Governor SIGNS KCTCS-supported transfer LEGISLATION (hb160)

Frankfort, Ky. Gov. Steve Beshear officially sign landmark transfer bill -- House Bill 160 on April 14. Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) students will greatly benefit from this legislation, which will ease the transfer of community college credits to four-year universities in the state.

The governor signed the bill into law at a formal signing ceremony at the State Capitol Building in Frankfort. Speakers at the event included KCTCS President Michael B. McCall, along with bill sponsor Rep. Carl Rollins. HB 160 was approved unanimously by both the House of Representatives and Senate.

We are extremely pleased and thankful that House Bill 160 has become law. Thank you to the governor and the state legislature for their support of this significant legislation. The transfer bill eliminates many of the barriers our students have experienced when they try to transfer credit from community college courses to public four-year universities in our state, Dr. McCall said.

The KCTCS legislative agenda has been a success as shown by the signing of this bill, and by the more than 10,000 citizens who have joined the Kentuckians for Community and Technical Colleges campaign to increase access to four-year degrees by eliminating many of the barriers for transfer students.

This remarkable legislation will transform the lives of Kentuckians by creating a more clearly defined path to a bachelor s degree for KCTCS students who plan to transfer to a four-year university in our state, Dr. McCall said.

HB160 will take effect in the 2012-2013 academic year for first-time students. It will help provide students with a clear-cut understanding of which courses will apply toward a four-year degree. It creates consistency among core courses students need in order to succeed. It also includes stipulations for maintaining the agreement once passed into law, requiring advance notice to KCTCS and the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) when course changes are proposed that would have an effect on transfer. KCTCS, in preparation for the advent of HB160, is creating a common course numbering system among each of its 16 colleges on 68 campuses across the state.

KCTCS students represent more than half of the undergraduate students in all of Kentucky s public postsecondary institutions combined. KCTCS is where higher education begins for most Kentuckians.

The passage of the transfer legislation will make it easier for students to receive baccalaureate degrees and thereby improve the overall economy of the state by attracting more businesses and industries that will put Kentucky state on a trajectory path towards economic prosperity.

Kentucky s future economic health depends upon higher education because some form of postsecondary credential is needed for the high wage, high demand jobs that are critical for our state to not only survive, but thrive in today s global marketplace, Dr. McCall said.