skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, July 4, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Illinois' 988 crisis hotline 'ineffective;' Biden tells allies he knows he has only days to salvage candidacy; Hurricane Beryl aims for the Yucatan Peninsula; Federal judge blocks Montana logging project, protects iconic hawk.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President Joe Biden says he won't be dropping out as the Democratic nominee. Experts in democracy ruminate on recent Supreme Court rulings and immigrants' advocates want a phone call program restored.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A new wildfire map shows where folks are most at risk of losing a home nationwide, rural North Carolina groups promote supportive and affordable housing for those in substance-abuse recovery, and bookmobiles are rolling across rural California.

Legislation would expand Indiana college degree options

play audio
Play

Thursday, February 22, 2024   

Indiana lawmakers on the House Education Committee have unanimously approved a Senate bill designed to lower college debt and expand educational opportunities statewide.

State Sen. Jean Leising - R-Oldenburg - told the committee that she authored Senate Bill 8 to mandate state universities re-examine their degree programs, to see if they could be accomplished in less time.

"That they have to look at four-year bachelor programs and see if any of them could be completed in three years," said Leising. "Wouldn't it be nice for kids, like I represent in my rural counties, to be able to complete a bachelor's degree in three years and hold down the cost of education?"

The committee introduced a few amendments to offer smaller schools more implementation flexibility, and requiring universities to disclose foreign financial gifts - including a five-year look-back period.

Leising's bill garnered bipartisan support.

It also would create a statewide "reverse transfer" policy for Ivy Tech Community College and Vincennes University, to award associate degrees to eligible former and current students.

Leising said in drafting the bill, she drew from personal experiences and program successes like Indiana's College Core - which is a block of 30 credit-hours that are transferable between all public colleges and universities in the state.

"I liked the looks of it when they first approached me, because I saw the benefits to my own granddaughter," said Leising. "When she graduated from a small private high school with about 200 kids, and she had 37 college credits to transfer directly to Purdue with the letter grades."

The legislation is a cornerstone of Gov. Eric Holcomb's 2024 "Next Level Agenda," which proponents say could revolutionize Indiana's education landscape for students and families grappling with costs.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
Environmentalists say the plastics and fossil fuel industries driving plastic pollution and related problems have made false promises about efforts to address the pollution. (aryfahmed/Adobe Stock)

play sound

Environmental groups in Texas are backing a proposed global plastics treaty set to be finalized by the end of the year. The treaty aims to minimize …


Social Issues

play sound

Nearly 60% of Nebraska three- and four-year-olds are not enrolled in preschool programs, which are associated with increased success in school and …

Environment

play sound

A decision from the U.S. Supreme Court protects Idaho rivers from what conservation groups say are harmful mining practices. The justices rejected a …


By a 17-point margin, 53%-36%, voters favor Congress taking action to reform the Supreme Court and the way it operates, according to Stand Up America. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A University of Nevada-Las Vegas law professor said the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court has issued major decisions dramatically …

Social Issues

play sound

A series of free summer camps focused on STEM and other career paths seeks to boost the career goals of youth in the agricultural community of Immokal…

Utilities are shutting off power in an effort to keep downed and damaged power lines from sparking blazes and fueling the West's more frequent and intense wildfires. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

By Kate Ruder for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News Service…

Environment

play sound

Local fire crews across Oregon will be working to limit the number of manmade fires in the state on what looks to be the hottest weekend of the year s…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Abortion bans and restrictions limit women's participation in the workforce, according to a new analysis that quantifies the negative impacts on …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021