General Assembly>Division of Legislative Services>Publications>Session Summaries>2008>Educational Institutions

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Educational Institutions

Passed

P HB513

Virginia State University Board of Visitors. Increases the Virginia State University Board of Visitors from 11 to 15 members, establishes the term of office of the four additional members, and makes technical and clarifying amendments. This bill is identical to SB 389.
Patron - Dance

P HB524

Eligibility for in-state tuition; certain military personnel. Provides that in determining the domiciliary intent of retired military personnel residing in the Commonwealth at the time of their retirement, or the domiciliary intent of their dependent spouse or children who claim domicile through them, who voluntarily elect to establish Virginia as their permanent residence for domiciliary purposes, the requirement to prove domiciliary intent in Virginia for one year is waived. Also, provides that any active duty members, activated guard or reservist members, or guard or reservist members mobilized or on temporary active orders for six months or more, who are either stationed or assigned by their military service to a work location in Virginia and are residing in Virginia are entitled to in-state tuition.
Patron - Suit

P HB766

Fraudulent academic credentials; penalty. Makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to operate a degree/diploma mill and to issue or manufacture a fraudulent academic credential or for a person to use one.
Patron - Tata

P HB978

Property transfer; Virginia Tech. Authorizes the board of visitors of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, with the approval of the Governor, to convey 95 acres to the Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc. to allow the expansion of the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center. This bill is identical to SB 119.
Patron - Nutter

P HB979

Tuition Assistance Grants; eligibility. Provides that students attending the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine shall be eligible for the Tuition Assistance Grant Program. However, no student who enrolled at the college as a full-time student prior to the fall of 2009 shall be eligible for the Tuition Assistance Grant Program.
Patron - Nutter

P HB989

Board of visitors; University of Virginia. Provides that all appointments made on or after July 1, 2008, to the board of visitors must be for terms of four years that commence on July 1 of the first year of appointment. Such terms expire on June 30 of the year of scheduled expiration, including appointments made before July 1, 2008. This bill is identical to SB 569.
Patron - Bell

P HB1005

Institutions of higher education; notification of mental health treatment. Requires the board of visitors or other governing board of any public institution of higher education to establish policies and procedures requiring the notification of a parent of a dependent student when such student receives mental health treatment at the institution's student health or counseling center and it has been determined that there exists a substantial likelihood that, as a result of mental illness the student will, in the near future, (i) cause serious physical harm to himself or others as evidenced by recent behavior or any other relevant information or (ii) suffer serious harm due to his lack of capacity to protect himself from harm or to provide for his basic human needs. This bill incorporates HB 671 and HB 1251.
Patron - Bell

P HB1058

Institutions of higher education; release of educational records. Requires the board of visitors or other governing board of any public institution of higher education to establish policies and procedures requiring the release of a student's educational record if the parent requesting the record claims the student as a dependent.
Patron - Amundson

P HB1124

Management agreement with Virginia Commonwealth University. Provides a management agreement between the Commonwealth of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University pursuant to the Restructured Higher Education Financial and Administrative Operations Act. This bill is identical to SB 358.
Patron - Jones, S.C.

P HB1390

Public institutions of higher education; operational authority. Provides operational authority for public institutions of higher education in the areas of information technology, procurement, and capital outlay pursuant to the Restructuring Act of 2005.
Patron - Putney

P HB1438

Educational institutions; governmental instrumentalities. Names Richard Bland College of the College of William and Mary as a governmental instrumentality. This bill contains an emergency clause.
Patron - Cox

P HB1449

Public institutions of higher education; crisis and emergency management plans. Requires the board of visitors or other governing body of each public institution of higher education to develop, adopt, and keep current a written crisis and emergency management plan. Such plan must be reviewed and revised every four years. The Department of Emergency Management must assist institutions, as needed, in their development of the plan. The bill also requires each board of visitors to establish a threat assessment team to develop a campus-wide threat assessment policy, and to establish a first warning notification and emergency broadcast system. This bill incorporates HB 489, HB 1268, and HB 1316. This bill is identical to SB 256, SB 538, and SB 539, combined.
Patron - Crockett-Stark

