BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Alan Lowenthal, Chair
2011-2012 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 2427
AUTHOR: Butler
AMENDED: June 21, 2012
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: July 3, 2012
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Kathleen Chavira
SUBJECT : Special session fees.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the California State University (CSU),
beginning July 1, 2014 and until January 1, 2019, to annually
report to the Legislature on its Extended and Continuing
Education Program, as specified, and requires the Trustees to
publicly notice, hear, and approve any changes to special
session fees.
BACKGROUND
Current law prohibits summer session fees at UC and CSU from
exceeding the
fees charged per credit unit for any other academic term,
contingent upon the
state's provision of funding to offset any revenue losses
that may occur due to the difference between the state
university fee and fees charged for self-supporting academic
programs. Current law also requires both systems to annually
report (by January 10th) a description of summer enrollment
for their respective systems and specifies the information to
be included, including a description of their respective
efforts to increase summer enrollment.
(Education Code � 66057)
Current law authorizes the CSU to require and collect tuition
fees from students enrolled in each special session adequate
in the long run, to meet the cost of maintaining special
sessions pursuant to rules and regulations prescribed by the
Trustees. "Special sessions," at the CSU are defined to
include, but not be limited to, career enrichment and
retraining programs. Current law also declares the intent of
the Legislature that these programs, offered on a
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self-supporting basis by the CSU during summer sessions, may
be provided throughout the year, and requires that they be
available on a non-self-supporting basis during the regular
academic year. (EC � 89708)
ANALYSIS
This bill :
1) Requires the CSU to annually report to the Legislature
on the California State University Extended and
Continuing Education Program beginning July 1, 2014.
Specifically it:
a) Requires the CSU to report specified
information on the students enrolled in these
courses systemwide and campus-by campus that
includes:
i) Number of students
registered.
ii) Number of full-time equivalent
students enrolled.
iii) Number of resident undergraduate
students concurrently enrolled in state-funded
courses at the CSU and the Extended and
Continuing Education programs.
iv) Number of extension units being
taken by the concurrently enrolled students.
v) Number of courses and
units taken by concurrently enrolled students
that count toward a CSU degree or graduation
requirement.
vi) Number of students registered for
Extended and Continuing Education who are not
concurrently enrolled in state-funded CSU
courses.
b) Requires the CSU report specified
information on the courses offered on a systemwide
and campus-by-campus basis that includes:
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i) Number of undergraduate
courses offered.
ii) Fees charged for each undergraduate
course offered.
iii) The number of CSU undergraduate
courses that receive state funding for which a
corresponding or equivalent undergraduate
course is offered, including:
(1) The
number of sections offered for each
state-funded undergraduate course.
(2) The
number of sections offered for each
Extended and Continuing Education Program
undergraduate course.
(3) The
number of students enrolled in each of
the courses.
iv) To the extent possible, a five-year
trend for the information provided for each
course.
2) Sunsets these reporting requirement on January 1, 2019.
3) Requires that any changes to special session fees be
publicly noticed, heard, and approved by the CSU Board
of Trustees.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill . According to the author, while
extended education for career enhancement and non-credit
programs have always existed, over time, CSU's Extended
Education Program has grown, serving larger numbers of
adult professionals and expanding to CSU matriculated
students. As access to courses across the CSU campuses
has been compromised by the cutting of courses, students
are taking longer to graduate at a much higher cost.
According to the author, this bill would ensure
transparency in the fees paid by CSU matriculated
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students who are being charged more for Extended
Education Program courses taken towards an undergraduate
or graduate degree, such as a bachelor's, master's, or
doctoral degree.
2) Self-supporting programs at the CSU . According to the
CSU, the purpose of their Extended and Continuing
Education Programs is to support and extend the mission
of the CSU with quality programs that are affordably
priced. Under the CSU Extended and Continuing Education
Program, campuses offer baccalaureate and graduate
degree programs, certificates, and many forms of
specialized education and training for business,
industry, and government. While the composition of these
campus programs vary considerably, most maintain the
following common instructional elements:
a) Special session degree, certificate, and
credential programs.
b) Open University, (permits nonmatriculated
students to enroll in regular university courses on
a space available basis, pay self-support fees and
earn university academic credit).
c) Contract and extension credit.
d) Non-credit certificates, courses, and
programs.
e) Continuing education units.
Many campus self-support units conduct programs during
times when regular academic operations are recessed
(early January and May).
