§ 59-101-350 — Commission on Higher Education annual report; submission of information by educational institutions for inclusion in report; alumni surveys.

(A) The Commission on Higher Education shall submit an annual report to the Governor and to the General Assembly. The annual report must be published before January fifteenth of each year and presented in a readable format so as to easily compare with peer institutions in South Carolina and other Southern Regional Education Board states the state's public, post-secondary institutions. Prior to publication, the Commission on Higher Education shall distribute a draft of the report to all public, post-secondary institutions and shall allow comment upon the draft report. The Commission on Higher Education shall develop and adopt a format for the report and shall ensure consistent reporting and collecting of the data in the report by the institutions. (B) Each four-year, post-secondary institution shall submit to the commission the following information for inclusion in the report, with the South Carolina Department of Corrections' students identified and reported separately: (1) the number and percentage of accredited programs and the number and percentage of programs eligible for accreditation; (2) the number and percentage of undergraduate and graduate students who completed their degree program; (3) the percent of lower division instructional courses taught by full-time faculty, part-time faculty, and graduate assistants; (4) the percent and number of students enrolled in remedial courses and the number of students exiting remedial courses and successfully completing entry-level curriculum courses; (5) the percent of graduate and upper division undergraduate students participating in sponsored research programs; (6) placement data on graduates; (7) the percent change in the enrollment rate of students from minority groups and the change in the total number of minority students enrolled over the past five years; (8) the percent of graduate students who received undergraduate degrees at the institution, within the State, within the United States, and from other nations; (9) the number of full-time students who have transferred from a two-year, post-secondary institution and the number of full-time students who have transferred to two-year, post-secondary institutions; (10) student scores on professional examinations with detailed information on state and national means, passing scores, and pass rates, as available, and with information on such scores over time, and the number of students taking each exam; (11) assessment information for the institution's Title II of the federal Higher Education Act of 1998 report that collects and analyzes data on applicant qualifications and the performance of the candidates and graduates; (12) appropriate information relating to each institution's role and mission to include policies and procedures to ensure that academic programs support the economic development needs in the State by providing a technologically skilled workforce; (13) any information required by the commission in order for it to measure and determine the institution's standard of achievement in regard to the performance indicators for quality academic success enumerated in Section 59-103-30. (C) Each two-year, post-secondary institution shall submit to the commission the following information for inclusion in the report: (1) the number and percentage of accredited programs and the number and percentage of programs eligible for accreditation; (2) the number and percentage of undergraduate students who completed their degree program; (3) the percent of courses taught by full-time faculty members, part-time faculty, and graduate assistants; (4) placement rate on graduates; (5) the percent change in the enrollment rate of students from minority groups, the number of minority students enrolled, and the change in the total number of minority students enrolled over the past five years; (6) the number of students who have transferred into a four-year, post- secondary institution and the number of students who have transferred from four-year, post-secondary institutions; (7) appropriate information relating to the institution's role and mission to include policies and procedures to ensure that academic programs support the economic development needs in the State by providing a technologically skilled workforce; (8) any information required by the commission in order for it to measure and determine the institution's standard of achievement in regard to the performance indicators for quality academic success enumerated in Section 59-103-30. (D) The commission also shall develop with the cooperation of the public, post-secondary institutions, a uniform set of questions to be included in surveys to be used by each public, post-secondary institution in determining alumni satisfaction. The survey instruments must address the issues of overall satisfaction, satisfaction with major instruction, impact of general education, and current societal participation of alumni. Every two years the graduating class of three years prior must be surveyed by each institution using appropriate statistical techniques. Information from these surveys must be included every two years in the annual report as required herein. (E) The commission shall make no funding decision, capital outlay decision, distribution or certification on behalf of any public, post-secondary institution that has not submitted the information required pursuant to this section. (F) After discussions with the institutions, the Commission on Higher Education in consultation with the House Education and Public Works Committee and the Senate Education Committee shall develop the format for the higher education report as required herein. (G) The Commission on Higher Education also is required in the annual report to report on the progress of institutions of higher education in implementing assessment programs, in their achievement of effectiveness goals, and on each institution's standard of achievement in regard to the performance indicators for academic success established in Section 59-103-30. (H) The report required by this section must be filed in magnetic media form if the information is available in that form.

Legislative History

HISTORY: 1992 Act No. 255, SECTION 1; 1996 Act No. 359, SECTION 11; 2001 Act No. 38, SECTION 1.