(a) In order to promote a coordinated system of higher education in Arkansas and to assure an orderly and effective development of each of the publicly supported institutions of higher education, the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall have the following powers and duties:
(1)
(A) To receive within one (1) year of their appointment and each year thereafter a minimum of eight (8) clock hours of instruction and training, to include higher education issues, policies, laws, and the duties and responsibilities associated with the position of board member.
(B) The members of the boards of all publicly supported institutions of higher education shall receive similar instruction and training within one (1) year of their appointment or election and each year thereafter, which shall be conducted by the individual institutions;
(2) Along with its director, to be responsible, within fiscal and staff capabilities, for directing an integrated program for defining, popularizing, and securing acceptance of the major goals and objectives of higher education in Arkansas and for relating them to the state's various problems;
(3) To request and receive any information from the publicly supported institutions of higher education as the board deems necessary for the performance of its duties;
(4) To promulgate and adopt uniform definitions and forms in such matters as financial reporting, academic statistics, and resident status of students for use in making financial recommendations and standard enrollment data to be followed by the institutions of higher learning;
(5) To determine the need for and recommend to the Governor and the General Assembly the establishment and location of any new institutions and to recommend, when appropriate, changes in the names of existing state-supported institutions of higher learning;
(6) To recommend the level of funding and the method of distribution of state-supported scholarships and loan programs, and to seek the cooperation of the state-supported institutions of higher learning to develop policies to coordinate all student loan and scholarship programs, including those federally financed; and
(7) To review all proposed bond issues to be made by any public institution of higher learning and to advise the board of trustees of each of the respective institutions as to the economic feasibility thereof, as set forth in § 6-62-306.
(b) The board shall encourage the cooperation of private institutions of higher learning in its efforts to plan more effectively for the coordinated development of higher education in this state.