BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 653 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 7, 2015 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION Jose Medina, Chair AB 653 (Levine) - As Introduced February 24, 2015 SUBJECT: Postsecondary education: intersegmental coordination in governance SUMMARY: Requires the Chancellor of the California State University (CSU) and the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges (CCC), and requests the President of the University of California (UC) to coordinate the efforts of their respective segments when procuring technology and software for the purposes of enhancing student achievement; specifies the segments should develop procedures to coordinate the collection of, and to share, student performance data, as specified; and expresses the intent of the Legislature that, among other things, the segments of public higher education coordinate their efforts to invest state resources in technologies that are useful to multiple segments or campuses. Specifically, this bill: 1)Declares that the Legislature intends that all of the following occur: a) That the segments of public higher education coordinate their efforts to invest state resources in technologies that are useful to multiple segments or campuses; b) That, as these segments invest in new technologies, the AB 653 Page 2 public segments jointly leverage their combined purchasing power; c) That investments in new technology made by these segments prioritize the ability to coordinate with other segments of higher education; and, d) That these segments ease the student transfer process between systems through increased coordination in the purchasing of new technology platforms. 2)Requires the CSU Chancellor and the CCC Chancellor, and requests the UC President to, coordinate their efforts when procuring technology and software for the purposes of enhancing student achievement. 3)Specifies that the coordination required shall only apply to large-scale information technology and software purchases that benefit the three segments (UC, CSU, and CCC) of public higher education for which coordination by these segments would reduce costs and increase efficiency. 4)Stipulates that as the segments of public postsecondary education invest in, and upgrade, infrastructure and software for data storage and analysis, these segments shall develop procedures to coordinate the collection of, and to share, student performance data in a manner that is consistent with state and federal privacy law. FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown COMMENTS: Purpose of this bill. According to the author, this measure endeavors to continue the work of the UC, CSU, and CCC in the coordination of their efforts when purchasing systemwide information technology. The author states, "In the past services and resources across and within the three segments have developed in silos. That has resulted in both duplicative work and posed challenges for information to be shared." The author AB 653 Page 3 contends that the existing coordination currently taking place between the three segments is because of the innovation of the present segment leaders. The author argues that, "Nothing in current law states that the ongoing coordination must continue past the tenure of current leadership. This bill seeks to ensure that existing collaboration between the segments continues and will ensure that the doors that have been opened for coordination remain open." Current collaboration of segments. During the March 26, 2014, CSU Board of Trustees meeting, CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White, UC President Janet Napolitano, and CCC Chancellor Brice W. Harris gave a joint presentation about collaboration among the three systems. The three leaders highlighted a number of efforts that are leading to extended collaboration among the systems including, but not limited to, streamlining student transfer pathways, shared administrative services, and contracts. The segments have also launched http://www.uknowledgeshare.com , which is the CSU, CCC and UC's online collaborative site created to encourage the sharing of information, ideas and high-impact practices. Additionally, the three segments co-fund and co-manage ASSIST.org, an online tool that helps students find community college courses that are transferable to a UC or CSU campus and how those transferable courses might be used to satisfy subject matter requirements for specific majors or general education requirements. ASSIST also provides information about majors offered at UC and CSU campuses. Lastly, the three segments all participate in the Corporation AB 653 Page 4 for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC), in order to obtain cost-effective, high-bandwidth networking to support their missions and respond to the needs of their faculty, staff, and students. Previous legislation. Assembly Bill 1969 (Levine) of 2014, which was vetoed by the Governor, was similar in nature to this measure. The Governor's veto message stated, "When viable, the University of California, California State University and California Community Colleges have coordinated on major information technology projects. I prefer to maintain the current flexibility that allows the segments to identify and pursue opportunities for joint projects when it makes programmatic and fiscal sense." REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION: Support None on file. Opposition None on file. AB 653 Page 5 Analysis Prepared by:Jeanice Warden / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960