85-1412 Commission; additional powers and duties.
85-1412. Commission; additional powers andduties.The commission shall have the following additionalpowers and duties:(1) Conduct surveys and studies as may be necessary to undertake thecoordination function of the commission pursuant to section 85-1403 and requestinformation from governing boards and appropriate administrators of publicinstitutions and other governmental agencies for research projects. All publicinstitutions and governmental agencies receiving state funds shall complywith reasonable requests for information under this subdivision. Public institutionsmay comply with such requests pursuant to section 85-1417;(2) Recommend to the Legislature and the Governor legislation it deemsnecessary or appropriate to improve postsecondary education in Nebraska andany other legislation it deems appropriate to change the role and missionprovisions in sections 85-917 to 85-966.01;(3) Establish any advisory committees as may be necessary to undertakethe coordination function of the commission pursuant to section 85-1403 orto solicit input from affected parties such as students, faculty, governingboards, administrators of the public institutions, administrators of the privatenonprofit institutions of postsecondary education and proprietary institutionsin the state, and community and business leaders regarding the coordinationfunction of the commission;(4) Participate in or designate an employee or employees to participatein any committee which may be created to prepare a coordinated plan for thedelivery of educational programs and services in Nebraska through the telecommunicationssystem;(5) Seek a close liaison with the State Board of Education and the StateDepartment of Education in recognition of the need for close coordinationof activities between elementary and secondary education and postsecondaryeducation;(6) Administer the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System orother information system or systems to provide the commission with timely,comprehensive, and meaningful information pertinent to the exercise of itsduties. The information system shall be designed to provide comparable dataon each public institution. The commission shall also administer the uniforminformation system prescribed in sections 85-1421 to 85-1427 known as theNebraska Educational Data System. Public institutions shall supply the appropriatedata for the information system or systems required by the commission;(7) Administer the Access College Early Scholarship Program Act andthe Nebraska Opportunity Grant Act;(8) Accept and administer loans, grants, and programs from the federalor state government and from other sources, public and private, for carryingout any of its functions, including the administration of privately endowedscholarship programs. Such loans and grants shall not be expended for anyother purposes than those for which the loans and grants were provided. Thecommission shall determine eligibility for such loans, grants, and programs,and such loans and grants shall not be expended unless approved by the Governor;(9) Consistent with section 85-1620, approve, in a timely manner, newbaccalaureate degree programs to be offered at private postsecondary careerschools as defined in section 85-1603. The commission may charge a reasonablefee based on its administrative costs for authorizations pursuant to thissubdivision and section 85-1620. The commission shall report such action tothe Commissioner of Education;(10) Pursuant to sections 85-1101 to 85-1104, authorize out-of-stateinstitutions of higher or postsecondary education to offer courses or degreeprograms in this state;(11) Pursuant to sections 85-1105 to 85-1111, approve or disapprovepetitions to establish new private colleges in this state;(12) On or before December 1, 2000, and on or before December 1 everytwo years thereafter, submit to the Legislature and the Governor a reportof its objectives and activities and any new private colleges in Nebraskaand the implementation of any recommendations of the commission for the precedingtwo calendar years;(13) Provide staff support for interstate compacts on postsecondaryeducation;(14) Request inclusion of the commission in any existing grant reviewprocess and information system; and(15) Facilitate a study that explores the following issues related tothe Nebraska community college system:(a) The need for changes to the statutory role and mission of Nebraskacommunity colleges;(b) Changes in the weighting of courses that may be necessary for reimbursableeducational units to properly reflect the role and mission of Nebraska communitycolleges and the cost of providing such courses;(c) Powers, duties, and mission of the Nebraska Community College Associationor its successor and whether membership in such an association should be required;(d) Consequences for failing to satisfy current community college associationmembership requirements contained in section 85-1502; and(e) State coordination of community colleges in the absence of a communitycollege association or membership therein.The commission shall include and facilitate discussion among the state'scommunity colleges in the completion of such study. Each community collegeshall participate in good faith with the conduct of such study. The commissionshall report its findings to the Legislature on or before December 15, 2009. SourceLaws 1991, LB 663, § 15; Laws 1993, LB 93, § 7; Laws 1994, LB 683, § 18; Laws 1999, LB 816, § 14; Laws 2003, LB 7, § 5; Laws 2003, LB 574, § 26; Laws 2003, LB 685, § 29; Laws 2007, LB192, § 1; Laws 2009, LB340, § 1; Laws 2010, LB956, § 3.Operative Date: July 1, 2010 Cross ReferencesAccess College Early Scholarship Program Act, see section 85-2101.Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, see section 85-1424.Nebraska Opportunity Grant Act, see section 85-1901.Private Postsecondary Career School Act, see section 85-1601.