Existing law, the Donahoe Higher Education Act, designates the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in this state. These segments are the California State University, administered by the Trustees of the California State University, the University of California, administered by the Regents of the University of California, and the California Community Colleges, administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. A provision of the act applies to the University of California only to the extent that the regents, by resolution, make that provision applicable. Existing provisions of the act require the governing bodies of the 3 public postsecondary segments, with appropriate consultation with the academic senates of the respective segments, to develop, maintain, and disseminate a common core curriculum in general education courses for the purposes of transfer. Existing law provides that a student who earns an associate degree for transfer from a community college is eligible to transfer into a California State University baccalaureate program when the student meets specified requirements. Existing law recognizes that the University of California has been working with the California Community Colleges to seek improvements to the transfer process and states the intent of the Legislature that the University of California consider various viable pathways to transfer, including the development of an associate degree for transfer granted by community college districts, as part of this endeavor.

This bill would require the governing board of each community college district to direct the appropriate officials at their respective campuses to (1) identify those students who have completed an associate degree for transfer, (2) notify those students of their completion of the degree requirements, (3) automatically award those students the degree, and (4) add those students to an identification system at the end of each academic year that the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges would be required to maintain and that would be accessible electronically by the California State University, the University of California, and independent institutions of higher education, as defined. The bill would authorize a student to affirmatively exercise an option to not receive an associate degree for transfer or to not be included in the identification system. These provisions would be implemented in full commencing with the fall term of the 2020–21 academic year.

By placing additional duties upon a community college district, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.