A measure meant to better align education and employment in Indiana could impact the types of courses public colleges and universities are allowed to offer.
SB 448 requires — rather than allows — the Commission for Higher Education to approve new degrees or programs. The commission must consider factors like the degree’s enrollment and completion rate, its job market supply and demand, compensation and job placement rate.
Additionally, all current programs must be re-approved by the commission within the next 10 years. All programs must be re-evaluated every 10 years thereafter. CHE Commissioner Chris Lowery said there are currently more than 3,000 programs and degrees at Indiana’s public postsecondary institutions.
Sen. Greg Goode (R-Terre Haute) is the bill’s author. He said the point is to increase partnership and alignment between higher education and the state’s workforce.
“I want to make sure that we do it in a collaborative way, not in a heavy-handed way,” he said.
But Rep. Ed Delaney (D-Indianapolis) said the commission could choose not to approve programs it doesn’t view as valuable. He said job training is not the only point of a college education.
“They can teach things that are useless if they enjoy them, if people want to study them,” he said.
Jeff Brantley, a senior vice president with the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, said the commission couldchoose not to approve some programs, but that’s not the goal.
“It is possible the commission could determine [a program is] not of value. It doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. It just means the commission has a stronger role, a clarified role, here,” he said.
The measure would also require state colleges and universities to evaluate their staffing needs during tenure reviews and share their review process with the commission.
Kirsten is our education reporter. Contact her at kadair@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @kirsten_adair .