P SB98

Longwood University; board of visitors. Increases the Longwood University board of visitors from 11 to 13 members and makes clarifying amendments.
Patron - Ruff

P SB119

P SB219

Roanoke Higher Education Authority. Removes Virginia Intermont College from the Board of Trustees that governs the Authority.
Patron - Edwards

P SB256

P SB358

P SB389

Virginia State University; Board of Visitors. Increases the VSU Board of Visitors from 11 to 15 members, establishes the term of office of the four additional members, and makes technical and clarifying amendments. This bill is identical to HB 513.
Patron - Martin

P SB442

P SB510

Institutions of higher education; student lending policies; report. Requires the State Council of Higher Education to develop policies and procedures for disclosing certain information to students on student lending practices. This information shall include (i) the criteria used to determine which lenders, if any, are recommended or endorsed by the school, and (ii) explicit notification that students are free to borrow from any lender of their choosing and are not limited to a list offered by the school. Also, the bill prohibits public institutions of higher education from entering into exclusive agreements with vendors regarding student loans, and prohibits employees from accepting gifts to induce endorsement of certain vendors.
Patron - McEachin

P SB538

Higher education; first warning and emergency notification system required. Mandates that by January 1, 2009, each public institution of higher education establish a comprehensive, prompt, and reliable first warning and emergency notification system for students, staff, and faculty. This bill is identical to HB 1449.
Patron - Obenshain

P SB539

Higher Education; threat assessment teams at each public institution of higher education. Requires the board of visitors or other governing body of every public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth to establish a threat assessment team. The bill also requires the team to adopt a campus-wide committee charged with education and prevention of violence on campus. This bill is identical to HB 1449.
Patron - Obenshain

P SB569

P SB613

Eastern Virginia Medical School; Board of Visitors terms. Allows officers of the Board of Visitors to serve up to three additional one-year terms. Contains an emergency clause.
Patron - Stolle

P SB636

Higher education; high school records. Allows each public and private institution of higher education to request from its students complete student records, including any mental health records held by the originating school. These records shall be kept confidential as required by state and federal law, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1232g.
Patron - Cuccinelli

P SB746

Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia. Allows the Museum to lease structures on state property, with consent of the Governor, and allows the Museum to accept donations gathered by the American Frontier Culture Foundation on its behalf.
Patron - Hanger

Failed

F HB14

Admission of illegal aliens to public institutions of higher education. Provides that an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible for admission to any public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth. This bill incorporates HB 123, HB 425, and HB 1010.
Patron - Peace

F HB37

Educational institutions; selective service registration required. Provides that anyone failing to register for the Selective Service shall not be eligible for admittance to any state public institution of higher education.
Patron - Albo

F HB117

Community College Scholarship Match Program. Establishes the Community College Scholarship Match Program to provide matching funds to community college foundations and the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education. Funds may be paid on the basis of one dollar state general fund appropriation for every one dollar donated by private individuals, foundations, or corporations beginning on July 1, 2008. These funds shall be used to award scholarships to students who (i) are domiciled residents of Virginia, (ii) have graduated from a public or private Virginia high school, and (iii) are enrolled in a Virginia community college. The provisions of the bill are contingent upon an appropriation of general funds in the 2008 General Appropriation Act.
Patron - Landes

F HB118

Higher education; academic freedom. Requires each public institution of higher education to annually report to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) the steps the institution is taking to ensure academic freedom and the free exchange of ideas. SCHEV must compile the information and report to the General Assembly by December 31 of the last year of each biennium.
Patron - Landes

F HB123

Institutions of higher education; enrollment of aliens. Provides that any alien must present legal documentation of residence or educational status to be eligible for initial enrollment in any public institution of higher education in Virginia. This bill was incorporated into HB 14.
Patron - Hargrove

F HB165

Automatic admission to institutions of higher education. Directs the governing boards of public institutions of higher education to provide for the automatic acceptance of those resident students applying for admission who: (i) have graduated from a public or private high school in Virginia with a grade point average in the top 10 percent of such student's graduating class; and (ii) have completed 320 hours of community service in a program approved by the Secretary of Education, in the year preceding the academic year for which the student is seeking admission.
Patron - Poisson

