|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
relating to agreements for the automatic admission to public |
|
institutions of higher education of certain undergraduate transfer |
|
students and to reports by those institutions of information |
|
relating to the transfer students. |
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
SECTION 1. Section 51.801, Education Code, is amended to |
|
read as follows: |
|
Sec. 51.801. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter, "general |
|
academic teaching institution," "governing board," "medical and |
|
dental unit," "public junior college," "public state college," |
|
"public technical institute," and "university system" have the |
|
meanings assigned by Section 61.003. |
|
SECTION 2. Subchapter U, Chapter 51, Education Code, is |
|
amended by adding Section 51.806 to read as follows: |
|
Sec. 51.806. AUTOMATIC ADMISSION AGREEMENTS: UNDERGRADUATE |
|
TRANSFER STUDENTS FROM TWO-YEAR INSTITUTIONS. (a) The governing |
|
board of a general academic teaching institution shall enter into a |
|
written agreement with at least one public junior college, public |
|
state college, or public technical institute under which the |
|
general academic teaching institution is required to admit as an |
|
undergraduate transfer student each applicant for admission to the |
|
institution: |
|
(1) who, in the academic year for which the applicant |
|
is applying for admission under this section or in the preceding |
|
academic year, was enrolled at that public junior college, public |
|
state college, or public technical institute; and |
|
(2) who has completed, exclusively at that college or |
|
institute or at that college or institute and one or more other |
|
colleges or institutes each of which is a party to an agreement with |
|
the same governing board under this section, not fewer than 24 |
|
semester credit hours in the core curriculum with a cumulative |
|
grade point average of at least a 3.0 on a four-point scale or the |
|
equivalent. |
|
(b) In an agreement under this section, the governing board |
|
of the general academic teaching institution may limit the |
|
admission of applicants under this section to a particular program |
|
or school within the institution. |
|
(c) An agreement under this section may be modified annually |
|
on the request of either party to the agreement. The modification |
|
may take effect only for an academic year occurring after the second |
|
anniversary of the date the agreement is modified. |
|
(d) To qualify for admission under this section, an |
|
applicant to a general academic teaching institution must submit an |
|
application before the expiration of any application filing |
|
deadline established by the institution. |
|
(e) After admitting an applicant under this section, the |
|
general academic teaching institution may review the applicant's |
|
record and any other factor the institution considers appropriate |
|
to determine whether the applicant may require additional |
|
preparation for college-level work or would benefit from inclusion |
|
in a retention program. The institution may require a student so |
|
identified to enroll during the summer immediately after the |
|
student is admitted under this section to participate in |
|
appropriate enrichment courses and orientation programs. This |
|
section does not prohibit a student who is not determined to need |
|
additional preparation for college-level work from enrolling, if |
|
the student chooses, during the summer immediately after the |
|
student is admitted under this section. |
|
(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, |
|
admission to a specific general academic teaching institution is |
|
contingent on the availability of space within the institution for |
|
the admission of additional students. The governing board of the |
|
general academic teaching institution shall make a good faith |
|
effort to provide the necessary space for students admitted under |
|
this section. |
|
SECTION 3. Section 51.4032, Education Code, as added by |
|
Chapter 694, Acts of the 79th Legislature, Regular Session, 2005, |
|
is amended to read as follows: |
|
Sec. 51.4032. ANNUAL REPORT OF PARTICIPATION IN HIGHER |
|
EDUCATION. (a) Not later than July 31 of each year and in the form |
|
prescribed by the coordinating board, each general academic |
|
teaching institution and medical and dental unit as defined in |
|
Section 61.003 shall provide to the Texas Higher Education |
|
Coordinating Board a report describing the composition of the |
|
institution's entering class of students, including transfer |
|
students. The report must include a demographic breakdown of the |
|
class, including a breakdown by race, ethnicity, and economic |
|
status. A report submitted by a general academic teaching |
|
institution or medical and dental unit as defined by [in] Section |
|
61.003 must include separate demographic breakdowns of the students |
|
admitted under Sections 51.803, 51.804, [and] 51.805, and 51.806. |
|
(b) At the time the institution or unit provides the report |
|
to the coordinating board, the institution or unit shall provide to |
|
the Legislative Budget Board the information in the report relating |
|
to the transfer students admitted under Section 51.806. |
|
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|
Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |