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(a)The Board has developed the Supply/Demand Pathway as a particular way to address anticipated large-scale enrollment demand in a specified region. The Supply/Demand Pathway shall be used as the model to address higher education needs in areas without ready geographic access to existing public higher education institutions. The general principles set forth in §5.76 of this title (relating to General Principals for Off-Campus Educational Units) are even more significant in regard to the larger scale efforts designated as Supply/Demand Pathway initiatives. (b)An off-campus educational unit is on the "Pathway" when it is awarded that designation by the Board. (c)The supply/demand pathway consists of three categories: (1)Category A. Institutions temporarily test the market both in terms of demand and staying power by providing off-campus courses and/or programs by one or more institutions. Should demand decrease or not materialize, courses and programs can be discontinued and resources moved to areas of greater demand. (2)Category B. As demand increases, offerings may be organized through a multi-institution teaching center or as a university system center as a Pathway Education Center. A group of institutions may request that the Board authorize the establishment of a MITC. Alternatively, a university system may request that the Board authorize the establishment of a university system center. In either case, a lead institution should be designated to provide leadership for the center and facilitate the provision of programs and resources from other institutions. (3)Category C. After an entity in Category B has attained a full-time equivalent upper-level and graduate enrollment of 3,500 for four fall semesters, the parent institution(s) and Board(s) of Regents may request that the Board review the status of the center and recommend that the Legislature reclassify the unit as an upper-level general academic institution--a university. Reclassification may be considered sooner if the center attains a fall semester full-time equivalent enrollment of 3,500 followed the next fall semester by a full-time equivalent enrollment of 4,000. The 3,500 FTSE standard approximates the headcount enrollment included in the current university funding formula as the minimum size needed to achieve economies of scale. (d)Reporting. Institutions will report enrollments at centers on the pathway according to guidelines set up by the Commissioner. For the purpose of establishing the need for a new institution of higher education and meeting the enrollment threshold of 3,500 FTE students established in subsection (c)(3) of this section, internet-based courses and other courses offered in non-traditional formats that do not require the physical presence of the student at the center for a normal number of contact hours will not generally be counted. Exceptions to this general rule may be allowed if prior agreements are made with the Commissioner, but such exceptions will generally only be made for courses that are substantially supported from the center and represent a significant on-going educational need that can most effectively be served from the center.
This agency hereby certifies that the proposal has been reviewed
by legal counsel and found to be within the agency's legal authority to adopt.
Filed with the Office of
the Secretary of State on February 12, 2003
TRD-200301048 Jan Greenberg
General Counsel
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Proposed date of adoption: April 24, 2003
For further information, please call: (512) 427-6162
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