44th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2000

RELATING TO TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS; LIMITING AWARDS AND ELIGIBILITY.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

Section 1. Section 21-1-4.3 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1996, Chapter 71, Section 3, as amended) is amended to read:

"21-1-4.3. TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS AUTHORIZED--CERTAIN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.--

A. To the extent that funds are made available by the legislature from the lottery tuition fund and subject to the limitations provided in this section, the boards of regents of New Mexico state university, New Mexico institute of mining and technology, eastern New Mexico university, western New Mexico university, the university of New Mexico, New Mexico highlands university and northern New Mexico state school shall award tuition scholarships for qualified resident students attending their respective institutions and branches of those institutions.

[B. Except as authorized in Subsection C of this section, the tuition scholarships authorized in this section shall apply only to full-time resident students who, immediately upon completion of a high school curriculum at a public or accredited private New Mexico high school or upon receiving a graduate equivalent diploma, are accepted for entrance to and attend one of the state educational institutions set forth in this section or one of the branches of those institutions. Each tuition scholarship shall be awarded for up to four consecutive years beginning the second semester of the recipient's first year of enrollment, provided that the recipient has maintained residency in New Mexico and maintained a grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale during his first semester of full-time enrollment.

C. The tuition scholarships authorized in this section shall also apply to full-time resident students who, immediately upon completion of a high school curriculum at a public or accredited private New Mexico high school or upon receiving a graduate equivalent diploma, attend a two-year public post-secondary educational institution in New Mexico and who, upon the completion of that curriculum or at the end of two years, whichever is sooner, transfer to one of the post-secondary state educational institutions set forth in this section. Those students shall be eligible for a tuition scholarship for two consecutive years, provided that those students maintain residency in New Mexico, maintain a grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale and attend the institution full time during the regular academic year.

D. The tuition scholarships authorized in this section shall also apply to full-time resident students who:

(1) within one hundred twenty days of completion of a high school curriculum at a public or accredited private New Mexico high school, or of receiving a graduate equivalent diploma, begin service in the United States armed forces; and

(2) within one hundred twenty days of completion of honorable service or medical discharge from the service are accepted for entrance to and attend one of the state educational institutions set forth in this section.]

B. A tuition scholarship award shall be equal to forty percent of the cost of tuition and fees per semester at any of the four-year educational institutions set forth in Subsection A of this section and sixty-five percent of the cost of tuition and fees per semester at any of the two-year educational institutions set forth in that subsection.

C. A tuition scholarship is available to a New Mexico resident student who meets the following eligibility requirements:

(1) the annual income of the student's family is seventy thousand dollars ($70,000) or less, as defined by the commission on higher education;

(2) the student:

(a) is accepted for entrance to and attends one of the state educational institutions set forth in Subsection A of this section immediately upon completion of a high school curriculum at a public or accredited private New Mexico high school or upon receiving a graduate equivalent diploma;

(b) is accepted for entrance to and attends one of the four-year educational institutions set forth in Subsection A of this section upon completion of a high school curriculum at a public or accredited private New Mexico high school or upon receiving a graduate equivalent diploma and upon attendance at a two-year public post-secondary educational institution in New Mexico that resulted in the completion of the two-year curriculum or transfer at the end of two years, whichever is sooner, to one of the four-year educational institutions; or

(c) within one hundred twenty days of completion of a high school curriculum at a public or accredited private New Mexico high school, or of receiving a graduate equivalent diploma, begins service in the United States armed forces and within one hundred twenty days of completion of honorable service or medical discharge from the United States armed forces is accepted for entrance to and attends one of the state educational institutions set forth in Subsection A of this section;

(3) the student maintains residency in New Mexico; and

(4) the student maintained a grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale during his first semester to qualify for the initial tuition scholarship and he continues to maintain a grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale during succeeding semesters to continue to receive the award.

D. A tuition scholarship shall be awarded for tuition and fees for a maximum of sixty credit hours within four consecutive years. A New Mexico resident student may receive a tuition scholarship for part-time or full-time attendance at an educational institution set forth in Subsection A of this section.

