85-962.

Community colleges; legislative intent; instructional and service priorities.

It is the intent of the Legislature that the community colleges shall be student-centered, open-access institutions primarily devoted to quality instruction and public service, providing counseling and other student services intended to promote the success of a diverse student population, particularly those who have been traditionally underserved in other educational settings. The community colleges, individually and collectively, shall have as their first instructional and service priority applied technology and occupational education and, when necessary, foundations education. The second instructional and service priority of the community colleges shall be transfer education, including general academic transfer programs, or applied technology and occupational programs which may be applicable to the first two years of a bachelor's degree program, and, when necessary, foundations education. The third instructional and service priority of the community colleges shall be public service, particularly adult continuing education for occupations and professions, economic and community development focused on customized occupational assessment and job training programs for businesses and communities, and avocational and personal development courses. The fourth instructional and service priority of the community colleges shall be applied research.