F HB167

In-state tuition; reclassification. Provides that if a student obtains a reclassification of domiciliary status from an out-of state-student to an in-state student and such initial out-of-state classification is due to administrative error, the differential between out-of-state tuition and in-state tuition paid by the student must be returned by the institution of higher education.
Patron - Albo

F HB182

Consolidation of the Virginia Museum of Natural History and the Science Museum of Virginia. Transfers the governance and operations from the Board of Trustees of the Virginia Museum of Natural History to the Science Museum of Virginia.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

F HB204

Richard Bland College. Integrates Richard Bland College from under the control of the board of visitors of the College of William and Mary into the Virginia Community College System and under the control of the State Board for Community Colleges.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

F HB300

Higher education; sexual violence prevention. Provides that from such funds as may be appropriated for such purpose, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) must establish a full-time equivalent position to promote sexual violence prevention at public institutions of higher education. In addition, SCHEV must assist in the development of statewide policies regarding sexual harassment, sexual violence, inappropriate sexual relations, and the requirement for sexual violence prevention programs that provide strategies beyond risk reduction.
Patron - Oder

F HB424

Possession of concealed handguns by faculty members at state institutions of higher education. Allows full-time faculty members of state institutions of higher education who possess a valid Virginia concealed handgun permit to carry a concealed handgun on campus.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

F HB425

Birth certificate required for admission to public institutions of higher education; report. Provides that each public institution in Virginia must require first-time entering freshmen, upon admission, to submit a certified copy of their birth certificate, or an affidavit in the absence of the birth certificate, noting the place and country of birth. Students who fail to submit a certified birth certificate or an affidavit are ineligible for reduced in-state tuition and other state financial aid. Each institution must report this information, without disclosing personally identifiable information, on its website and to the State Council of Higher Education, and make written copies of the information available upon request. The Council must report the aggregate number of such students by place and country of birth on its website. This bill was incorporated into HB 14.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

F HB427

William and Mary Board of Visitors; election by alumni. Requires that nine of the 17 members of the Board of Visitors be elected by the alumni association.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

F HB489

F HB512

Community College Scholarship Match Program. Establishes the Community College Scholarship Match Program to provide matching funds to community college foundations and the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education. Funds may be paid on the basis of one dollar state general fund appropriation for every one dollar donated by private individuals, foundations, or corporations beginning on July 1, 2008. These funds must be used to award scholarships to students who (i) are domiciled residents of Virginia, (ii) graduated from a public or private Virginia high school, and (iii) are enrolled in a Virginia community college. The provisions of the bill are contingent upon an appropriation of general funds in the appropriation act by the 2008 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
Patron - Dance

F HB577

Campus police; report of certain incidents to local law-enforcement agency. Requires the chief of the campus police department of a public or private institution of higher education to report the death or an alleged rape of any person on campus property to the local law-enforcement agency of the locality in which the institution is located. The local law-enforcement agency would assume responsibility for leading the investigation, with cooperation from the institution of higher education.
Patron - Alexander

F HB672

Higher education; single-sex housing. Provides that each four-year public institution of higher education must establish policies to provide single-sex housing to students that: (i) are entitled to on-campus housing; and (ii) request single-sex living arrangements.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

F HB812

Foster Care Scholarship Program. Creates the Foster Care Scholarship Program to provide scholarships for eligible students who are aging out of the foster care system. To be eligible, students must be (i) domiciled residents of Virginia, (ii) recipients of foster care services at the time of their graduation from high school, (iii) graduates from a public or private high school with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4.0, and (iv) good citizens, as defined by regulation of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.
Patron - Ward

F HB980

State Board for Community Colleges. Requires the State Board for Community Colleges to establish guidelines for the placement of career coaches in public high schools in the Commonwealth and defines career coaches as a community college employee placed in a public high school or other educational or workforce situation for the purpose of helping high school students explore career aspirations, develop career plans, connect students to workforce and college preparatory programs, and guide students to other community college programs such as dual enrollment and career and technical education. Requires local school boards to consult and cooperate with the State Board for Community Colleges and the guidelines for career coach placement.
Patron - Nutter

