66010.82.
The Higher Education Performance, Accountability, and Coordination Commission exists for the purpose of advising the Governor, the Legislature, and other appropriate governmental officials and institutions of postsecondary education. The commission has the following functions and responsibilities in its capacity as the statewide postsecondary education oversight, coordination, and planning agency and adviser to the Legislature and the Governor:(a) (1) The commission shall, through its use of information and its analytic capacity, identify and periodically revise state goals and priorities for higher education in a manner that is consistent with the goals outlined in Section 66010.91 and takes into consideration the metrics outlined in Sections 89295 and 92675.
(2) In consultation with the advisory body described in Section 66010.81, the commission shall do all of the following:
(A) Set performance targets for enrollment and degree and certificate completion statewide and by region. The commission shall update the performance targets every five years. The commission shall set its first performance targets no later than July 1, 2022.
(B) Periodically measure the supply and demand of jobs in fields of study statewide and by region.
(C) Periodically review both statewide and regional gaps of higher education admission, enrollment, success, and employment by race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and additional categories of students, as determined by the commission.
(D) Provide cross-segmental data aggregation analyses to the segments of public postsecondary education.
(E) Provide, on its internet website, comparative information to help students and their families make informed decisions regarding academic programs offered by public and private postsecondary educational institutions in the state. The comparative information shall include, to the extent feasible, all academic programs, their costs, average graduate earnings, and the median debt incurred by graduates, searchable by region and academic program type.
(3) In consultation with the advisory body described in Section 66010.81, the commission shall adopt a strategic plan by July 1, 2022, to guide the commission and its staff in achieving the commission’s goals. The strategic plan shall be updated in accordance with the performance targets every five years.
(b) The commission shall review and make recommendations, as necessary, regarding cross-segmental and interagency initiatives and programs in areas that may include, but are not necessarily limited to, efficiencies in instructional delivery, financial aid, transfer pathways, degree and certificate completion, adult education, graduation rates, affordability, and workforce coordination.
(c) The commission shall advise the Legislature and the Governor regarding the need for, and the location of, new institutions and campuses of public higher education, shall review and evaluate proposals for new institutions and campuses of public higher education, and shall advise the Legislature and the Governor regarding the space needs of each segment, including land acquisition needs based on enrollment targets.
(d) The commission shall review and evaluate budgetary proposals by the segments of public postsecondary education based on the alignment of the proposals with state goals and priorities identified by the commission and outlined in Section 66010.91, and shall make recommendations regarding those proposals to the Legislature and the Governor before the enactment of the annual Budget Act.
(e) (1) The commission shall review and evaluate legislative proposals and proposals by the segments of public postsecondary education for new degrees, majors, and certificate programs.
(2) The commission shall make recommendations regarding the proposals described in paragraph (1) to the Legislature and the Governor for the purposes of minimizing duplication of functions and fostering coordination between the public postsecondary segments, nearby independent institutions of higher education, as defined in Section 66010, and private postsecondary education institutions, as defined in Section 94858. The recommendations shall include, but not be limited to, an evaluation of the need for degree, major, or certificate programs with a particular view to their relevance to state goals and priorities for higher education as identified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a).
(3) Each public postsecondary segment shall submit proposals for new degrees, majors, and certificate programs at its campuses to the commission for review and evaluation together with supporting materials and documents specified by the commission.
(f) (1) The commission shall act as a clearinghouse for postsecondary education information and as a primary source of information for the Legislature, the Governor, and other agencies.
(2) The commission, in implementing paragraph (1), shall comply with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1232g) as it relates to the disclosure of personally identifiable information concerning students.
(3) The commission shall not make available any personally identifiable information received from a postsecondary educational institution concerning students for any regulatory purpose unless the institution has authorized the commission to provide that information on behalf of the institution.
(g) The commission shall review all proposals for changes in eligibility pools for admission to the segments of public postsecondary education, and shall make recommendations regarding those proposals to the Legislature, the Governor, and the segments of public postsecondary education. In carrying out this subdivision, the commission periodically shall conduct a study of the percentages of California public high school graduates estimated to be eligible for admission to the University of California and the California State University.
(h) The commission shall submit reports to the Legislature in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(i) The commission shall manage data systems and maintain programmatic, policy, and fiscal expertise to receive and aggregate information reported by the institutions of higher education in this state. In carrying out this subdivision, the commission may require the public postsecondary segments to submit information and student data to the commission pursuant to Section 66010.84. The public postsecondary segments shall submit information and student data requested by the commission to the extent permitted by state and federal privacy laws, including, but not limited to, the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1232g).
(j) (1) The commission is responsible for developing an independent annual report on the condition of higher education in California. The report shall be transmitted to the chairpersons of the Assembly Committee on Higher Education and the Senate Committee on Education and to the Governor on or before July 1, 2023, and on or before July 1 annually. The commission shall publish the contents of the report on an online dashboard.
(2) The independent annual report on the condition of higher education in California shall include all of the following:
(A) An update on progress towards achieving the performance targets for enrollment and degree and certificate completion statewide and by region set by the commission pursuant to this section.
(B) Information from the prior year on the following data points, disaggregated by region, race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, type of institution, and additional categories, as determined by the commission:
(i) The percent of California high school graduates enrolling in a postsecondary educational institution.
(ii) The number of four-year degrees, two-year degrees, certificates, graduate degrees, and professional degrees awarded.
(iii) The average and median amount of debt incurred by current students and graduates.
(iv) Average degree or certificate time-to-completion, including the number of students who successfully transferred from a community college to a four-year postsecondary educational institution in California.
(v) The percent of graduates from the prior academic year employed, unemployed, or underemployed.
(vi) The average and median incomes of recent graduates by type of degree.
(vii) Enrollment in particular programs of study.
(C) Policy or fiscal recommendations for the Legislature and the Governor.