 the institute is to provide the southeastern region of the
350 United States with a world class, bipartisan, nationally
351 renowned institute of politics.
352 (2) The goals of the institute are to:
353 (a) Provide students with access to an interdisciplinary
354 hub that will develop academically rigorous scholarship and
355 coursework on the origins of the American system of government,
356 its foundational documents, its subsequent political traditions
357 and evolutions, and its impact on comparative political systems
358 Motivate students throughout the Florida State University to
359 become aware of the significance of government and civic
360 engagement at all levels and politics in general.
361 (b) Encourage civic literacy in this state through the
362 development of educational tools and resources for K-12 and
363 postsecondary students which foster an understanding of how
364 individual rights, constitutionalism, separation of powers, and
365 federalism function within the American system Provide students
366 with an opportunity to be politically active and civically
367 engaged.
368 (c) Model civic discourse that recognizes the importance of
369 viewpoint diversity, intellectual rigor, and an evidence-based
370 approach to history Nurture a greater awareness of and passion
371 for public service and politics.
372 (d) Plan and host forums to allow students and guests to
373 hear from exceptional individuals who have excelled in a wide
374 range of sectors of American life, to highlight the
375 possibilities created by individual achievement and
376 entrepreneurial vision and interact with experts from
377 government, politics, policy, and journalism on a frequent
378 basis.
379 (e) Become a national and state resource on using polling
380 instruments and other assessments to measure civic literacy and
381 make recommendations for improving civic education information
382 and survey methodology.
383 (f) Provide fellowships and internship opportunities to
384 students in government, nonprofit organizations, and community
385 organizations.
386 (g) Create through scholarship, original research,
387 publications, symposia, testimonials, and other means a body of
388 resources that can be accessed by students, scholars, and
389 government officials to understand the innovations in public
390 policy in this state over a rolling 30-year time period Provide
391 training sessions for newly elected state and local public
392 officials.
393 (h) Organize and sponsor conferences, symposia, and
394 workshops throughout this state to educate and inform citizens,
395 elected officials, and appointed policymakers regarding
396 effective policymaking techniques and processes.
397 (i) Create and promote research and awareness regarding
398 politics, citizen involvement, and public service.
399 (j) Collaborate with related policy institutes and research
400 activities at the Florida State University and other
401 institutions of higher education to motivate, increase, and
402 sustain citizen involvement in public affairs.
403 Section 7. Subsection (3) is added to section 1004.64991,
404 Florida Statutes, to read:
405 1004.64991 The Adam Smith Center for the Study of Economic
406 Freedom.—
407 (3) In order to carry out the purpose set forth in this
408 section, the institute is authorized to:
409 (a) Hire necessary faculty and staff;
410 (b) Enroll students;
411 (c) Develop curriculum and offer new courses, including
412 honors courses, certificates, and major and minor programs;
413 (d) Award degrees;
414 (e) Hold events, including fundraisers;
415 (f) Fulfill other actions approved by the president of the
416 university; and
417 (g) Generate resources based on student credit hour
418 enrollment, in the same manner as any other college within the
419 institution.
420 Section 8. Subsection (3) of section 1007.25, Florida
421 Statutes, is amended to read:
422 1007.25 General education courses; common prerequisites;
423 other degree requirements.—
424 (3) The chair of the State Board of Education and the chair
425 of the Board of Governors, or their designees, shall jointly
426 appoint faculty committees to review and recommend to the
427 Articulation Coordinating Committee for approval by the
428 Commissioner of Education and Chancellor of the State University
429 System identify statewide general education core course options
430 for inclusion in the statewide course numbering system
431 established under s. 1007.24. Faculty committees shall, by
432 December 1, 2023, and by December 1 every 3 years thereafter,
433 review and submit recommendations to the Articulation
434 Coordinating Committee and the commissioner for the removal,
435 alignment, realignment, or addition of general education core
436 courses that satisfy the requirements of this subsection.
437 (a) General education core course options shall consist of
438 a maximum of five courses within each of the subject areas of
439 communication, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, and
440 natural sciences. The core courses may be revised, or the five
441 course maximum within each subject area may be exceeded, if
442 approved by the State Board of Education and the Board of
443 Governors, as recommended by the subject area faculty committee
444 and approved by the Articulation Coordinating Committee as
445 necessary for a subject area.
446 (b) Each general education core course option must contain
447 high-level academic and critical thinking skills and common
448 competencies that students must demonstrate to successfully
449 complete the course.
450 (c) General education core courses may not suppress or
451 distort significant historical events or include a curriculum
452 that teaches identity politics, such as critical race theory, or
453 defines American history as contrary to the creation of a new
454 nation based on universal principles stated in the Declaration
455 of Independence.
456 (d) General education core courses must meet the following
457 standards:
458 1. Communication courses must afford students the ability
459 to communicate effectively, including the ability to write
460 clearly and engage in public speaking, through engagement with
461 the Western literary tradition.
462 2. Humanities courses must afford students the ability to
463 think critically through the mastering of subjects concerned
464 with human culture, especially literature, history, art, music,
465 and philosophy.
466 3. Social science courses must afford students an
467 understanding of the basic social and behavioral science
468 concepts and principles used in the analysis of behavior and
469 past and present social, political, and economic issues.
470 4. Natural science courses must afford students the ability
471 to critically examine and evaluate the principles of the
472 scientific method, model construction, and use the scientific
473 method to explain natural experiences and phenomena.
474 5. Mathematics courses must afford students a mastery of
475 foundational mathematical and computation models and methods by
476 applying such models and methods in problem solving.
477 (e) Beginning with students initially entering a Florida
478 College System institution or state university in 2015-2016 and
479 thereafter, each student must complete at least one identified
480 core course in each subject area as part of the general
481 education course requirements. Beginning in the 2022-2023
482 academic year and thereafter, students entering a technical
483 degree education program as defined in s. 1004.02(13) must
484 complete at least one identified core course in each subject
485 area as part of the general education course requirements before
486 a degree is awarded.
487 (f) All public postsecondary educational institutions shall
488 offer at least one general education core course in each of the
489 identified subject areas and accept these courses as meeting
490 general education core course requirements upon transfer,
491 regardless of whether the receiving institution offers the
492 identical general education core courses. The remaining general
493 education course requirements shall be identified by each
494 institution as approved in accordance with this section and
495 listed in the statewide course numbering system and reported to
496 the department by their statewide course number.
497 (g) The general education core course options shall be
498 adopted in rule by the State Board of Education and in
499 regulation by the Board of Governors.
500 Section 9. Section 1007.55, Florida Statutes, is created to
501 read:
502 1007.55 General education course principles, standards, and
503 content.—
504 (1) The Legislature finds it necessary to ensure that every
505 undergraduate student of a Florida public postsecondary
506 educational institution graduates as an informed citizen through
507 participation in rigorous general education courses that promote
508 values necessary to preserve the constitutional republic through
509 traditional, historically accurate, and high-quality coursework.
510 Courses with a curriculum based on unproven, theoretical, or
511 exploratory content are best suited as elective or specific
512 program prerequisite credit, not general education credit.
513 (2) In performing its duties under ss. 1007.24 and 1007.25,
514 by July 1, 2023, and each July 1 thereafter, the Articulation
515 Coordinating Committee shall submit to the State Board of
516 Education and Board of Governors courses that have been approved
517 to be used by public postsecondary educational institutions as
518 meeting the additional general education requirements.
519 (3) General education courses must meet the following
520 criteria:
521 (a) Be in the general education core subject areas and meet
522 the course standards as provided in s. 1007.25;
523 (b) Be offered by at least half of all public postsecondary
524 educational institutions;
525 (c) Be identified as lower level in the statewide course
526 numbering system; and
527 (d) Whenever applicable, promote the philosophical
528 underpinnings of Western civilization and include studies of
529 this nation’s historical documents, such as the United States
530 Constitution, the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments, and
531 the Federalist Papers.
532 (4) If a course is approved as a general education course,
533 that course must be accepted as a general education course, in
534 the same subject area and regardless of whether it is offered by
535 the institution, by all public postsecondary educational
536 institutions.
537 (5) Public postsecondary educational institution boards of
538 trustees and presidents are responsible for annually reviewing
539 and approving, at a public meeting, general education course
540 requirements, as authorized and approved in accordance with ss.
541 1007.24 and 1007.25 and this section, at their respective
542 institutions. Public postsecondary educational institutions that
543 fail to comply with the requirements of this section are not
544 eligible to receive performance-based funding pursuant to ss.
545 1001.66 and 1001.92.
546 (6) Public postsecondary educational institutions must
547 report courses meeting institutional general education subject
548 requirements to the department by their statewide course number.
549 Section 10. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section
550 1008.47, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
551 1008.47 Postsecondary education institution accreditation.—
552 (2) ACCREDITATION.—
553 (a) By September 1, 2022, the Board of Governors or the
554 State Board of Education, as applicable, shall identify and
555 determine the accrediting agencies or associations best suited
556 to serve as an accreditor for public postsecondary institutions.
557 Such accrediting agencies or associations must be recognized by
558 the database created and maintained by the United States
559 Department of Education. A public postsecondary institution may
560 not be accredited by the same accrediting agency or association
561 for consecutive accreditation cycles. In the year following
562 reaffirmation or fifth-year review by its accrediting agencies
563 or associations, each public postsecondary institution must seek
564 and obtain accreditation from an accrediting agency or
565 association identified by the Board of Governors or State Board
566 of Education, respectively, before its next reaffirmation or
567 fifth-year review date. The requirements in this section are
568 limited to a one-time change in accreditation. The requirements
569 of this subsection are not applicable to those professional,
570 graduate, departmental, or certificate programs at public
571 postsecondary institutions that have specific accreditation
572 requirements or best practices, including, but not limited to,
573 law, pharmacy, engineering, or other similarly situated
574 educational programs.
575 Section 11. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.
