Introduced Version




HOUSE BILL No. 1139

_____


DIGEST OF INTRODUCED BILL



Citations Affected: IC 21-27.

Synopsis: Higher education accountability and reporting. Requires a state educational institution to prepare annual reports concerning measures of institutional accountability and intellectual diversity. Requires the reports to be submitted to the commission on higher education and the general assembly and to be published on the Internet web sites of state educational institutions.

Effective: July 1, 2008.



Noe


    January 8, 2008, read first time and referred to Committee on Education.




Introduced

Second Regular Session 115th General Assembly (2008)


PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type, additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
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HOUSE BILL No. 1139


    A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning higher education.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:

SOURCE: IC 21-27-10; (08)IN1139.1.1. -->     SECTION 1. IC 21-27-10 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE AS A NEW CHAPTER TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2008]:
     Chapter 10. Institutional Accountability
    Sec. 1. As used in this chapter, "report" refers to the annual accountability report a state educational institution is required to prepare, submit, and publish under section 2 of this chapter.
    Sec. 2. (a) Not later than November 1 of each year, a state educational institution shall:
        (1) prepare;
        (2) submit to:
            (A) the commission on higher education; and
            (B) the general assembly, in an electronic format under IC 5-14-6; and
        (3) publish on the state educational institution's Internet web site;
an annual accountability report for the previous academic year (as

defined in IC 21-12-1-3) that contains the information required by section 3 of this chapter.
    (b) A state educational institution that has more than one (1) campus shall prepare, submit, and publish a separate report for each campus.
    Sec. 3. A report must contain the following information concerning the state educational institution's undergraduate degree programs:
        (1) The institutional profile and student demographic data for the state educational institution, including the following information:
            (A) The state educational institution's purpose and mission.
            (B) Admission standards for the state educational institution and each college and academic degree program within the state educational institution.
            (C) A clear, accurate, comprehensive, and updated description of the student body profile, including:
                (i) the number and percentage of students enrolled by national and state residency, and, for students with Indiana residency, the number and percentage of students enrolled by county residency;
                (ii) demographic information on the composition of the student body; and
                (iii) the average ACT or Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores of incoming students.
            (D) Tuition, fees, and total costs, including average costs for books and laboratory fees by academic degree program.
            (E) Affordability factors, including average student loan amounts, the percentage of students receiving financial aid, the average amount of financial aid received, and the source and type of financial aid received.
            (F) Crime rates.
        (2) Measures of academic quality, including the following information for each college and academic degree program:
            (A) The percentage of faculty with terminal degrees.
            (B) The average teaching load by academic discipline.
            (C) The general education requirements for each academic degree program, including the amount and type of general education.
            (D) The criteria for transfer into each academic degree

program.
            (E) The process for evaluating the effectiveness of each academic degree program and the program's desired student outcomes.
            (F) A clear explanation of student outcomes expected in each academic degree program and how the outcomes are measured.
            (G) Criteria for measuring satisfactory academic progress for the state educational institution.
        (3) Student progress and outcome measures, including the following information for each college and academic degree program:
            (A) First to second year student retention rates.
            (B) Graduation rates after four (4), five (5), and six (6) years.
            (C) Transfer rates.
            (D) Percentage of students in each academic year taking remedial courses.
            (E) The average time to earn a degree.
            (F) Average scores on externally validated, nationally benchmarked outcome assessments in core areas, including writing, mathematics, and general education, if applicable.
            (G) Measures of student and employer satisfaction.
            (H) Average scores on graduate admission tests and licensure tests taken by students.
            (I) Admission rates for bachelor's degree recipients into graduate programs.

SOURCE: IC 21-27-11; (08)IN1139.1.2. -->     SECTION 2. IC 21-27-11 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE AS A NEW CHAPTER TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2008]:
    Chapter 11. Intellectual Diversity in State Educational Institutions
    Sec. 1. As used in this chapter, "intellectual diversity" refers to a learning environment that exposes students to a variety of political, ideological, religious, and other perspectives when the perspectives relate to the subject matter being taught or issues being discussed.
    Sec. 2. (a) Not later than November 1 of each year, a state educational institution shall:
        (1) prepare;
        (2) submit to:
            (A) the commission on higher education; and
            (B) the general assembly, in an electronic format under IC 5-14-6; and
        (3) publish on the state educational institution's Internet web site;
an annual report for the previous academic year (as defined in IC 21-12-1-3) that contains the information concerning intellectual diversity at the state educational institution set forth under section 3 of this chapter.
    (b) A state educational institution that has more than one (1) campus shall prepare, submit, and publish a separate report for each campus.
    Sec. 3. A report on campus intellectual diversity shall address specific measures taken by the state educational institution to ensure and promote intellectual diversity on each campus. Measures taken may include the following:
        (1) Conducting studies to assess the current state of intellectual diversity on a campus.
        (2) Incorporating intellectual diversity into institutional statements, grievance procedures, and activities on diversity.
        (3) Encouraging a variety of campuswide panels and speakers, and annually publishing the names of panelists and speakers.
        (4) Establishing clear campus policies that ensure that hecklers or threats of violence do not silence speakers.
        (5) Including intellectual diversity concerns in the state educational institution's guidelines on teaching and program development.
        (6) Including intellectual diversity issues in student course evaluations.
        (7) Developing hiring, tenure, and promotion policies that protect individuals against viewpoint discrimination and tracking reported grievances.
        (8) Establishing clear campus policies to ensure freedom for the press for students and reporting incidents of student newspaper thefts or destruction.
        (9) Establishing clear campus policies to prohibit viewpoint discrimination in the distribution of student fee funds.
        (10) Eliminating speech codes that unduly restrict freedom of speech.
        (11) Creating an ombudsman on intellectual diversity or specifically charging an existing ombudsman with monitoring the state of intellectual diversity.