43.88D.005 - Findings -- Intent.

Findings — Intent.

The legislature finds that the state's public four-year institutions and the higher education coordinating board have made progress in developing a process to create a single prioritized list of capital project requests as required under *RCW 28B.76.220. The legislature also finds that this process requires further refinement to achieve the state's policy objectives as outlined in the higher education coordinating board's strategic master plan for higher education in Washington. The legislature further finds the goal of creating additional, innovative facilities and programs that meet the learning needs of students throughout the state in a timely and cost-effective fashion requires a new approach to facility prioritization that emphasizes strategic planning. The legislature therefore intends to establish a new process for prioritizing capital project requests by the four-year institutions that utilizes the expertise and government-wide perspective of the office of financial management, and that is based upon the model that has been used successfully by the community and technical college system. The new process must emphasize objective analysis, a statewide perspective, and a strategic balance among facility preservation, new construction, and innovative delivery mechanisms. The legislature further recognizes that institutions of higher education are likely to require substantial new capital investments in order to continue to provide a wide range of high quality programs to students and the community, and that the state's ability to provide such resources is constrained by increasing capital expenditure needs within the K-12, public safety, social services, and community economic development arenas. The legislature therefore intends to identify and assess potential alternative means for increasing the capacity of public higher education institutions to meet the demands of the twenty-first century.

[2008 c 205 § 1.]

Notes: *Reviser's note: RCW 28B.76.220 was repealed by 2008 c 205 § 5.