The governing body of a regional higher education center may submit to the Commission a request for proposals for the offering of a baccalaureate degree program at a center in accordance with §C of this regulation. A board of trustees of a community college may submit to the Commission a request for proposals for the offering of a baccalaureate degree program not currently offered in the region in accordance with §C of this regulation. Before submitting a request for proposals to the Commission, a regional higher education center or a community college shall: Seek input from students, workforce development councils, and other civic, educational, community, and business groups when assessing the educational needs of the region; Determine the regional or Statewide need for graduates of each program for which a request for proposals is submitted; Identify the enrollment patterns, special characteristics of students, and other unique circumstances that would require a program to be offered in a particular manner; and Determine that the degree program is necessary to meet the academic and economic development needs of the region or State. Upon receiving a request for proposals for the offering of a baccalaureate degree program from the governing body of a regional higher education center or board of trustees of a community college, the Commission shall circulate that request to the public and nonpublic senior higher education institutions in the State within 30 days of having received the request. In consultation with the Commission, the governing body of the regional higher education center or board of trustees of the community college making the request may accept or reject a proposal for offering a baccalaureate degree program submitted by a public or nonpublic senior higher education institution in accordance with §D of this regulation. If none of the public and nonpublic senior higher education institutions in the State submits an acceptable response to the request for proposals circulated by the Commission within a 30-day period, the governing body of the regional higher education center or board of trustees of the community college making the request may submit the request for proposals to one or more out-of-State senior higher education institutions. Before offering the degree program that is the subject of the request for proposals, an out-of-State senior higher education institution shall seek the approval of the Commission under Education Article, Title 11, Annotated Code of Maryland, and the procedures in Regulation .04 of this chapter.