F HB1010

In-state tuition for aliens. Provides that an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States, and therefore ineligible to establish domicile pursuant to § 23-7.4, shall not be eligible on the basis of residency within Virginia for any postsecondary educational benefit, including in-state tuition, unless citizens or nationals of the United States are eligible for such benefits in no less an amount, duration, and scope without regard to whether such citizens or nationals are Virginia residents. This bill was incorporated into HB 14.
Patron - Hugo

F HB1011

Admission of in-state students at public institutions of higher education. Provides that the board of visitors or other governing body of each public institution of higher education, except for the Virginia Military Institute, Norfolk State University, and Virginia State University, must establish rules and regulations requiring that at least 75% of students admitted and enrolled at the institution be Virginia domiciles.
Patron - Hugo

F HB1060

Tuition waiver; senior citizens. Authorizes those individuals who qualified for property tax relief pursuant to § 58.1-3210, for the year preceding the year in which enrollment is sought in any state institution of higher education in the Commonwealth, to register and enroll in courses as a full-time or part-time student for academic credit without paying tuition or fees except fees established for the purpose of paying for course materials.
Patron - Amundson

F HB1165

Virginia Teaching Scholarship Loan Program. Expands the program to include those teacher candidates pursuing an endorsement in a math or science discipline. This bill is a recommendation from the Joint Subcommittee to Study Science, Math, and Technology Education in the Commonwealth at the Elementary, Secondary, and Undergraduate Levels (HJR 25 of 2006).
Patron - Saxman

F HB1251

F HB1268

F HB1293

Community College Scholarship Match Program. Establishes the Community College Scholarship Match Program to provide matching funds to community college foundations and the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education. Funds may be paid on the basis of one dollar of state general fund appropriation for every one dollar donated by private individuals, foundations, or corporations beginning on July 1, 2008. These funds shall be used to award scholarships to students who (i) are domiciled residents of Virginia, and (ii) are enrolled in a Virginia community college.
Patron - Athey

F HB1316

Higher Education; threat assessment teams at each public institution of higher education. Requires the board of visitors or other governing body of every public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth to establish a threat assessment team. The bill also requires the team to adopt a campus-wide threat assessment policy and to regularly seek cooperation from (i) residential life; (ii) academic affairs; (iii) law enforcement; (iv) the counseling center; and (v) student judicial affairs. This bill was incorporated into HB 1449.
Patron - Nutter

F HB1373

Eligibility for in-state tuition; Native Americans. Provides that any person who is a member of a Native American tribe officially recognized by the Commonwealth is eligible for in-state tuition so long as such membership is verified. Additionally, out-of-state students granted in-state tuition because of the provision must be counted as in-state students for the purposes of determining college admissions, enrollment, and tuition and fee revenue policies.
Patron - Morrissey

F SB125

Community College Scholarship Match Program. Establishes the Community College Scholarship Match Program to provide matching funds to community college foundations and the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education. Funds may be paid on the basis of one dollar of state general fund appropriation for every one dollar donated by corporations beginning on July 1, 2008, with state appropriations not to exceed $5 million in any fiscal year. These funds shall be used to award scholarships to students who (i) are domiciled residents of Virginia, (ii) graduated from a public or private Virginia high school, and (iii) are enrolled in a Virginia community college. The provisions of the bill are contingent upon an appropriation of general funds in the 2008 General Appropriation Act.
Patron - Edwards

F SB126

Partial tuition waiver; children of university and college faculty. Establishes the Dependent Children of University and College Faculty Tuition Grant Program, to provide a tuition grant equal to 50% of the charge for tuition for the children of current full-time faculty members who have been employed full-time by any one or more public Virginia colleges or universities for an aggregate period of at least seven years. The tuition grants shall be used for undergraduate education at any public institution of higher education in Virginia.
Patron - Edwards

