HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 1

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2010

INTRODUCED BY

Nathan P. Cote

FOR THE MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE HIGHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO STUDY THE BENEFITS AND FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING UNIFORM STANDARDS FOR ACCEPTING MILITARY CREDIT AND ARTICULATION AMONG ALL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN NEW MEXICO.

     WHEREAS, the legislature has the goal of providing educational opportunities for all members of the United States armed forces; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico has a history of educating active duty military and civilian leaders; and

     WHEREAS, the legislature is committed to lifelong learning for military personnel and helps with tuition costs; and

     WHEREAS, servicemembers who frequently move from place to place have trouble completing college degrees; and

     WHEREAS, military-friendly institutions that have flexible policies can assist mobile servicemembers and their families to complete degrees rather than just accumulate course credits; and

     WHEREAS, articulation agreements facilitate the easy transfer of credits from one educational institution to another; and

     WHEREAS, the servicemembers opportunity colleges consortium facilitates the acceptance of military credit and articulation in cooperation with fifteen higher education associations, the department of defense and active and reserve components of the military services; and

     WHEREAS, fifteen colleges and universities in New Mexico, including the university of New Mexico and New Mexico state university, are servicemembers opportunity colleges consortium member institutions; and

      WHEREAS, for more than a half century, the American council on education's guide to the evaluation of educational experiences in the armed services has been the standard reference work for recognizing learning acquired in the military; and

     WHEREAS, currently, approximately one thousand eight hundred appropriately accredited colleges and universities recognize and use that guide in evaluating and awarding academic credit for military training and experience and provide associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees for servicemembers and their adult dependent family members;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the higher education department be requested to study the benefits and feasibility of establishing uniform standards for accepting military credit and articulation among all colleges and universities in New Mexico and present its findings to the appropriate interim committee of the legislature by November 2010; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of higher education and the governor.

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