HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	130
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII TO PLACE NO NON-RESIDENT ENROLLMENT CAP RESTRICTIONS ON GRADUATE APPLICANTS FOR THE PURPOSES OF INCREASING INTERNATIONAL ENROLLMENT.

     WHEREAS, campus ceilings for nonresident enrollments are currently 30 percent at the baccalaureate campuses and 15 percent at the community colleges of the University of Hawaii (UH); and

     WHEREAS, ceilings on nonresident enrollments may not acknowledge the diversity and flexibility of individual campuses within the UH system; and

     WHEREAS, as an institution of higher education, UH is in a large part responsible for the educational and social development of students, which can be achieved best through interaction in an environment that fosters diversity; and

     WHEREAS, the United States Congress in passing the The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007 (H.R. 1469 and S. 991) has gained strong bipartisan support in Congress and has been endorsed by more than 35 higher education and educational exchange organizations, reflecting the increasing, global nature of our world and society; and

     WHEREAS, due to our attempts to increase study abroad opportunities for our own citizens, as an act of good faith, it would be fitting to enable similar opportunities for foreign and international students; and

     WHEREAS, many small states that are dependent on tourism routinely attract student bodies that are more than 50 percent nonresident, such as the University of Vermont and University of New Hampshire, where nonresident students account for 65 percent of the student body, and more than half of the entering class, respectively; and

     WHEREAS, through such "educational tourism," non-resident students contribute to the revenue of universities through tuition, fees, and room and board charges, as demonstrated by the considerable increase in nonresident tuition payments at UH since 2005; and

     WHEREAS, revenues from nonresident students make possible a wider range of programs to resident students; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the Senate concurring, that the University of Hawaii Board of Regents is respectfully requested to place no non-resident enrollment cap restrictions on graduate applicants for the purposes of increasing international enrollment; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii is respectfully requested to report to the legislature not later than 21 days prior to the convening of the 2009 Regular Session on the status of these requests, and any proposed legislation, if applicable; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to:

     (1)  The President of the United States of America;

     (2)  The Secretary of the US Department of State;

     (3)  The Governor of the State of Hawaii;

     (4)  Hawaii's Congressional Delegation;

     (5)  The Chairperson of the UH Board of Regents;

     (6)  The Chancellors of each of the UH's campuses and                   community colleges; and

     (7)  The Superintendent of the State Department of                  Education

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Nonresident enrollment; UH Board of Regents