A4431

An Act establishing the “College Credit Requirement Commission.”

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. There is established a College Credit Requirement Commission for the purpose of: examining issues related to the number of credits necessary to complete an associate degree or a baccalaureate degree, and the number of mandated credits that are outside a student’s academic major; and to develop recommendations on reducing the credit requirements in order to increase the affordability of higher education in New Jersey. The commission shall consist of 11 members as follows: the Secretary of Higher Education, ex officio, or a designee; the Chair of the New Jersey Presidents’ Council, ex officio, or a designee; three members appointed by the Governor, including a representative of a public research university, a representative of a State college or university established pursuant to chapter 64 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, and a student who is enrolled in a public institution of higher education in the State; three members appointed by the President of the Senate, including a representative of a county college, and two public members, one upon the recommendation of the Minority Leader of the Senate; and three members appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, including a representative of an independent institution of higher education, and two public members, one upon the recommendation of the Minority Leader of the General Assembly.

2. Appointments to the commission shall be made within 30 days of the effective date of this act. Vacancies in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made.

3. Members of the commission shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties within the limits of funds made available to the commission for its purposes.

4. The commission shall organize as soon as practicable, but no later than 30 days following the appointment of the members. The commission shall choose a chairperson from among its members and shall appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the commission.

5. The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education shall provide such staff and related support services as the commission requires to carry out its work. The commission also shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available to it for its purposes.

6. It shall be the duty of the College Credit Requirement Commission to study issues related to the academic credit requirements for associate and baccalaureate degree programs and academic majors at New Jersey’s public and independent institutions of higher education. The commission shall:

a. solicit and review information from all of the public and independent institutions of higher education in the State on the number of academic credits required in each institution’s degree programs;

b. examine the savings generated for students by reducing the number of credits required for an associate or baccalaureate degree, reducing the number of credits that are not directly applicable to a student’s academic major, and the potential impact any reduction may have on the institution’s ability to provide the student with a fully-developed degree program;

c. examine policies that cap the credit requirements for baccalaureate degree programs at 120 credits and associate degree programs at 60 credits;

d. review select degree programs which require the accrual of additional credits above 60 and 120 credits due to industry or professional standards, and examine the necessity of those additionally required credits; and

e. review initiatives in other states designed to increase the affordability of higher education by addressing academic credit requirements, including legislative proposals and the adoption of best practices.

7. The commission shall issue a report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor, and the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), no later than 12 months after the commission organizes.

8. This act shall take effect immediately, and the commission shall expire 30 days after the submission of its report.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes a College Credit Requirement Commission to study the link between credit requirements and college affordability. Under the bill, the commission will consist of 11 members including: the Secretary of Higher Education and the Chair of the New Jersey Presidents’ Council, or their designees; three members appointed by the Governor, including a representative of a public research university, a representative of a State college or university, and a student who is enrolled in a public institution of higher education in the State; three members appointed by the President of the Senate, including a representative of a county college, and two public members, one upon the recommendation of the Minority Leader of the Senate; and three members appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, including a representative of an independent institution of higher education, and two public members, one upon the recommendation of the Minority Leader of the General Assembly.

It will be the duty of the commission to study issues related to the academic credit requirements for associate and baccalaureate degree programs and academic majors at New Jersey’s public and independent institutions of higher education. The commission will, at a minimum:

· solicit and review information from all of the public and independent institutions of higher education in the State on the number of academic credits required in each institution’s degree programs;

· examine the savings generated for students by reducing the number of credits required for an associate or baccalaureate degree, reducing the number of credits that are not directly applicable to a student’s academic major, and the potential impact any reduction may have on the institution’s ability to provide the student with a fully-developed degree program; and

· examine initiatives in other states to increase the affordability of higher education by addressing academic credit requirements.

The bill directs the commission to issue a final report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature no later than 12 months after the commission organizes. The commission will expire 30 days after the submission of the final report.

It is the sponsor’s intent that since credit adjustments have previously been made for some advanced academic degrees, including certain five-year master degree programs and six-year doctoral degree programs, that similar credit adjustments should be made for associate and baccalaureate degree programs and for academic majors at New Jersey’s public and independent institutions of higher education.