Sec. 10a-143. (Formerly Sec. 10-330a). New methods of awarding degrees and credits. Board for State Academic Awards. Operating fund.
Sec. 10a-143. (Formerly Sec. 10-330a). New methods of awarding degrees and
credits. Board for State Academic Awards. Operating fund. (a) The Board of Governors of Higher Education in concert with the state's institutions of higher education,
shall study, develop and coordinate the implementation of new methods of awarding
undergraduate degrees and college credits including but not limited to: (1) External
degrees awarded on the basis of acceptable performance in an educational field whether
or not the necessary education was obtained by the candidate at an institution of higher
education and (2) examinations and methods other than classroom instruction for determining qualifications. On or before July 1, 1993, each constituent unit of the state
system of higher education shall establish procedures to award college credits pursuant
to this subsection and subsection (e) of this section.
(b) The Board of Governors of Higher Education shall promulgate regulations to
authorize accredited institutions of higher education to award degrees by such new
procedures.
(c) There shall continue to be a Board for State Academic Awards which shall be
an independent constituent unit of the state system of higher education with authority
to grant credits and degrees on the basis of examinations and other forms of evaluation
and validation of learning including transfer of credit. Said board is authorized to use
the term "Charter Oak State College" on diplomas and other documents and utterances
to affirm the status of the board as a degree-granting institution of higher education. It
shall be the responsibility of the board to serve the interest of all Connecticut residents
by providing open access to academic credentials which are based on a consensus of
professional judgment. The purpose of such credentials shall be to identify and give
recognition to higher learning acquired by individuals through independent study, work
experience and programs of noncollegiate educational activity.
(d) The Board for State Academic Awards shall consist of nine persons, eight to be
appointed by the Governor, who shall reflect the state's geographic, racial and ethnic
diversity; one of whom shall be an alumnus of Charter Oak State College; and one to
be elected by the students enrolled in Charter Oak State College. On or before July 1,
1983, the Governor shall appoint two members of the board for a term of two years
from said date, two members for a term of four years from said date and one member
for a term of six years from said date. On or before July 1, 1984, the Governor shall
appoint one member for a term of three years from said date. On or before July 1, 1996,
the Governor shall appoint two members, one for a term of five years from said date
and one for a term of one year from said date. Thereafter the Governor shall appoint
members of said board to succeed those appointees whose terms expire, such members
to serve for terms of six years each from July first in the year of their appointment. On
or before November 1, 1984, and biennially thereafter, the students enrolled with the
board shall, in such manner as the board shall determine, elect one member of the board,
who shall serve for a term of two years from November first in the year of his election.
No member of said board, appointed by the Governor, shall be an employee of an institution of postsecondary or higher education. No member who has served consecutively
for two full terms or portions thereof may again be appointed until two years have passed.
The Governor shall, pursuant to section 4-9a, appoint the chairperson of the board. The
board shall, annually, elect from its members such other officers as it deems necessary.
The Governor shall fill any vacancies in the membership of said board by appointment
for the balance of the unexpired term. The members of said board shall receive no
compensation for their services as such but shall be reimbursed for their necessary expenses in the course of their duties. The board shall meet at least once during each
calendar quarter and at such other times as the chairperson deems necessary or upon
the request of a majority of members in office. Any member who fails to attend three
consecutive meetings or who fails to attend fifty per cent of all meetings held during
any calendar year shall be deemed to have resigned from office.
(e) (1) The Board for State Academic Awards shall develop and implement programs to improve opportunities in higher education through alternative modes of service,
including, but not limited to, guidance and information services, registration and validation services, examination and degree-granting services, technological delivery systems,
and projects of research and development. With respect to its own operation the board
may appoint and remove an executive director, who shall be the chief academic and
administrative officer, and a professional academic staff. The board may determine the
size of the academic staff and the duties, terms, and conditions of employment of said
director and staff subject to personnel guidelines established by the Board of Governors
of Higher Education in consultation with the Board for State Academic Awards. The
board shall establish through appointments on an adjunct basis a faculty of consulting
examiners to make recommendations as to requirements and standards of the board's
programs and to make recommendations for the award of academic credits and degrees.
Persons serving as members of the faculty of consulting examiners shall have appropriate professional qualifications as determined by the board and may hold professional
appointments in active status at accredited institutions of postsecondary or higher learning. Within the limit of appropriations, the board shall fix the compensation of persons
serving with adjunct appointment as members of the faculty of consulting examiners.
The board shall confer such certificates and degrees as are appropriate to programs of
postsecondary and higher learning and in accordance with the recommendations of the
board's faculty of consulting examiners on the basis of examinations and other forms
of validation and evaluation of learning, including transfer of credit. The board shall
assist public institutions of higher education in establishing and implementing procedures to award college credits pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.
(2) The Board for State Academic Awards shall develop a mission statement which
shall include, but not be limited to, the following elements: (A) The educational needs
of, and constituencies served by the board; (B) the degrees offered by the board; and
(C) the role and scope of the programs offered by the board. The board shall submit the
mission statement to the Board of Governors of Higher Education for review and approval in accordance with the provisions of section 10a-6.
(f) The Advisory Council for Higher Education established in accordance with subdivision (13) of subsection (a) of section 10a-6 shall be the advisory council for the
board.
(g) The board shall fix fees for examinations and for such other purposes as the
board deems necessary and may make refunds and other disposition of same as provided
by law or regulation. The board may make contracts, leases or other agreements in
connection with its responsibilities.
