(a) The General Assembly recognizes the necessity of the state having an orderly and planned system of higher education and determines that the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board should establish reasonable and necessary criteria and factors to be used in determining and controlling the expansion of existing state-supported institutions of higher learning and community college programs, in order to prevent an overextension of the state's resources or unnecessary duplication of programs or facilities.

(b)

(1) The board is authorized to promulgate and adopt reasonable rules, regulations, criteria, guidelines, and standards to be followed by the respective state-supported institutions of higher learning and to be applied by the board with respect to the planning, establishment, location, or development of any branch campus of the existing state-supported institutions of higher learning or community colleges.

(2) The standards, rules, regulations, criteria, and guidelines shall be developed and approved after public hearings held by the board in accordance with the Arkansas Administrative Procedure Act, § 25-15-201 et seq.

(3) Upon the development and adoption thereof, the standards, rules, regulations, criteria, and guidelines shall be followed by the board in reviewing, rejecting, or approving the establishment and location of all future branch campuses of existing state-supported institutions of higher learning or community colleges.

(c)

(1) Each state-supported institution of higher learning and community college desiring to establish a branch campus or program shall present to the board a request in writing to establish the branch campus or program, outlining the justifications and reasons therefor.

(2) The board shall review the application in accordance with the standards, rules and regulations, criteria, and guidelines promulgated by the board and may grant the application only if the establishment of a branch campus is within these guidelines and standards.

(3) If the board rejects the application, the institution shall not establish the branch campus or program.