Community colleges gaining accreditation to offer four year degrees

Joshua Adams Hicks of the Bellevue Reporter has a report which was reprinted at SeattlePI.Com about Bellevue College gaining accreditation. In Bellevue College Gains Accredidation for Bachelor'sPrograms Hicks reports:

Bellevue College announced today it has earned accreditation for its fledgling baccalaureate program from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

The commission, which certifies all higher-education institutions in the Northwest, also gave accreditation to South Seattle Community College and Olympic College, of Bremerton.

A fourth school, Peninsula College in Port Angeles, is still seeking accreditation.

The state legislature in 2005 authorized a limited number of two-year colleges to offer four-year bachelor's degrees as a cost-efficient way to meet demand for baccalaureate-level education and a more skilled workforce.

The two state boards that oversee higher education eventually chose four schools to launch the initiative.

Bellevue College began its baccalaureate program in 2007 by offering a Bachelor of Applied Science in Radiation and Imaging Services. This year, the school added a bachelor of arts in interior design.

Bachelor's degree offerings from the other schools include nursing from Olympic, hospitality management at South Seattle, and applied management at Peninsula.

All four institutions awarded their first baccalaureate degrees to a total of 57 students last spring.

"Community college baccalaureate programs offer benefits around the table," Bellevue College President Jean Floten said in a statement. "They serve employers' needs; they open up new opportunities to students who are place-bound by family or other obligations; and they conserve state resources by leveraging existing investments in college campuses and staffing."

Bellevue College dropped the term "community college" from its name last spring to become simply Bellevue College....

The ability of community colleges to offer four year degrees offers an affordable alternative for many students. See, Is College the Right Choice for Everyone? And Help! I Can't Afford to Pay for My Kid's Education

Tamar Levin of the New York Times reported on the trend of community colleges offering four year degrees in the 2009 article, Community Colleges Challenge Hierarchy With Four Year Degrees

But nowadays, Miami Dade College — the “Community” has been dropped — offers bachelor’s degrees in teaching and nursing and public safety management, and will soon add engineering technology, film production and others. Ms. Coleman returned to Miami Dade two years ago and is about to graduate with a degree in public safety management.

Ms. Coleman now recommends the college to family members. “It’s much cheaper, the teachers are good, you can do it in the evening while you work, and everyone’s very helpful,” she said.

As Ms. Coleman discovered, the line between community colleges and four-year universities is blurring.

Florida leads the way, with 14 community colleges authorized to offer bachelor’s degrees, and 12 already doing so, in fields as varied as fire safety management and veterinary technology. But nationwide, 17 states, including Nevada, Texas and Washington, have allowed community colleges to award associate’s and bachelor’s degrees, and in some, the community colleges have become four-year institutions. Others states are considering community college baccalaureates.

Tampa Bay online has more information about the Florida programs.

More people are switching careers several times during their working career and that means that they must be retrained. Many students cannot afford a traditional four year college either in terms of cost or time spent away from home. Community colleges have always offered these students educational opportunity. KCBS radio in California has a report of the push by legislators to have community colleges in California offer four year degrees. In Community Colleges Pushed to Offer Four Year Degrees Melissa Culross reports:

The idea is to give students the option to obtain a four year degree in certain disciplines, such as nursing and teaching, from community colleges, but California Community College Chancellor Jack Scott says the community college system already has its hands full.

"We have thousands of students who are coming to our campus wanting the first two years of a college education," said Scott. "We also have thousands who are out of work and have come to our campus for job training or re-training in our college technical programs."

Scott is says the community college system would certainly would be open to expanding its offerings for students, but California's budget crisis makes that difficult right now.

"Community colleges are financially strapped, and we are doing all we can to serve the millions who want to come to our campus," said Scott.

There are two issues when community colleges offer four year degrees and they are increasing access to educational opportunities and the realities of budgetary constraints. Each college will have to decide whether offering four year degrees fit within the college mission and the needs of the individual community. See, Robert Franco's The Civic Role of Community Colleges: Preparing Students for the Work of Democracy

Dr. Wilda says this about that ©