E. The commission on higher education shall prepare guidelines setting forth explicit student initial and continuing eligibility criteria and guidelines for administration of the tuition scholarship program. Guidelines shall be distributed to the board of regents of each institution to enable a uniform availability of the resident student tuition scholarships."

Section 2. Section 21-13-10 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1963, Chapter 17, Section 9, as amended) is amended to read:

"21-13-10. BOARD DUTIES.--

A. It [shall be] is the duty of the community college board to determine financial and educational policies of the community college. The community college board shall provide for the management of the community college and execution of these policies by selecting a competent president for the community college, and, upon the president's recommendation, the board shall employ other administrative personnel, instructional staff or other personnel as may be needed for the operation, maintenance and administration of the community college.

B. The community college board shall have the power to fix tuition and fee rates for resident and nonresident students of the district, to accept gifts, to accept federal aid, to purchase, hold, sell and rent property and equipment and to promote the general welfare of the institution for the best interest of educational service to the people of the community college district.

C. To the extent that funds are made available by the legislature from the lottery tuition fund, the community college board shall award tuition scholarships for qualified resident students attending [their respective institutions] the community college. A tuition scholarship shall be equal to sixty-five percent of the cost of tuition and fees per semester at the community college.

D. [The] A tuition [scholarships] scholarship authorized in this section shall apply [only] to a part-time or full-time resident [students] student who, immediately upon completion of a high school curriculum at a public or accredited private New Mexico high school or upon receiving a graduate equivalent diploma, [are] is accepted for entrance to and [attend] attends a community college. [Each] A tuition scholarship shall be awarded for up to two consecutive years beginning the second semester of the [recipient's] student's first year of enrollment [provided that the recipient has maintained residency in New Mexico and maintained a grade-point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale during his first semester of full-time enrollment] if the student meets the following eligibility requirements:

(1) the annual income of the student's family is seventy thousand dollars ($70,000) or less, as defined by the commission on higher education;

(2) the student maintains residency in New Mexico; and

(3) the student maintained a grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale during his first semester to qualify for the tuition scholarship and he continues to maintain a grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale during succeeding semesters to continue to receive the award.

E. The commission on higher education shall prepare guidelines setting forth explicit student initial and continuing eligibility criteria and guidelines for administration of the tuition scholarship program. Guidelines shall be distributed to community college boards to enable a uniform availability of the resident student tuition scholarship."

Section 3. Section 21-16-10.1 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1996, Chapter 71, Section 6, as amended) is amended to read:

"21-16-10.1. TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS AUTHORIZED.--

A. To the extent that funds are made available by the legislature from the lottery tuition fund, the board of a technical and vocational institute shall award tuition scholarships for qualified resident students attending a technical and vocational institute.

B. The tuition scholarships authorized in this section shall apply [only] to a part-time or full-time resident [students] student who, immediately upon completion of a high school curriculum at a public or accredited private New Mexico high school or upon receiving a graduate equivalent diploma [are] is accepted for entrance to and [attend] attends a technical and vocational institute. [Each] A tuition scholarship shall be awarded for up to two consecutive years beginning the second semester of the [recipient's] student's first year of enrollment [provided that the recipient has maintained residency in New Mexico and maintained a grade-point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale during his first semester of full-time enrollment with renewal of an additional two years upon transfer] if the student meets the following eligibility requirements:

(1) the annual income of the student's family is seventy thousand dollars ($70,000) or less, as defined by the commission on higher education;

(2) the student maintains residency in New Mexico; and

(3) the student maintained a grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale during his first semester to qualify for the tuition scholarship and he continues to maintain a grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale during succeeding semesters to continue to receive the award.

C. The commission on higher education shall prepare guidelines setting forth explicit student initial and continuing eligibility criteria and guidelines for administration of the tuition scholarship program. Guidelines shall be distributed to the boards of technical and vocational institutes to enable a uniform availability of the resident student tuition scholarships."