(a) The Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board is authorized to act and shall act as the statewide coordinating board for the community colleges established in conformity with §§ 6-61-101 -- 6-61-103, 6-61-201 -- 6-61-209, 6-61-212 -- 6-61-216, 6-61-301 -- 6-61-305, 6-61-401, 6-61-402, 6-61-501 -- 6-61-524, and 6-61-601 -- 6-61-603.

(b) When the board is acting as the State Community College Board, the Director of the Department of Education shall be an ex officio nonvoting member of that board.

(c) The State Community College Board shall have the following duties and powers:

(1)

(A) It shall function as the coordinating agency between the community colleges, the public schools, the universities, the state colleges, and the other educational institutions in Arkansas.

(B) In relation to the senior institutions of the state, it shall work with them and with the community colleges to develop the criteria for transfer of credits of students entering senior institutions from community colleges;

(2)

(A) It shall set forth the criteria in conformity with, but not limited to, the provisions of §§ 6-61-507 and 6-61-510 -- 6-61-519 for the establishment of community college districts.

(B) In addition to the specific requirements set forth in §§ 6-61-101 -- 6-61-103, 6-61-201 -- 6-61-209, 6-61-212 -- 6-61-216, 6-61-301 -- 6-61-305, 6-61-401, 6-61-402, 6-61-501 -- 6-61-524, and 6-61-601 -- 6-61-603, the criteria shall provide for the size and location of sites for the proposed community college, the nature and extent of the program, and the size and type of buildings required;

(3) It shall develop objective criteria for the determination of the requirements in § 6-61-508;

(4) It shall upon request of a citizens' group develop a tentative budget to determine the annual cost of the operation;

(5) It shall act in an advisory capacity concerning changes and expansion of the overall program for community colleges and the program for each community college;

(6) It shall develop a uniform budget format and accounting and reporting procedures to be used by all community colleges;

(7) It shall, with the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee, determine that state funds are used in conformity with the grants of the funds; and

(8) (A) (i) It shall develop criteria for determining if an institution is adequately comprehensive.

(ii) In developing criteria to determine if an institution is adequately comprehensive, the board shall require that each community college fulfill all aspects of the definition of a community college as contained in § 6-61-501 and shall specifically provide for occupational programs that do not require academic transfer courses for completion.

(B) It must make an annual determination, and may do so more often, as to whether each community college is adequately comprehensive or is becoming adequately comprehensive.

(C) If it is determined that any community college is not adequately comprehensive and is not becoming adequately comprehensive, that institution shall not be eligible for state funds until it has corrected the deficiencies and has received a favorable determination by the board.

(d) In furtherance of the purposes of §§ 6-61-101 -- 6-61-103, 6-61-201 -- 6-61-209, 6-61-212 -- 6-61-216, 6-61-301 -- 6-61-305, 6-61-401, 6-61-402, 6-61-501 -- 6-61-524, and 6-61-601 -- 6-61-603 and in addition to the powers and duties vested in the board, the board shall have authority to make agreements with agencies of this state, the federal government, and political subdivisions of this state, and their institutions and agencies, not inconsistent with the Constitution and laws of the State of Arkansas, when these agreements are to the advantage of the State of Arkansas in the furtherance of the state community college program as authorized by law.