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2015 SESSION

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HB 2320 Cooperative degree program; Secretary of Education, et al., shall develop a plan to establish.

Introduced by: Benjamin L. Cline | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles | history

SUMMARY AS PASSED:

Cooperative online degree program plan. Requires the Secretary of Education and the Director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, in consultation with each two-year or four-year, public or private, nonprofit institution of higher education in the Commonwealth and the Virginia Community College System, to develop a plan to establish and advertise a cooperative degree program whereby any undergraduate student enrolled at any two-year or four-year, public or private, nonprofit institution of higher education in the Commonwealth may complete, through the use of online courses at any such institution, the course credit requirements to receive a degree at a tuition cost not to exceed $4,000, or such cost that is achievable, per academic year. The Secretary and Director shall report no later than October 1, 2016, to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Finance, and the Senate Committee on Education and Health on the progress made toward developing such cooperative degree program plan.

SUMMARY AS PASSED HOUSE:

Cooperative online degree program plan. Requires the Secretary of Education and the Director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, in consultation with each two-year or four-year public or private, nonprofit institution of higher education in the Commonwealth and the Virginia Community College System, to develop a plan to establish and advertise a cooperative degree program whereby any undergraduate student enrolled at any two-year or four-year public or private, nonprofit institution of higher education in the Commonwealth may complete, through the use of online courses at any such institution, the course credit requirements to receive a degree at a tuition cost not to exceed $4,000 per academic year and report no later than October 1, 2016 to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Finance, and the Senate Committee on Education and Health on the progress made toward developing such cooperative degree program plan.

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Cooperative degree; establishment of Western Governors University-Virginia. Requires the Secretary of Education, in consultation with each two-year and four-year public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth and the Virginia Community College System, to make reasonable efforts to establish and advertise a cooperative degree program whereby any undergraduate student enrolled at any such public institution of higher education may complete, through the use of online, community college, or public college or university courses, the course credit requirements to receive a degree at a tuition cost not to exceed $16,000 per academic year. The bill requires the Secretary, in the event that the establishment of such program does not succeed, to consult with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Chairman of the House Committee on Education, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Health, the Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, to establish Western Governors University-Virginia (the University) as the state affiliate of Western Governors University in the Commonwealth for the purpose of increasing the capacity for students in the Commonwealth to earn degrees from an online institution of higher education. The bill declares the University to be a private, nonprofit, online institution of higher education that shall not receive state funds except that students enrolled in the University shall be eligible to receive any state scholarship, grant, or loan established by law. The University shall be governed by the board of trustees of Western Governors University. The bill requires the founding individuals and entities to appoint members to a board to act in an advisory capacity to the board of trustees and make recommendations to the board of trustees for (i) the appointment of a president of the University and (ii) the adoption of articulation agreements between the University and each public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth.