260C.29 - ACADEMIC INCENTIVES FOR MINORITIES PROGRAM -- MISSION.
260C.29 ACADEMIC INCENTIVES FOR MINORITIES PROGRAM --
MISSION.
1. The mission of the academic incentives for minorities program
established in this section is to encourage collaborative efforts by
community colleges, the institutions of higher learning under the
control of the state board of regents, and business and industry to
enhance educational opportunities and provide for job creation and
career advancement for Iowa's minorities by providing assistance to
minorities who major in fields or subject areas where minorities are
currently underrepresented or underutilized.
2. An academic incentives for minorities program is established
to be administered by a community college located in a county with a
population in excess of three hundred thousand. The community
college shall provide office space for the efficient operation of the
program. The community college shall employ a director for the
program. The director of the program shall employ necessary support
staff. The director and staff shall be employees of the community
college.
3. The director of the program shall do the following:
a. Direct the coordination of the program between the
community college and the institutions of higher education under the
control of the state board of regents.
b. Propose rules to the state board of education as necessary
to implement the program.
c. Recruit minority persons into the program.
d. Enlist the assistance and cooperation of leaders from
business and industry to provide job placement services for students
who are successfully completing the program.
e. Prepare and submit an annual report to the governor and
the general assembly by January 15.
f. Contract with other community colleges to expand the
availability of program services and increase the number of students
served by the program.
g. Establish a separate account, which shall consist of all
appropriations, grants, contributions, bequests, endowments, or other
moneys or gifts received specifically for purposes of the program by
the community college administering the program as provided in
subsection 2. Not less than eighty percent of the funds received
from state appropriations for purposes of the program shall be used
for purposes of assistance to students as provided in subsection 5.
4. To be eligible for the program, a minority person shall be a
resident of Iowa who is accepted for admission at or attends a
community college or an institution of higher education under the
control of the state board of regents. In addition, the person shall
major in or achieve credit toward an associate degree, a bachelor's
degree, or a master's degree in a field or subject area where
minorities are underrepresented or underutilized.
5. The amount of assistance provided to a student under this
section shall not exceed the cost of tuition, fees, and books
required for the program in which the student is enrolled and
attends. As used in this section, "books" may include book
substitutes, including reusable workbooks, loose- leaf or bound
manuals, and computer software materials used as book substitutes. A
student who meets the qualifications of this section shall receive
assistance under this section for not more than the equivalent of two
full years of study.
6. For purposes of this section, "minority person" means a
person who is African American, Hispanic, Asian, or a Pacific
Islander, American Indian, or an Alaskan Native American. Section History: Recent Form
95 Acts, ch 218, §19; 96 Acts, ch 1215, §31; 97 Acts, ch 212, §24;
2009 Acts, ch 41, §102