Students who are graduating from community colleges in California are finding it tougher to become accepted to the CSU or UC school they want, because of budget cuts across the state. Yuba Community College District, located north of Sacramento in Marysville, California, has just made it easier for their students to transfer to a college where they can earn their bachelor’s degree. The new option for students is Ashford University, which is a part of Bridgepoint Education, and now will accept up to 90 transfer credits earned at Yuba Community College District towards a bachelor’s degree program. This partnership was established this week as an articulation agreement was signed to make the transfer option possible. Many students are excited about this additional option for furthering their education to earn a California bachelor’s degree.

More and more students are considering career colleges like Ashford University, because they know they will be able to take the classes they need to graduate on time. Ashford University also offers graduate level programs via their career college, and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The Yuba Community College District is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. This trend of community colleges in California partnering with career colleges like this will continue as the UC and CSU systems struggle to offer enough classes to accommodate all of the demand from students. Students are eager to graduate and earn a bachelor’s degree so they can become more competitive in the work force, and have a better chance to prosper during rough economic conditions.

Budget cuts across the UC, CSU, and community college systems of California are causing numerous problems for the schools as they struggle to offer enough classes for students to graduate. There have already been a variety of classes being offered less often than expected, and when they are offered they might be full, which forces college students to wait until the next term. This scenario is even worse for students of City College of San Francisco, because the school decided to cancel their very popular summer session. The summer session at City College of San Francisco is typically a great time for students to catch up and take classes they could not attend during the normal school year. However, this last minute announcement has thrown the plans of many college students completely out of order as they now scramble to see if they can find any alternatives to City College of San Francisco in the area. Students either need to find another public community college in the area, or perhaps find a private school that has the classes needed for their degree. Even if students seek this solution, it can be tricky to take classes at different schools as not everything transfers and may not be applicable to the degree one is trying to secure.

Now the City College of San Francisco has made hundreds of college students extremely angry as they just want to attend class and further their education. Without a degree, these students cannot graduate and become bigger contributors to the economy, which is what California truly needs to get out of the budget crisis. Cutting money is a great tactic, but it does not serve the longer term issue, which is that we need more educated people in California so that the workforce is more qualified and we can generate more money for the state. California is bigger than many countries in terms of size and revenue, therefore we need serious leadership that can correct the mess we’re in so our college students can take classes when they need them. This statewide problem needs to be fixed soon, or students will have to shun public colleges for those private schools which actually have the classes a student needs to take for their degree.

A California state legislator hearing was held in Sacramento yesterday regarding the California Master Plan for Higher Education. The overall focus of the hearing was to brain storm ideas on how more students can get into college and graduate faster. One idea that came up last month in the state, was to allow California community colleges the ability to offer bachelors degrees for certain subjects. Ultimately the master plan is intended to help ensure that any California student who wants to attend college and earn their degree, has the access to make this happen. Unfortunately there have been massive budget cuts at the CSU and UC systems, which has forced some to choose community college or a private college instead. Many of the colleges have limited enrollment this year and graduating high school seniors for 2010 need somewhere they can pursue their higher education.

The leading Assemblyman on this push for California community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees is Democrat Marty Block, who represents the San Diego district. He cited how SDSU had to pause admitting all CSU-qualified freshmen for fall 2010, due to budget issues. Not all bachelors degrees could be earned at a community college under the upcoming bill from Assemblyman Block. Most of the bachelors degrees offered will be in high demand industries like nursing or technology. Another support of this change is Richard Dittenbenner of the San Diego Community College District, who is pushing for something to be changed to help keep the CSU and UC systems at the top of mind for California students. There are already a handful of states that do offer bachelors degrees at their community colleges, but making this shift in California is a big change that needs serious evaluation.

There are thousands of students in California at a CSU or UC college working to earn their degree, but the new fall 2010-2011 tuition increases might be too much for some to handle. It is extremely important for recent graduates of high school in the state, to move onto college and earn a California degree. However the undergraduate fees have made it increasingly difficult for students to enroll in college, or complete their degree. The budget issues across the UC and CSU systems, have resulted in classes being offered less frequently which makes it tough for a student to graduate on time. If a student cannot get the classes they need, when they need them, then they will be forced to attend school for a 5th or 6th year which can be very tough to afford for most since they expected to be in college for four years.

The University of California has 10 campuses throughout the state with about 220,000 students, for which fall 2010 fees are set at just over $10,300. There were similar raises in the California State University system, which has 23 campuses with over 450,000 students is the largest public university system in the nation. While not final yet for fall 2010, the fees are expected to go up 10% from the current $4,026 in fees. Over the last few years the increases have been dramatic and significantly bumped up the cost of an education in a CSU or UC school for California residents. Overall the feeling from students is that they are continually asked to pay more for school, but getting less in return as things are only getting worse at the CSU and UC school systems.

