Date: 04/02/2009

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB09-1295

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Refer House Bill 09-1295 to the Committee of the WPASS



01:57 PM -- House Bill 09-1295

Senator Heath, sponsor of House Bill 09-1295, presented the bill. The bill permits Metropolitan State College of Denver to offer master's degree programs.


02:00 PM

The following people testified:


02:00 PM -- Dr. Stephen Jordan, president of Metropolitan State College of Denver (Metro), testified in support of the bill. Dr. Jordan talked about the student population at Metro and the importance of the ability to offer master's degree programs. He said being able to offer these programs allows colleges to meet the emerging needs of the community. Dr. Jordan said the programs will be modeled after a program in the California State University System, and he described the requirements for admittance to the programs. He talked about how the programs would be tailored to meet the needs of students with jobs and families. Dr. Jordan said a focus would be on teacher education, accountancy, and social work. He said the bill allows Metro to serve a population that has traditionally been underserved in higher education.


02:06 PM

Dr. Jordan responded to committee questions and comments. Dr. Jordan said Metro puts special emphasis on the engagement of students and creating team leaders for civic engagement. He talked about the difference between the focus at Metro compared to other institutions.


02:09 PM -- Adele Phelan, representing the Metropolitan State College of Denver Board of Trustees, testified in support of the bill. She said the bill has the endorsement of not only the trustees, but also the faculty, students, alumni association, and the Department of Higher Education.

Ms. Phelan responded to committee questions and comments.


02:11 PM -- Virginia Cruz, Chair of the Social Work Department at Metro, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Cruz talked about the state of social work and of social work degree programs in the state. She described the student population in the Social Work Department at Metro.


02:14 PM

Dr. Jordan returned to the table to speak to a question from Senator Bacon about the tuition differential.


02:15 PM -- Courtney Cowgill, representing the Colorado Board of Accountancy, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Cowgill talked about the importance of a master's degree and the importance of Metro offering a master's degree in accountancy. She talked about difficulties in transferring into a master's degree program.
BILL:HB09-1295
TIME: 02:18:48 PM
MOVED:Heath
MOTION:Refer House Bill 09-1295 to the Committee of the Whole with a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar. The motion passed on a 7-0-1 vote.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Groff
Yes
Heath
Yes
Hudak
Yes
King K.
Excused
Scheffel
Yes
Spence
Yes
Romer
Yes
Bacon
Yes
Final YES: 7 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS