The Office of Legislative Research writes nonpartisan reports for legislators on various topics. Recent reports related to the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee’s subject areas include:

Pledge to Advance Connecticut – 2024-R-0016

Statutory Protections for Private Career School Students – 2024-R-0024

Issue Brief: Roberta B. Willis Scholarship Program – 2023-R-0255

Scholarship Transfers – 2023-R-0303

Scholarship Displacement – 2023-R-0256

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid  (FAFSA) Simplification Act – 2023-R-0251

Connecticut Student Loan Forgiveness and Repayment Programs – 2023-R-0106

State Apprenticeship Programs – 2023-R-0183

New Student Loan Programs – 2023-R-0185

Budgets and Endowments of Flagship State Universities – 2023-R-0078

State agencies

University of Connecticut

Connecticut State Colleges and Universities

Office of Higher Education

 

State boards, commissions, and task forces

University of Connecticut Board of Trustees

Board of Regents for Higher Education

Planning Commission for Higher Education Student Financial Aid Working Group

Task Force to Study Best Practices with Regard to Open Educational Resources

Task Force Concerning Outcomes-Based Financing

Planning Commission for Higher Education

 

Other organizations

The Jackson Laboratory

American Council on Education

National Association of College and University Business Officers

 

Other online resources

Urban Institute research on higher education

Education Commission of the States 50-state comparison of need- and merit-based financial aid

CASE Bulletin – Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering; electronic subscription.

Chronicle of Higher Education – print subscription with website access.

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) – from the U.S. Dept. of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences’ National Center for Education Statistics. Includes data on topics such as enrollment, graduation rates, employees, revenues, and financial aid.

Executive Compensation at Private and Public Colleges – from the Chronicle of Higher Education. Legislative Library subscription; see librarian.

FAFSA Completion Rates – from the state Dept. of Education. Shows the percentage of students at each high school who have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Updated weekly.

NCSL Postsecondary Education Bill Tracking Database – from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Tracks legislation from 2019-present.

NCSL Student Loan Bill Tracking Database – from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Tracks legislation from 2015-present.

Please note this is not an exhaustive list. Contact the library for these and other reports.

Administrative salary report – biennial report by the Board of Regents for Higher Education; pursuant to CGS 10a-158(b)

Allied Health Workforce Policy Board annual legislative report – pursuant to CGS 4-124dd

Bioscience Connecticut – biennial report by the University of Connecticut; pursuant to CGS 10a-109mm

Connecticut Employment and Training Commission legislative report card – annual report pursuant to CGS 31-3yy

Connecticut Health Data Collaborative status reportstatus report – pursuant to SA 16-20

Connecticut higher education data and trends – annual report by the Office of Higher Education; pursuant to CGS 10a-57

Connecticut Student Loan Foundation annual report – pursuant to CGS 10a-210

Economic trends – annual report by the Dept. of Labor; pursuant to CGS 10-95h

Expansion of online mechatronics courses by the Connecticut State Colleges and UniversitiesExpansion of online mechatronics courses by the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities – by CSCU; pursuant to PA 17-242 s.2

Higher Education Coordinating Council accountability report – annual report by the University of Connecticut; pursuant to CGS 10a-6b(f)

Institutional need and merit based gift aid for undergraduate students – annual report by the University of Connecticut and the Board of Regents for Higher Education; pursuant to CGS 10a-161c

Minority teacher recruitment reports – annual reports by the Dept. of Education; pursuant to CGS 10-156bb, CGS 10-156cc, and CGS 10-156dd

Online lottery gaming revenue and the debt-free community college programOnline lottery gaming revenue and the debt-free community college program – by the Office of Policy and Management; pursuant to PA 19-117 s.364

Open source textbook pilot program reportOpen source textbook pilot program report – by the University of Connecticut; pursuant to SA 15-18 s.1

Open source textbook reportOpen source textbook report – by the Task Force to Study Best Practices With Regard to Open Educational Resources; pursuant to SA 15-18 s.2

Policies for awarding college credit for exam scores earned in advanced high school coursesPolicies for awarding college credit for exam scores earned in advanced high school courses – by the CT State Colleges and Universities (CSCU); pursuant to PA 21-2 s.262 June

Post-Secondary Education Financing Working Group findings and recommendationsPost-Secondary Education Financing Working Group findings and recommendations – pursuant to PA 21-62 s.2

Qualified contracts – annual reports by the University of Connecticut and the Board of Regents for Higher Education; pursuant to CGS 10a-151g(b)

Quality of teacher preparation programs – annual report by the Dept. of Education; pursuant to CGS 10-146h

Roles and responsibilities of a state higher education regulatory agency in the protection of student interests and outcomesRoles and responsibilities of a state higher education regulatory agency in the protection of student interests and outcomes – by the Office of Higher Education; pursuant to PA 16-36 s.2

Sexual assault, stalking and intimate partner violence report – annual report by each institution of higher education in the state; pursuant to CGS 10a-55m(f)

