By now, most of you know that the Governor has called for a special session of the legislature to be held for one day, this Thursday November 29. The legislature was already scheduled to be in the state capital this week for their regularly scheduled late November committee assembly. With the one day special session, previously scheduled committee hearings had to be quickly reorganized. For your information, here’s a preview of higher education related hearings for the upcoming week.
On Wednesday November 28, the House Higher Education Committee will hold a joint meeting with the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education at 9:30 a.m. in House Hearing Room A. Topics on the agenda include community college budgets, financial barriers for students and an update on the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) master plan.
The Senate Higher Education Committee will hold a hearing later that afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 3. Topics include a presentation on the HECB strategic master plan and a presentation on the siting recommendations and preliminary academic plan for the UW North Sound campus.
On Friday November 30, the House Higher Education Committee will meet at 10:00 a.m. in House Hearing Room D to discuss key issues for the 2008 legislative session. Following a staff recap of the 2007 session, the HECB’s strategic master plan will be discussed and the each of the higher education system representatives (state board, COP, faculty, students, etc.) will be given time to discuss 2008 priority issues. The final item on the agenda will be a presentation by OFM the and the University on the North Sound campus planning reports.
The House Capital Budget Committee will hold a hearing at 3:30 p.m. that same day in House Hearing Room A. Topics on the committee’s agenda include an updates on the joint task force on school construction funding and the public infrastructure study committee and another presentation from NBBJ, OFM and the UW on the North Sound campus planning reports.