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1		HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, The Illinois Public Agenda for College and Career
3		Success has documented the critical role higher education plays
4		in economic recovery and growth, particularly in ensuring the
5		State has an educated workforce to meet the needs of business
6		and industry; and
7		WHEREAS, The Illinois Public Agenda for College and Career
8		Success recommends that the Board of Higher Education, in
9		consultation with other State agencies for education,
10		employment, and economic development, "increase the number of
11		high-quality postsecondary credentials to meet the demands of
12		the economy and an increasingly global society"; and
13		WHEREAS, Illinois has committed to the goal that 60% of its
14		workforce will hold a high-quality college credential by 2025
15		to ensure its economic future; and
16		WHEREAS, Most recent projections from the Georgetown
17		University Center on Education and the Workforce are that 70%
18		of Illinois jobs will require postsecondary education by 2020;
19		and
20		WHEREAS, Currently, only 42.5% of the State's nearly 7
21		million working-age adults between the ages of 25 and 64 years

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1		hold at least a 2-year college degree; and
2		WHEREAS, There is a critical need for Illinois institutions
3		of higher education to increase the number of postsecondary
4		degrees in fields of critical skills shortages, such as
5		healthcare, construction, computer technology, public safety,
6		and mechanical fields; and
7		WHEREAS, Illinois' economic success requires providing
8		college credentials aligned with current and future workforce
9		needs at the State and regional levels; and
10		WHEREAS, Achieving workforce needs depends upon additional
11		strategic State investment in higher education, along with
12		improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of the higher
13		education system; and
14		WHEREAS, Working age adults attempting to return to school
15		to complete certificates and degrees in high-demand fields face
16		many barriers to success; and
17		WHEREAS, The Illinois Council of Community College
18		Presidents has recommended that the community college system be
19		allowed to grant 4-year baccalaureate degrees for nursing and
20		other applied career areas; and

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1		WHEREAS, The development of postsecondary degree programs
2		should be predicated on evidence of the needs of Illinois
3		residents rather than institutional interests; and
4		WHEREAS, The Board of Higher Education has the statutory
5		authority and responsibility to review all applications for new
6		academic degree programs for public community colleges and
7		universities; therefore, be it
8		RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
9		NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
10		SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Board of Higher Education
11		establish a Higher Education Commission on the Future of the
12		Workforce; and be it further
13		RESOLVED, That the Commission shall be comprised of 11
14		members, including one senator appointed by the President of
15		the Senate, one senator appointed by the Minority Leader of the
16		Senate, one representative appointed by the Speaker of the
17		House of Representatives, one representative appointed by the
18		Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, and the
19		remaining 7 members appointed by the Board of Higher Education
20		to represent a cross-section of the education, employment, and
21		economic development communities, as well as experts in quality
22		postsecondary degree creation; and be it further

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1		RESOLVED, That the Commission's study shall include, but
2		not be limited to the following:
3		(1) examining and analyzing current and projected
4		workforce needs for each economic region of the State and
5		postsecondary degree and credential production capacity
6		and goals;
7		(2) identifying State, regional, and national partners
8		available to support efficient and effective delivery of
9		postsecondary credential and degree programs aligned with
10		regional workforce needs;
11		(3) determining current policies and practices in
12		Illinois being utilized among Illinois' public and private
13		colleges and universities for partnerships for degree
14		completion;
15		(4) examining opportunities for expanding
16		postsecondary certificates and associate and baccalaureate
17		completions using effective and efficient strategies and
18		partnerships among high schools, technical schools,
19		community colleges, and 4-year colleges and universities;
20		(5) developing distance and online learning, as well as
21		competency-based credits to serve place-bound and adult
22		learners, including military personnel and veterans;
23		(6) examining incentives for students to enter and
24		complete degree programs in critical-needs areas,
25		particularly aimed at underemployed and displaced workers;
26		(7) examining improvements in student advising,

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1		including articulation, transfer, and acceptance of
2		credits to streamline the education pipeline to the
3		workforce;
4		(8) providing incentives, including financial
5		assistance, for working adults and individuals with
6		substantial college credit, but no degree, to complete
7		college degrees;
8		(9) analyzing best practices implemented in other
9		states for incentivizing certificate and degree
10		completion, including incentives for students and for
11		colleges and universities; and be it further
12		RESOLVED, That the Commission shall report to the General
13		Assembly and the Governor 6 months from the formation of the
14		Commission; and be it further
15		RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
16		delivered to the Governor, the chairperson of the Board of
17		Higher Education, the chairperson of the Illinois Community
18		College Board, the chairperson of the State Board of Education,
19		the chairperson of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission,
20		the chairperson of the Employment Security Advisory Board, and
21		the president of each public and private college and university
22		in the State.