(h) The Board for State Academic Awards shall establish and administer a fund to
be known as the Board for State Academic Awards Operating Fund, which shall be a
separate account within the General Fund. The operating fund shall be used for the
expenses of the board, including personnel expenses and equipment, and for the support
of board activities pursuant to this section, including validation and evaluation of learning, guidance and public information services, projects of research and development
for the improvement of learning materials and the technology of delivery systems, and
for the purchase of such services, materials and equipment as are required for use in
connection with said activities. Appropriations from general revenues of the state, all
fees and proceeds of the board's activities, including grants and donations, not required
by statute or regulation to be deposited to the credit of the General Fund, shall be credited
to and become a part of the resources of said operating fund. Any balance of receipts
above expenditures shall remain in said operating fund.
(i) The Board for State Academic Awards shall promote fund-raising to assist its
programs pursuant to this section and shall report to the Commissioner of Higher Education and the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of
matters relating to education by January 1, 1994, and biennially thereafter, on such fund-raising.
(1971, P.A. 537, S. 1-3; P.A. 73-656, S. 1, 6; P.A. 75-442, S. 1, 2; P.A. 77-573, S. 24, 30; 77-581, S. 1, 2; P.A. 79-631, S. 8, 111; P.A. 80-8, S. 1, 2; P.A. 81-472, S. 102, 159; P.A. 82-218, S. 26, 46; P.A. 84-241, S. 2, 5; 84-256, S. 8, 17;
P.A. 85-418, S. 1, 2; P.A. 86-312, S. 4, 21; P.A. 88-117, S. 1, 5; P.A. 89-380, S. 1, 7; P.A. 91-174, S. 14, 16; 91-230, S.
15, 17; 91-256, S. 34, 69; P.A. 92-154, S. 13, 14, 23; P.A. 93-201, S. 14, 24; P.A. 95-259, S. 24, 32; P.A. 96-244, S. 45, 63.)
History: P.A. 73-656 deleted Subsec. (a)(3) re relative cost of new program compared with traditional program, replaced
former Subsec. (c) re constituent units' provision of assistance to commission with new Subsec. (c) re administrative and
clerical services provided by commission, replaced former Subsec. (d) re report to governor and general assembly with
new Subsec. (d) re board for state academic awards and added Subsecs. (e) to (g) re duties of academic awards board and
advisory council; P.A. 75-442 amended Subsec. (c) to make clear that administrative and clerical staff to be provided
specifically for academic awards board rather than for "state-wide and regional programs ..." and amended Subsec. (d) to
clarify that academic awards board is within commission for higher education; P.A. 77-573 replaced commission for higher
education with board of higher education; P.A. 77-581 replaced former Subsec. (c) with new Subsec. (c) generally stating
awards board's powers, removed from Subsec. (d) statement that board continued and placed within commission, i.e. board
of higher education, amended Subsec. (d) to remove provisions requiring commission's (board of higher education's)
approval for actions of academic awards board, to replace executive secretary and executive staff with executive director
and professional academic staff and to specify that examiners be "consulting" examiners and added Subsec. (h) re educational services fund; P.A. 79-631 replaced reference to repealed Sec. 10-324 with reference to Sec. 10-323e(a)(10); P.A.
80-8 amended Subsec. (c) to allow board to use term "college" to affirm its degree- granting authority; P.A. 81-472 made
technical changes; P.A. 82-218 reorganized higher education system, replacing board of higher education with board of
governors, revising appointment provisions of Subsec. (b), adding provisions re development of mission statement in
Subsec. (e), requiring that contracts exceeding $1,000 be approved by board of governors in Subsec. (g) and specifying
that authority to continue educational services fund is subject to board of governors' guidelines in Subsec. (h), effective
March 1, 1983; Sec. 10-330a transferred to Sec. 10a-143 in 1983; P.A. 84-241 added "of higher education" to board of
governors' title; P.A. 84-256 increased board membership from five to seven, adding one member elected by students and
an alumnus of Charter Oak College and established meeting and attendance requirements; P.A. 85-418 amended Subsec.
(h) by adding provision requiring that enrollment fee revenues be deposited in the general fund; P.A. 86-312 amended
Subsec. (h) to change educational services "fund" to a separate "account" within the general fund; P.A. 88-117 deleted
the provision in Subsec. (g) that agreements in excess of $1,000 be subject to the approval of the board of governors; P.A.
89-380 amended Subsec. (h) to provide that the revenue from enrollment fees be credited to the educational services
account rather than deposited to the credit of the general fund; P.A. 91-174 in Subsec. (a) added requirement for procedures
to be developed by July 1, 1993, in Subsec. (e)(1) added provision requiring board to assist institutions in establishing and
implementing procedures, in Subsec. (g) deleted provision requiring board of governors approval of fees and added Subsec.
(i) re fund-raising; P.A. 91-230 made a technical change in Subsec. (f); P.A. 91-256 reiterated change to Subsec. (g) made
by P.A. 91-174; P.A. 92-154 amended Subsecs. (c) and (d) to add "state" to the name of Charter Oak College and amended
Subsec. (h) to eliminate the educational services account and to establish the operating fund; P.A. 93-201 amended Subsec.
(i) to require report, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-259 amended Subsec. (d) to reduce the number of the Governor's
appointments from seven to six and to add a member elected by the students enrolled in Charter Oak State College, effective
July 6, 1995; P.A. 96-244 amended Subsec. (d) to increase the membership from seven to nine by requiring the Governor
to appoint two additional members, on or before July 1, 1996, effective June 6, 1996.
See title 2c re termination under "Sunset Law".