AICUP Government Relations Update
- Revenue Projections
Pennsylvania collected $2.3 billion in General Fund revenue in September, which was $69.8 million, or 3.1 percent, more than anticipated. Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $5.8 billion, which is $75.8 million, or 1.3 percent, above estimate.
Sales tax receipts, personal income tax (PIT) revenue, and corporation tax revenue were all above the estimate. While optimistic, one quarter is not sufficient to indicate that the state is going to address the potential $3-5 billion structural deficit in the state general fund.
- USC Application to Offer MA in Teaching in Pennsylvania
AICUP, several individual private colleges and universities, PAC-TE and the State System of Higher Education have raised issues about the application of the University of Southern California to offer a Master’s of Arts in Teaching. AICUP sent testimony to the Department of Education and outlined these concerns:
· Pennsylvania teacher education programs recently went through significant changes related to Chapter 49.2 certification regulations and guidelines. It appears that the USC program will not be based on these same requirements.
· A portion of the program is provided online and it is not clear how the Department will monitor this portion of the program and ensure that it is integrated with on-site practicum.
· USC performed no needs analysis for this program, which appears to be duplicative of other existing programs in the Commonwealth.
· Consumers may be confused about the benefits and credentials attached to this program.
AICUP and PAC-TE have cooperated on testimony and Mary Young will present testimony in late November or early December for AICUP. PAC-TE has also indicated that they will have someone testify. USC maintains that it is not training teachers for Pennsylvania but for the California market, which has a need for an additional 100,000 teachers in the upcoming years. However, these CA-certified teachers could still apply for out-of-state certification under PDE’s policies and be able to teach in Pennsylvania with this certification. The Department has maintained that in-state certification is not possible for USC’s program. However, PDE has a very weak review process and to my knowledge has never disapproved a request for a foreign entity to grant degrees in the state. USC has established this type of program in 33 other states. AICUP is asking for the disapproval of this program in Pennsylvania.
Update: USC Withdrew its application
- Update on State Legislation
AICUP has been monitoring more than 100 bills this legislative session. The State House and Senate passed an omnibus higher education bill (HB 101) in on October 12. The Governor has until October 22 to sign this legislation but has stated publicly that he will not sign the bill. Clearly these higher education provisions have major support in the Assembly and could be passed in an upcoming session or in a different format. These provisions include:
· Science Technology Partnerships (Science in Motion).
· Older Pennsylvanian Higher Education Program.
· College textbook affordability, accountability and accessibility legislation.
· Sexual Violence Awareness education program.
Update: This Bill became a law without the Governor's signature on 11/22/2010
- Complete College America
President Obama has set a high goal for the United States to have the most college graduates by 2020. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United States now ranks tenth among industrialized nations in the percentage of 25-34 year olds with an Associate’s degree or higher, and stands as one of the only nations where older adults are more educated than younger adults. OECD data also show that the United States ranks near the bottom of industrialized nations in the percentage of entering students who complete a degree program.
Many other foundations and quasi-political organizations have made increasing the college-educated US population a major goal. The Lumina Foundation recently released “A Stronger Nation Through Higher Education,” which includes a detailed explanation of the goal to significantly increase higher education attainment. The report provides a state-by-state and county-by county analysis of college attainment. The Gates Foundation has also supported a number of initiatives to increase college attendance and completion, mostly at community colleges.
The National Governor’s Association (NGA) produced a document entitled “Complete to Compete: Common College Completion Metrics.” NGA’s Common College Completion Metrics are recommendations on the common higher education measures that all states should collect and report publicly. These metrics can be used to monitor system performance and inform future policy decisions. A major thrust in the collection of these metrics is to build a longitudinal data system. Metrics are organized into two categories –outcome metrics and progress metrics.
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Outcome Metrics
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Progress Metrics
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Degrees awarded
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Enrollment in Remedial Education
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Graduation Rates
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Success in Remedial Education
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Transfer Rates
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Success in First Year College Courses
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Time and Credits to Degree
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Credit Accumulation
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Retention Rates
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Course Completion
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Complete College America is a new organization started by a former Indiana SHHEO with the goal of building an Alliance of States “ready to act to significantly increase the number of students successfully completing college and achieving degrees and credentials with value in the labor market and close attainment gaps for traditionally underrepresented populations.” Twenty-three (23) states have signed up for this alliance, including Pennsylvania.
AICUP has been monitoring this issue since Pennsylvania is involved. We want to be certain that private colleges and universities are allowed to participate in any funding and programs intended to improve college completion. At this point, PDE has had very little contact with colleges and universities about this initiative. Instead the Department has put forward its transfer and articulation program as evidence of its efforts in this area. AICUP has told PDE staff that we are prepared to assist in the initiative. Thus far, we have participated in one conference call on this topic. PDE lost its staff person assigned to this issue and is in the process of replacing him. Not much is happening at this time.