1 State of Arkansas
2 93rd General Assembly
3 Regular Session, 2021 HCR 1020
4
5 By: Representative M. Gray
6
7 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
8 TO ENCOURAGE COLLABORATION AMONG THE DIVISION OF
9 HIGHER EDUCATION, THE HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING
10 BOARD, AND STATE-SUPPORTED TWO-YEAR AND FOUR-YEAR
11 INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION TO STUDY THE NEED
12 FOR NEW POLICIES AND REVIEW CURRENT POLICIES RELATED
13 TO EXPANDING ACCESS TO APPLIED BACCALAUREATE AND
14 WORKFORCE DEGREES IN HIGH-DEMAND CAREER FIELDS
15 THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
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18 Subtitle
19 TO ENCOURAGE COLLABORATION AMONG THE
20 RELEVANT ENTITIES TO STUDY AND REVIEW
21 POLICIES RELATED TO EXPANDING ACCESS TO
22 APPLIED BACCALAUREATE AND WORKFORCE
23 DEGREES IN HIGH-DEMAND CAREER FIELDS
24 THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
25
26 WHEREAS, calls for increasing college completion and degree production
27 both at the state and federal levels have led many states to explore
28 increasing access to applied baccalaureate and workforce degrees in high-
29 demand career fields in order to provide a pathway for more students to earn
30 a four-year degree; and
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32 WHEREAS, Arkansas is well-positioned to explore increasing access to
33 baccalaureate and workforce degrees targeted to high-demand career fields,
34 such as the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, while also increasing
35 collaboration among two-year and four-year institutions of higher education
36 through establishing a formal partnership among colleges and universities;
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 HCR1020
1 and
2
3 WHEREAS, the Division of Higher Education and the Higher Education
4 Coordinating Board are responsible for coordinating the state's system of
5 higher education, including identifying the need for new degree programs and
6 reviewing the continuing viability of existing degree programs; and
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8 WHEREAS, external accrediting bodies are responsible for reviewing
9 academic and organizational structures of colleges and universities, as well
10 as for reviewing the quality and integrity of individual degree programs; and
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12 WHEREAS, the Higher Education Coordinating Board is specifically
13 authorized under Arkansas Code 6-61-204 to work with the presidents and
14 chancellors of this state's two-year and four-year institutions of higher
15 education to "establish advisory committees and councils as may be deemed
16 necessary for the effective development and coordination of higher education
17 in this state", including on subjects such as institutional accountability
18 and workforce development; and
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20 WHEREAS, the Higher Education Coordinating Board is further charged
21 under Arkansas Code 6-61-208 with the responsibility to evaluate and
22 approve proposals for new units of instruction to determine, based upon
23 established policies, and consistent with Arkansas Code 6-61-207, whether
24 new units of instruction are of appropriate rigor and sufficiently in demand,
25
26 NOW THEREFORE,
27 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL
28 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN:
29
30 THAT, consistent with Arkansas law and rules and policies of the
31 Division of Higher Education and the Higher Education Coordinating Board, the
32 Arkansas General Assembly encourage the Division of Higher Education to study
33 the need for new policies and review current policies related to expanding
34 applied baccalaureate and workforce degrees in high-demand career fields in
35 collaboration with the state's two-year and four-year college and university
36 presidents and chancellors, including direct involvement from both system-
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 HCR1020
1 affiliated and independent institutions that are representative of this
2 state's geography.
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