The Tennessee General Assembly continued the Extraordinary Session last week, with the House passing the "Complete College Act of 2010" by a vote of 93 - 2. Lawmakers said the plan will increase the number of college graduates, offer easily transferable credits, and make the community colleges, four-year institutions, and technology centers work as a tightly knit network. In addition, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville will partner with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a move that lawmakers believe will make the state's flagship university a premier research institution.

Tennessee currently ranks 40th in the nation in completion of bachelor's degrees, and 45th in completion of associate's degrees. Lawmakers were told that in order to reach the national average, Tennessee would need to graduate another 20,000 graduates annually. Economists predict that Tennesseans could earn $6 billion in additional salaries if the goal is reached, as the pool of workers for "middle management" jobs would be larger-especially for companies that recently relocated here such as Hemlock, Volkswagen, and even Wacker here in our district.

The bill revises the current law by making it easier for transfers of credit among institutions. The law calls for the development of a 60 hour university tract program consisting of 41 hours of general education and 19 hours of pre-major courses or electives that can be applied toward a bachelor's degree at any of Tennessee's public universities. In addition, the law provides for further development of a common course numbering system for community colleges that will aide students in transferring the credits, and requires course catalogs at community college to clearly define what classes are not transferable.

One aspect of the bill eliminates remedial classes at the state's four-year institutions, but allows students to dual enroll in a four-year university and a community college to complete the classes if needed. A student could declare they were on a path toward a bachelor's degree, and still be considered a full-time student at the university if they were enrolled in 12 hours between the two institutions.

In keeping with the legislature's goal of directing students to the post-secondary institution that best suits them--a four-year institution, community college, or technical school--the legislation creates a more cohesive system to be in place by 2011 to give students an easier, more affordable way to finish the degree of their choice. The Tennessee Higher Education Commission is directed to develop coordinated programs and services, so that students can move freely about the system in order to pursue their degree and fulfill their requirements.

Under current law, the funding for state institutions is based on student enrollment. The bill directs the Tennessee Higher Education Commission to develop a new funding formula based on outcomes instead. While graduation rates are sure to be a large portion, THEC is also directed to take into account student retention, timely progress toward degree completion, and end of term enrollment when determining the new funding plan. THEC will present the new funding plan to the legislature once it is completed.