As the economy has struggled, California has looked for ways to help boost revenues and cut costs for the state. Anything that can make the local economy run more efficiently is being reviewed right now as Governor Schwarzenegger looks to close the massive $20 billion plus gap in the California budget. Therefore, California lawmakers are looking to possibly give community colleges in the state the right to offer certain bachelor’s degrees. This trend has been happening in other states for the past decade for a variety of reasons, which are mostly economic. There are hundreds of community colleges in California for students to choose from, many of which are nowhere near a college where they can earn a bachelor’s degree or better. As a result, many students are not furthering their education beyond community college, or students are opting to attend online schools to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
The big question on the minds of the administration at many California community colleges is if they can really take on more programs and still stay focused on their mission. Only offering associate degrees and certificate degrees allows the community colleges to stay streamlined and efficient. Some professions like nursing or teaching are hard to get online because they require hands on learning and on going education. These are the type of programs that lawmakers are thinking about allowing the community colleges to offer to their students. Tuition at a community colleges is also much cheaper than four year schools so it will allow more people to get a higher education. President Obama has had a big interest in the success of community colleges across the U.S., so it will be interesting to see how things play out in California for our college system.
Tags: california college, california degree, california education, california news, community college, community colleges
