1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to higher education; requiring development of a plan to encourage 
1.3 	students to finish their degree programs; requiring reports.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. COLLEGE COMPLETION; MNSCU.
 1.6 	(a) The Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities shall 
1.7 	develop a comprehensive plan to encourage students to complete degrees, diplomas, or 
1.8 	certificates in their fields of study. The board must consult with students, faculty, and 
1.9 	administrators of the state colleges and universities and the Office of Higher Education to 
1.10 	create a plan that would increase program completion at each state college or university. 
1.11 	Components of this plan may include, but are not limited to:
1.12 	(1) replacing developmental or remedial courses, when appropriate, with corequisite 
1.13 	courses in which students with academic deficiencies are placed into introductory 
1.14 	credit-bearing coursework while receiving supplemental academic instruction on the 
1.15 	same subject and during the same term;
1.16 	(2) expanding intrusive advising, including the use of early alert systems or requiring 
1.17 	the approval of an advisor or counselor to register for certain classes;
1.18 	(3) developing meta-majors in broad academic disciplines as an alternative to 
1.19 	undecided majors;
1.20 	(4) making available alternative mathematics curriculum, including curriculum most 
1.21 	relevant to the student's chosen area of study;
1.22 	(5) implementing "opt-out scheduling" by automatically enrolling students in a 
1.23 	schedule of courses chosen by the student's department but allowing students to disenroll 
1.24 	from such courses if they wish;
2.1 	(6) facilitating the transfer of credits between state colleges and universities; and
2.2 	(7) strategies to encourage students to enroll full time, including the use of financial 
2.3 	assistance to reduce a student's need to work.
2.4 	(b) The development of the plan required under this section shall not discourage the 
2.5 	development or delay the implementation or expansion of existing programs to encourage 
2.6 	college completion.
2.7 	(c) The Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities shall 
2.8 	submit a report describing the plan developed under this section and an implementation 
2.9 	schedule to the legislative committees with jurisdiction over higher education policy no 
2.10 	later than January 15, 2016. This report must include identification of the financial and 
2.11 	other resources needed by state colleges or universities to implement the plan developed 
2.12 	under this section.

2.13 	Sec. 2. COLLEGE COMPLETION; UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA.
 2.14 	(a) The Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota is requested to develop a 
2.15 	comprehensive plan to encourage students to complete degrees, diplomas, or certificates 
2.16 	in their fields of study. The board is requested to consult with students, faculty, and 
2.17 	administrators of the University of Minnesota and the Office of Higher Education to create 
2.18 	a plan that would increase program completion among University of Minnesota students. 
2.19 	Components of this plan may include, but are not limited to:
2.20 	(1) replacing developmental or remedial courses, when appropriate, with corequisite 
2.21 	courses in which students with academic deficiencies are placed into introductory 
2.22 	credit-bearing coursework while receiving supplemental academic instruction on the 
2.23 	same subject and during the same term;
2.24 	(2) expanding intrusive advising, including the use of early alert systems or requiring 
2.25 	the approval of an advisor or counselor to register for certain classes;
2.26 	(3) developing meta-majors in broad academic disciplines as an alternative to 
2.27 	undecided majors;
2.28 	(4) making available alternative mathematics curriculum, including curriculum most 
2.29 	relevant to the student's chosen area of study;
2.30 	(5) implementing "opt-out scheduling" by automatically enrolling students in a 
2.31 	schedule of courses chosen by the student's department but allowing students to disenroll 
2.32 	from such courses if they wish;
2.33 	(6) facilitating the transfer of credits between state colleges and universities; and
2.34 	(7) strategies to encourage students to enroll full time, including the use of financial 
2.35 	assistance to reduce a student's need to work.
3.1 	(b) The development of the plan required under this section shall not discourage the 
3.2 	development or delay the implementation or expansion of existing programs to encourage 
3.3 	college completion.
3.4 	(c) The Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota shall submit a report 
3.5 	describing the plan developed under this section and an implementation schedule to the 
3.6 	legislative committees with jurisdiction over higher education policy no later than January 
3.7 	15, 2016. This report must include identification of the financial and other resources 
3.8 	needed to implement the plan developed under this section.