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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Cervantes

DATE TYPED 02-09-05 HB 295

SHORT TITLE NMSU Info & Communication Technology Program SB

ANALYST Woods

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

$158.0

Recurring General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to the appropriation for New Mexico State University in the General Appropriations Act.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

New Mexico State University (NMSU)

New Mexico Commission on Higher Education (CHE)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 295 – Making an Appropriation for the Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program in

Information and Communication Technology at New Mexico State University – appropriates

$158,000 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of New Mexico State University for ex-

penditure in FY06 to pay for the bachelor's degree completion program in information and com-

munication technology. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of

FY06 shall revert to the general fund.

Significant Issues

NMSU indicates that the NMSU College of Engineering, Department of Engineering Technol-

ogy is implementing a distance baccalaureate-degree program in Information Technology (IT).

House Bill 295 -- Page 2

This degree completion program – junior and senior years – is designed to provide an attractive

educational path to a baccalaureate degree for graduates of two-year institutions.

NMSU further suggests that the high demand for IT professionals in the workforce, the large

pool of prospective students, the contribution the program’s graduates will have on the state’s

economic development, and delivery in distance education format are all compelling reasons for

NMSU to offer this program. The NMSU Info and Communication Technology degree comple-

tion program supports New Mexico’s efforts to facilitate articulation and transfer from two-year

higher education institutions to four-year degree programs that support economic development in

our State.

NMSU adds that this program strongly addresses two critical barriers limiting economic devel-

opment in New Mexico:

•

graduates will assist in the development of New Mexico's currently inadequate informa-

tion technology and communication infrastructure; and

•

the degree program addresses the critical demand for a highly educated technical work-

force.

The degree additionally targets a critical area of study in that it allows educational access to stu-

dents throughout the state, and efficiently makes the two-year institutions full partners by their

providing the first two years of education for tomorrow's technical workforce.

CHE indicates that this request was approved by the NMSU Board of Regents in the amount of

$158,000 and submitted to CHE for review; however, this program was not recommended for

expansion by the CHE at this time.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $158,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY06 shall revert to the gen-

eral fund.

CHE suggests that it is committed to the adequate and equitable support of necessary instruc-

tional, student services, and academic support initiatives for all students in New Mexico. Activi-

ties to be funded in this proposal are start up costs for the implementation of a new degree pro-

gram and will generate revenue from the Instruction and General (I&G) higher education fund-

ing formula within the General Appropriation Act when students begin enrolling in the program.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

NMSU advises that the existing faculty of NMSU’s College of Engineering, its Department of Engineer-

ing Technology and Advisory Committee and other community stakeholders have all collaborated to

develop the curriculum and courses for this distance degree completion program. The appropriation in

this bill will be directly applied to educational services delivered to students in the NMSU Info and

Communication Technology program. Administrative cost of this distance degree completion program

will be absorbed by NMSU’s College of Engineering.

House Bill 295 -- Page 3

Employment Prospects for Selected Computer Occupations

New Mexico Department of Labor, 2000-2010

% Annual

Occupational Title Change Openings

Computer Support Specialists............................................85% 330

Network & Computer Systems Administrators ...................71% 90

Miscellaneous Computer Specialists .................................49% 90

Computer Systems Analysts ..............................................42% 110

Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts .....68% 20

Database Administrators....................................................53% 30

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

Relates to the appropriation for New Mexico State University in the General Appropriations Act.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

NMSU indicates that the New Mexico Department of Labor forecasts that Computer Support Specialists

will be the fastest growing occupation in New Mexico from 2000-2010 at a change of +85 percent dur-

ing this ten-year period with an average of 330 annual job openings. As is expected, other job catego-

ries related to IT are also forecast to be among the fastest in growth.

NMSU anticipates that the need for information technology professionals will be long term as busi-

nesses find they must adopt continuously advancing technology to remain competitive. Many govern-

ment agencies are being required through legislation to incorporate current computer-based technology

(e.g., voting equipment and the modernization of law enforcement agencies).

Graduates of the program will have the knowledge and experience to design, implement and

manage a variety of information systems. The program’s graduates will enter the workforce with

titles that include Systems or Network Administrator, Project Manager, Database Administrator,

and Computer Support Specialist. The IT curriculum has been designed to provide the jun-

ior/senior years for associate degree graduates with delivery by distance education primarily us-

ing the Internet and CD/DVDs.

NMSU observes that its College of Engineering Department of Engineering Technology already

has working relationships with two-year institutions around the state and in El Paso including

Alamogordo, Albuquerque, Carlsbad, Deming, Espanola, Grants, Rio Rancho, Santa Fe, Las Ve-

gas, and Farmington. Community college educators and students at El Paso Community Col-

lege’s campuses, NMSU-Alamogordo, NMSU-Carlsbad, NMSU-Grants, Dona Ana Branch

Community College, Northern New Mexico Community College, Luna Community College,

Albuquerque T-VI (largest student population in New Mexico even including 4-year institutions)

have been enthusiastic about the availability of this degree completion program.

The CHE notes that as student credit hours are generated for the Bachelor’s degree completion

program in information and communication technology, the program will begin to general fund-

House Bill 295 -- Page 4

ing through the I&G funding formula. The start up funding of the program should be reduced by

the same amount of funding generated by the I&G funding formula.

BFW/njw