F SB148

Two-Year College Transfer Grant. Clarifies that (i) grants are made to institutions on behalf of students, not to students directly, (ii) students entering college during summer 2007 term are eligible, (iii) 3.0 grade point average is required only on completion of associate degree program, and (iv) the award amount is a maximum of $1,000, plus an additional maximum of $1,000 for engineering, mathematics, nursing, teaching, or science students. The bill also removes the requirement that institutions of higher education reduce state financial aid eligibility by the amount of the grant awarded by the program and allows for prorated grants for eligible part-time students.
Patron - Stosch

F SB434

In-state tuition and educational benefits for unlawful aliens. Provides that an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the basis of residency within Virginia for any postsecondary educational benefit including, but not limited to, in-state tuition and state financial aid, unless citizens or nationals of the United States are eligible for such benefits in no less an amount, duration, and scope, without regard to whether such citizens or nationals are Virginia residents.
Patron - Vogel

F SB652

In-state tuition; eligibility of certain individuals. Allows any person to be eligible for in-state tuition who (i) resided with his parent while attending high school in Virginia, (ii) graduated from a public or private high school or received a GED in Virginia, (iii) resided in Virginia for at least three years, (iv) registered as an entering student in an institution of higher education, (v) is not currently in removal proceedings and has petitioned to become a permanent resident, and (vi) has filed, or has a parent who has filed, Virginia tax returns for at least three years.
Patron - Hanger

F SB781

Institutions of higher education; enrollment of aliens. Provides that any alien must present legal documentation of residence or educational status to be eligible for initial enrollment in any public institution of higher education in Virginia.
Patron - Vogel

Carried Over

C HB327

Virginia Early Graduation Incentive Grant Program. Establishes the Virginia Early Graduation Incentive Grant Program for the purpose of providing grants to Virginia students who (i) have received an undergraduate degree within three years from an accredited institution of higher education in Virginia, (ii) are enrolled in a graduate program preparing students for careers in professions having workforce shortages, and (iii) have agreed to work in Virginia upon receiving a graduate degree. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia is designated as the administering agency for the program and must promulgate regulations for the disbursement of grants and the administration of the program. Before grants are awarded, recipients must sign a promissory note under which they agree (i) to begin employment in the Commonwealth within six months of receiving a graduate degree and (ii) to continue such employment in the Commonwealth for at least three years. Only students who maintain a 3.0 grade point average while enrolled as undergraduates are eligible to participate in the program. Eligibility is limited to two academic years or the equivalent number of credit hours.
Patron - Saxman

C HB641

Southern Virginia Higher Education Center. Exempts the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center from the provisions and requirements of the Virginia Personnel Act (§ 2.2-2900 et seq.).
Patron - Hogan

C HB752

Enrollment in an institution of higher education; mental health record release authorization. Requires institutions of higher education to obtain a mental health record release authorization from students prior to enrollment.
Patron - Peace

C HB987

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; creation of nonstock corporation to support academic research. Requires the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to establish a nonprofit, nonstock corporation under Chapter 10 (§ 13.1-801 et seq.) of Title 13.1 as a public instrumentality exercising public and essential governmental functions to assist the Council in (i) supporting academic research in Virginia; (ii) encouraging research initiatives, with emphasis on biological systems and nanotechnology, to support Virginia industry; (iii) directing the disbursement of funds for such research initiatives based on established scientific criteria from the Academic Research Initiative Fund created pursuant to this section; and (iv) conducting or undertaking other activities useful in carrying out the provisions of this section. The Council shall require such corporation to report to it at least annually on its activities. The bill sets out the composition of the board of directors for such corporation.
Patron - Nutter

C HB1109

Tuition waiver; certain veterans. Provides for the waiver of tuition and fees, in excess of federal educational benefits available to the student for the semester in which the student is enrolled, for eligible veterans under certain conditions. The individual institution must determine the eligibility of the applicant for the waiver and must also ascertain that the recipient is in attendance and making satisfactory progress.
Patron - Shannon

C SB705

College of William and Mary; management agreement. Clarifies the management agreement between the Commonwealth and the College of William and Mary to provide that other than the College Building Official, no individual licensed professional architect or engineer hired or contracted with to perform these functions shall also perform other building code-related design, construction, facilities-related project management or facilities management functions for the College on the same capital project
Patron - Norment

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