Status and progress of CSUS 2020 semiannual report – by the Board of Regents for Higher Education; pursuant to CGS 10a-91f

Status update on establishment of the Office of Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities – annual report by the Dept. of Education; pursuant to PA 21-168 s.9

Task Force to Analyze the Implementation of Laws Governing Dyslexia Instruction and Training final reportTask Force to Analyze the Implementation of Laws Governing Dyslexia Instruction and Training final report – pursuant to SA 19-8

Task Force to Examine the Impact of the Proposed [Title IX sexual misconduct] Regulations on Students and Campus Safety at Institutions of Higher Education in the State final reportTask Force to Examine the Impact of the Proposed [Title IX sexual misconduct] Regulations on Students and Campus Safety at Institutions of Higher Education in the State final report – pursuant to SA 19-23

Task Force to Study the Policies and Procedures Adopted by Each Institution of Higher Education Regarding the Prevention and Treatment of Mental Illness recommendationsTask Force to Study the Policies and Procedures Adopted by Each Institution of Higher Education Regarding the Prevention and Treatment of Mental Illness recommendations – pursuant to SA 19-14

Transfer and articulation report – annual reports by the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities and the University of Connecticut; pursuant to CGS 10a-55w(c)

UConn 2000 report – semiannual report by the University of Connecticut; pursuant to CGS 10a-109x(a)

UConn Foundation annual report – pursuant to CGS 4-37f(9)

University of Connecticut Faculty Consulting Oversight Committee annual report – pursuant to CGS 1-84(r)(3)

UConn Health Center public-private partnerships status report and recommended legislationUConn Health Center public-private partnerships status report and recommended legislation – pursuant to PA 17-2 s.60 June

UConn Health Center statement of operating budget revenues and expenses – quarterly report by the University of Connecticut Health Center; pursuant to CGS 10a-105(d)

University of Connecticut (Storrs and regional campuses) quarterly overview of the operating and research funds – by UConn; pursuant to CGS 10a-105(d)

For OLR Reports and other materials related to the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee’s work, index headings include:

Apprenticeship Programs
Education-Adult
Education-Higher
Education-Higher-Finance
Education-Vocational/Technical
Employment
Ex-Convicts-Employment
Job Development
Labor Supply
Medical Research
Occupational Training
Scholarships and Loan Programs
Science and Technology
Sports
University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut-Health Center
Vocational Rehabilitation

The library assigns topical index headings to all OLR Reports and keeps hard copies of the reports organized by these index headings. Reports from 1994 to the present are in the library’s file cabinets (aka the “vertical files”) in the red-tabbed folders, as well as online in full text. Older reports are in two sets of bound volumes (one set for the 1970s, and one for 1980-1993) on the library’s shelves.

The same index headings the library uses for OLR Reports have been used to organize over 600 subject files of materials such as newspaper clippings, court decisions, press releases, pamphlets, and other resources that would be more difficult to locate if they were dispersed throughout the library’s general collection. The subject files are in the blue-tabbed folders in the file cabinets. (Many of the items in these folders have also been digitized by the library, and their electronic versions can be found in the library’s intranet catalog.)

Guide to New England Colleges and Universities – by the New England Board of Higher Education, 2018

For the past several years, almost all newly published items added to the library’s collection have been in electronic format only. These items are accessible in full text through the library’s intranet catalog. Many old print materials have also been digitized and uploaded to the library’s catalog.

To get a general sense of a subject’s history, however, you may find it useful to browse the library stacks in certain locations to see print copies of older publications (and the occasional newer item that was published both electronically and in print). For publications related to higher education and employment advancement, call number ranges include, but are not limited to:

374 adult education
378 higher education
379 public policy issues in education

Hard copies of mandated reports that were produced only once or as a limited series are shelved by the number of the act that required the report. Hard copies of mandated reports produced regularly with no set end date (for example, state agencies’ annual reports) are shelved in the stacks by subject.

Apprenticeship programs and workforce needsApprenticeship programs and workforce needs – by the Office of Program Review and Investigations, 2015

Higher education certificate programsHigher education certificate programs – by the Office of Program Review and Investigations, 2014

Report on the Association of American Universities campus climate survey on sexual assault and sexual misconductReport on the Association of American Universities campus climate survey on sexual assault and sexual misconduct – published by Westat, 2015

State economic impacts of the University of ConnecticutState economic impacts of the University of Connecticut – published by the University of Connecticut, 2019

Survey of Connecticut manufacturing workforce needsSurvey of Connecticut manufacturing workforce needs – by the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, 2017

University of Connecticut’s affordability to studentsUniversity of Connecticut’s affordability to students – by the Office of Program Review and Investigations, 2014

Work matters: a framework for states on workforce development for people with disabilitiesWork matters: a framework for states on workforce development for people with disabilities – by the Council of State Governments and the National Conference of State Legislatures, 2016