1) Special session degree programs . According to a report
presented to the CSU Board of Trustees in September
2010, in academic year 2008-09, Extended Education
offered 149 special session degree programs in high
demand fields such as business, healthcare and nursing,
biotechnology, criminal justice and education, enrolling
16,115 annual full-time equivalent students in courses
for credit. According to the CSU, revenue of more than
$165 million was generated by extension and continuing
education students taking these courses for credit
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across the 23 CSU campuses. Students enrolled in these
special session degree program courses are eligible for
financial aid, except for the Cal Grant and the CSU
State University Grant.
2) Current status of these programs . According to a report
to the Board of Trustees in September 2010, there has
been an approximate 50 percent increase in degree
program registrations in Extended and Continuing
Education Programs between 2007-2008 and 2008-2009. The
CSU notes that most of this growth has been at the
master's degree level, with a slight increase in the
number of online bachelor's degrees and degree
completion programs offered. This information was
presented as the result of a study commissioned to
review potential avenues of expansion for Extended
Education to meet the needs of CSU students and working
professionals and to supply an educated workforce in
California.
3) Current data on courses . This bill requires extensive
and somewhat duplicative reporting on courses offered
through the CSU Extended and Continuing Education
Program. Much of this information is already collected
and reported in the annual CSU Statistical Abstract
report. The most recent 2009 report, for example,
displays summary information from 1997-98 to 2008-2009,
on special session courses offered for credit including
the total number of full-time equivalent enrollments,
the total number of course sections offered, and the
total number of units in special session degree
programs, as well as in Open University and concurrent
enrollment programs. In 2008-2009, for example, 3,131
special session degree program course sections were
offered for a total of 135,341 credit units and over
46,000 enrollments.
Although the CSU offers a range of courses via its
extension programs, it appears the author's primary
interest is in courses offered for degree credit, the
impact that recent budget cuts have had on the expansion
of these courses, and the extent to which matriculated
undergraduate students are enrolling in these courses as
a result of limited access to state-funded courses.
Staff recommends the bill be amended to delete the
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current, more extensive, reporting requirements and
instead, narrow these requirements to direct the CSU to
report to the Legislature on special session degree
program courses and students on a systemwide and
campus-by-campus basis as follows:
a) The total number of students enrolled in
Extended and Continuing Education special session
degree credit courses.
b) The total number of resident undergraduate
students concurrently enrolled in state-funded
courses at the CSU and in special session degree
credit courses through the Extended and Continuing
Education programs.
c) The number of special session degree credit
courses and units offered.
d) The number of course sections and units
offered by general program/degree area.
e) The range of fees charged for the special
session degree credit courses offered.
f) To the extent possible, a five-year trend for
the information provided.
4) Current process for setting program/course fees .
Current law requires that these programs be
self-supporting, in the long run, and, according to the
CSU, each campus determines the fee level necessary for
each course for this purpose locally. The CSU reports
that, typically, campuses calculate all the expenses
that will go into the program, such as instruction,
marketing, staffing, and technology, then project an
average enrollment and arrive at a fee per unit of
revenue projections. Each campus sends a program
proposal to the Chancellor's Office when proposing a new
degree program which includes a budget indicating the
per unit fee and total cost of the program. The
Chancellor's Office reviews these proposals and may
contact the campus for further clarification or to ask
them to revisit the fees. According to the CSU, the fees
for special session degree program courses vary from
$175 - $330 per undergraduate course, to $160 - $800 for
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graduate level courses, with a few above $800 for MBA
and executive level programs.
5) Role of the Board of Trustees . Although the CSU Board
of Trustees has periodically been provided with
information on Extended Education and Continuation
Education programs, the authority for offering these
programs and establishing fees is governed by Executive
Order of the Chancellor (Executive Orders #794, and
1047). This bill requires that fees for these programs
be heard and approved by the Trustees.
Given the multitude of courses offered and the
complexity of the fee determinations necessary for the
range of courses, credentials, certificates, etc.
offered, it is probably not realistic or feasible to
expect the Trustees to be able to review/approve every
fee, or every change in fees for every program offered.
However, staff notes that the last comprehensive report
to the Board on these programs was in 2010. It could be
argued that, whether they set the fees or not, the
Trustees should be aware of the status of at least those
courses that are offered for credit, and the number of
matriculated students who are enrolling in these
programs to complete their degrees.
Staff recommends the bill be amended to delete the
requirement that the trustees approve fees and instead
require that information on special session programs and
fees be reported annually to the Trustees at a publicly
noticed regular meeting and hearing of the board.
Staff further recommends the annual report be required
to include, but not be limited to, the same information
as that provided to the Legislature as outlined in staff
comment #5.
SUPPORT
California Faculty Association
California Labor Federation
OPPOSITION
California State University
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