Gavilan College hopes to be one of 15 community colleges allowed to offer bachelor’s degrees as early as January 2015, after the California Legislature’s Aug. 20 approval of Senate Bill 850.
The bill, which is awaiting the signature of Governor Jerry Brown, would establish a baccalaureate degree pilot program with 15 community colleges offering bachelor’s degrees in select workforce majors, according to a press release from the San Diego Community College District.
“At this point we do not know which colleges will be participating or what the (selection) process will look like,” Gavilan spokesperson Jan Bernstein-Chargin said.
California Community Colleges is the largest higher education system in the nation with 72 districts and 112 colleges, serving more than 2.6 million students, according to the CCC Registry.
Chargin added that changes to the state’s master plan for higher education must be approved first, and then an implementation plan can be established for the community college system.
“It’s definitely something we’re very interested in,” said Gavilan President Steve Kinsella back in February when the bill was introduced by State Senator Marty Block (D-San Diego). “I think it will happen. It needs to happen.”
If approved California would join 21 other states already allowing community colleges to grant bachelor’s programs. Brown has until Sept. 30 to act on the bill.
“Unlike previous bills, however, SB 850 enjoys bipartisan support and is widely touted as a way for the state to address its need to be competitive in areas of high workforce demand,” the release states.
There have been four failed attempts since 2004 to pass a similar bill granting community colleges permission to offer bachelor’s degrees, according to an EdSource report. That same report says the proposal faces likely opposition from CSU, UC and even some corners of the community college system.
Stipulations to SB 850 include community colleges can only offer bachelor’s degrees in areas where public universities do not offer such a program, cannot accommodate student demand, or do not have the interest. Such workforce programs include dental hygiene, radiologic technology, health information science/informatics and automotive technology.
“The California pilot will allow the legislature to explore this possibility and study the results in a thorough report before making a full commitment that the other states have made,” the release reads.
