Relating to higher education, including diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, tuition, and administrator hiring at state universities, membership of the state board of regents, and student-employer work and tuition programs at state universities and community colleges

The bill modifies the membership of the state board of regents by adding two ex officio, nonvoting members of the general assembly. The bill provides that one of these members shall be designated by the majority leader of the senate and the other member shall be designated by the speaker of the house of representatives. The bill makes conforming changes. Current law requires the state board of regents to elect a president of each institution of higher learning. The bill provides that, when electing the president, the state board of regents shall utilize a presidential selection committee that is required to provide the board with recommendations related to the best candidate for the position. The bill prohibits the state board of regents from electing a president unless the presidential selection committee recommended the election of the president. The bill establishes that only members of the state board of regents shall serve as members of the presidential selection committee. The bill authorizes the presidential selection committee to utilize the services of any person engaged in the business of placing highly qualified job candidates in leadership positions and to use moneys allocated to the committee by the state board of regents. The bill establishes that the identity of a candidate for president of an institution of higher learning being considered by the presidential selection committee shall be confidential and shall not be a public record subject to disclosure. Current law requires the state board of regents to develop a policy and adopt rules relating to the establishment of tuition rates. The bill requires these rules to provide that an institution of higher education shall not increase the total amount of tuition and mandatory fees associated with the baccalaureate degree program by more than percent of the total amount of tuition and mandatory fees charged by the institution during the immediately preceding academic year. The bill makes several modifications to the duties of the state board of regents, including requiring the board to do all of the following: direct the institutions of higher education to adopt policies that prohibit the institution from hiring any new employees to serve as administrators, with the exception of the position of president of the university; direct the institutions to structure university-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion offices; direct the institutions to regularly review the services provided by offices that support diversity or multicultural affairs to ensure that such services are available to all students and update promotional and informational materials and internet sites to clarify the mission of offices that support diversity or multicultural affairs; direct the institutions to take reasonable steps to assure that an employee, student, applicant, or campus visitor is not required to submit a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement, or be evaluated based on participation in a diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative, and that an employee, student, applicant, or campus visitor is not compelled to disclose preferred pronouns; develop a policy that each institution shall institute that prohibits the consideration of race and other protected class characteristics during the admissions process that is consistent with current federal and state law; develop a policy that each institution shall institute that contains guidance for employees of each institution related to the separation of personal political advocacy from the employee’s job duties and the business of the institution; direct the institutions to adopt policies and procedures that are designed to explore potential recruitment strategies to advance the diversity of intellectual and philosophical perspectives in faculty and staff applicant pools; and provide an annual notice to the institutions concerning the board’s policy related to institution statements on matters of public concern. The bill requires each institution of higher education governed by the state board of regents to review all college, department, and unit-level diversity, equity, and inclusion positions to determine whether diversity, equity, and inclusion-specific job responsibilities are necessary for compliance with federal or state law, accreditation, or for the provision of student or employee support services, and adjust or eliminate any such position that is not necessary for those purposes, on or before December 31, 2024. The bill requires each institution of higher education governed by the state board of regents to initiate and conduct a review of general education categories related to diversity, equity, and inclusion and update such categories to accurately reflect the array of options students may select in order to satisfy the requirements associated with such categories and to ensure a breadth of offerings. The bill requires each institution of higher education governed by the state board of regents to develop and submit to the state board of regents a proposal related to the establishment of a center, institute, or initiative that is dedicated to expanding opportunities for education and research concerning freedom of speech and civic education.