Posted on 12/21/2009 7:58:03 AM PST by SmithL
With tens of thousands being turned away from state universities, California lawmakers likely will consider granting community colleges the right to offer a limited number of bachelor's degrees.
The shift, which has occurred in 17 other states in the past decade or so, would represent a major philosophical change in California, where the three state higher-education systems have clearly defined roles.
Bachelor's and higher degrees are offered by University of California and California State University campuses, while community colleges offer two-year associate degrees and certificates for a variety of professions.
However, major reforms must be considered in the age of severe budget problems, said Assemblyman Marty Block, D-San Diego, who raised the idea at a Dec. 7 hearing on the future of California's Master Plan for Higher Education.
Block said he began considering community college baccalaureates after San Diego State recently closed admissions to local applicants. The decision left many qualified San Diego-area students without a local university option, he said.
"We have a lot of well-respected community colleges down in San Diego, and they think they could do a fine job offering those next two years to students, at least in certain disciplines," said Block, who is considering introducing a related bill early next year. "I think moving in that direction is a good plan."
Others have broached the subject, including Assemblyman Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, who this year proposed a bachelor's program at the San Mateo Community College District. The bill died before it could come to a vote.
(Excerpt) Read more at contracostatimes.com ...
ML/NJ
I’m a fan of California’s Community Colleges. The offer a good product at a reasonable price.
I have been railing on post-secondary institutions that have printers running full bore all year running off BAs, BSes, MAs, and MSes for minimal work. ITT Tech, Univ. of Phoenix, Keiser College, and others like them are hiring the C students from universities around the country to educate “business professionals with lives.”
Well, I am a business professional with a life. About a year ago, I decided to take the GRE and apply to graduate school at the University of Central Florida, a fully-accredited university with stringent graduate program application processes and standards. I’m one year into my graduate degree, and yes, it’s stressful holding down a job and family, but I am doing it under professionals who are leaders in their fields.
Mexifornia’s attempt to subvert the utility of college degress by offering Bachelor degrees in 2 years is nullminded and completely ridiculous! These damn paper mill “universities” are already cranking out people who couldn’t recall a single thing about their experiences but are constantly hired and promoted for having a “Masters degree.”
Well I take exception to the fact that I bust my tail every semester in a Research I university, but the asshat from Univ. of Phoenix is a director with absolutely no fiscal sense or leadership abilities.
I give it 10 years before educational credentials mean nothing more than the price of the paper on which they are printed. Many would argue that’s the case now, but I contend that there is still some value in a useful degree. Obama and his ilk will try their hardest to bring higher education down to the lowest common denominator.
IMO community colleges will be the market solution to the ridiculous tuition inflation in colleges. Primarily commuter schools with a bare bones approach to infrastructure and “student services”, they can serve as the alternative to overrated public and private “universities” that provide little other than crippling tuition bills and useless fluff to their students. Often community colleges courses are taught by better teachers than those who wallow around in the halls of university “academia”.
Did you even bother to read the article before showing your disdain for California? Or do you always pop off before you have the facts?
From the article:
Seventeen states offer baccalaureate degrees at community colleges:
Washington
Nevada
Utah
New Mexico
Texas
Oklahoma
North Dakota
Minnesota
Arkansas
Louisiana
Indiana
West Virginia
Georgia
Florida
New York
Vermont
Hawaii
When I got my Bachelor of Science Degree, we were a fairly small segment of the population. Now, it seems almost everyone has a BA or BS in something; often a 'major' that sounds like a course title when I went to school.
The community college where I teach offers four year degrees and a couple of masters on campus through partnerships with four year colleges. It's a great alternative, particularly for mid sized cities, as room and board is a significant part of most college educations.
It has been true for at least a long time that a degree in and of itself means little. Some people can get an education at Montclair State, and some people don't get one at Harvard. The value comes from what one does to earn the degree.
ML/NJ
Throughout my undergraduate years, the only course I ever took with over 30 students was a trig class Freshman year. I’ve heard stories about bio and chem lectures with 250 students packing an auditorium, but I can assure you they are not the norm. After I declared my major, every one of my core courses had less than 25 students attending.
That’s why when I hear “I have a degree” my question is always “Where from?” Diploma mills accredited by accreditation mills, party schools and blow-off schools abound.
Sometimes I wish for the German system. There they do not have any such schools. All meet a pretty rigorous standard, but then not everybody gets to go to university either, only those students who have proven in lower schools that they can hack it academically.
Plus, you can get fined for falsely using academic titles in Germany. “Dr. Dino” Kent Hovind wouldn’t just be in jail for tax evasion, he would have been fined and forced to drop the “Dr.” years ago.
lol
Government is working as hard and fast as it can to make a bachelors degree as worthless as a high school diploma.
I take offense to your comments, sir. You have no reason to bash me for “reading comprehension.” I have no problem with reading, comprehension, or critical thinking, thank you.
Your attack was unwarranted.
We can’t do that here since most minorities then wouldn’t be allowed in college causing massive law suits.
What if tomorrow we could replace all those in government with a Harvard or ivy League sheepskin with the best from community colleges around the country?
I think that we would be immediately better off.
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