Postsecondary institution minimum standard requirements created

Senators gave final round approval April 28 to a bill that creates minimum operation standards for private and out-of-state postsecondary institutions.

York Sen. Greg Adams introduced LB637, a bill that requires the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education to establish minimum standard requirements and levels of operations, establish rules and regulations, review applications for postsecondary institutions and investigate violators of the bill. If the commission finds that a postsecondary institution has violated the rules and regulations, the institution’s authorization to operate could be suspended or revoked.

Any private postsecondary career school or institution that is regulated by a federal agency will be exempt from the bill.

The bill also will:
• enable the University of Nebraska to offer certificates in additional fields upon approval from the commission if the preponderance of the courses comprising any such certificate are above associate-degree level;
• require a study of the need for uniform policies and practices regarding dual-enrollment courses and career academies; and
• allocate $160,000 to the state Department of Education for a three-year pilot project in participating school districts for the administration of a standard college admission test for 11th grade students beginning in fiscal year 2011-12.

The bill passed on a 48-0 vote.