Collection of data.

(a) The commission may require the institutions of public and private higher education and other institutions of postsecondary education in the state to submit data on costs, selection, and retention of students, enrollments, education outcomes, plant capacities and use, and other matters pertinent to effective planning and coordination, and shall furnish information concerning these matters to the governor, to the legislature, and to other state and federal agencies as requested by them.

(b) The commission may maintain a database containing information received under this section, AS 14.42.030 (e)(7) and (8), and AS 23.20.110 , for the purpose of compiling statewide workforce and education-related statistics and analyzing education and training outcomes. The commission may enter into cooperative agreements with state agencies, the University of Alaska, and other organizations to share data and information related to education and employment. The commission may not provide unit records to the federal government under this subsection.

(c) The commission shall, for the purposes of this section and AS 14.42.030 (e)(7) and (8), remove personally identifiable information, including first name, last name, and middle name, social security number, student identification number, residential address, and mailing address, before placing the information in the database under (b) of this section. The commission is not required to remove the month or year of birth from a record under this subsection.

(d) In this section, “unit record” means information pertaining to an individual.