California is a very large state in terms of population, and therefore the volume of students and number of colleges can make it challenging to work as a cohesive force. There are dozens of community colleges through the state in addition to the CSU and UC system colleges, providing students with a higher education. Economic troubles and budget cutbacks over the past few years have made it tough for California colleges to stay operating at an optimal level, which has forced the three college systems to scramble, making plans to survive. Without a unifying framework there is no way for the community college, CSU, and UC systems to operate in a way that will be optimal for all schools and the students. A recent study from the Legislative Analyst’s Office illustrates how there needs to be more statewide oversight in California across all three higher education systems.

One major example cited in the report called out the recent change that the CSU system decided to cancel spring admissions, which has forced many students to overload the junior colleges with applications. Another option is to try and get in a UC school, but they are more expensive than the CSU schools and in some cases harder to get accepted into. This lack of coordination causes a significant imbalance in the California college system, which ultimately hurts the students who we need to succeed and graduate so they can be productive contributors to the local economy. The state has evolved so fast that it has not had time to put a better master plan in place. Hopefully the report, “The Master Plan at 50: Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts — Coordinating Higher Education in California,” will open up the eyes of administrators and legislators in the state so they can bring about change.

The California State University system is currently working on plans that would raise the graduation rate by 8% over the next 6 years. Despite drastic budget cuts through the state, the CSU system looks to push forward and take control of the their students graduating. No longer will it be only the students to blame, as the CSU system looks for ways to improve graduation rates, without touching the budget. While nothing is final yet, an example given by Cal State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed was that, “There are simple things we can do, like having faculty take class attendance and if a student misses a second or third time, call or e-mail to find out why and get on it before they get so far behind, get a failing grade and give up hope”. With roughly 450,000 total students, the CSU system is the largest university system in the country, producing about 90,000 graduates every year. If this new program to increase graduation rates is successful, it could mean closer to 100,000 could graduate every year. A big portion of this graduation plan involves closing the gap between white students and underrepresented minority students.

This attitude may scare some people as it could mean more streamlined general education, with less choices so students can focus on their major and graduate. Since no formal plans have been laid out, it is still unclear the exact route that the CSU system will take for their students. The idea of students, faculty, and administrators coming together as a team is a great idea that can only help the future of education. Not all of the 23 CSU schools would have the same plan, as they work to put the final touches on their plans for the upcoming fall term. The bottom line is that students will have a more clear path to graduation, with academic advice along the way to ensure that all questions or concerns are addressed.

Fall 2010 is already looking to be extremely popular for students, as the University of California campuses are seeing a huge increase in transfer student applications. This sudden increase has caused the overall applications numbers in California to be at their highest level ever. It may seem odd that applications are up in a time when colleges in the UC system have had to increase fees because of budget troubles in California. People see the value in education and most feel it is the best way to prepare oneself to be successful during an economic recession. In total 134,029 students sent in applications to UC schools in the application period which recently ended at the close of November. Freshmen applications were not the huge catalyst for the growth with only a 2.4% increase, in comparison to transfer applications which had a 17.5% increase across all campuses. Transfer growth illustrates the strength and success in our community college system in California, which is becoming increasingly popular as students look for more affordable ways to earn their degree.

President Obama and Governor Schwarzenegger have both been strong supporters of the community college system, as so many feel it is key to economic success. Some feel that this massive increase in transfer student applications might also be due to the CSU system having to absorb a 20% budget cut last year. This severe budget cut resulted in a reduction in enrollment, and a temporary block on admitting transfer students for the current term. Therefore more students are being forced to look toward the more competitive UC system to further their education and earn a degree. The UC system also adopted policies recently which increased the total number of transfer students that it takes in each year. Overall the continued demand from students looking to go to a California college and earn their degree should continue to rise in the coming years.

Fall of 2010 seems to be very popular for students in southern California as Cal State Fullerton received just over 56,000 applications for admission. Over 95% of the applications were for undergraduate students, some of which are just out of high school and other college students looking to transfer. More students are also looking to get advanced degrees while the economy is down so they can be prepared when things recover. Cal State Fullerton also had a 97% increase in graduate applications going from 1,225 to 2,419. All of these students looking to go to college comes at a rough time since the California State University system is reducing their overall enrollment by 40,000 students over the next two years. This comes as the state of California gave the CSU system a $564 million budget cut that they are trying to deal with.

There are more and more high school students graduating in California each year who are looking to go to college in state and save money on tuition. In addition there are still numerous students from out of state who are continually looking to go to one of the schools in the California State University or University of California systems.  All of the budget cuts are hurting prospective students who are excited and motivated to go to college to further their education. The budget situation has also resulted in talks of raising fees and tuition to help cover the money not being provided by the state of California. 2010 is expected to see a lot of activity in the college and university scene of California as students fight for their education and the government works to fix the economic problems of the state.

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.

The bay area of California is buzzing this week as President Frank Chong of Laney College left his position to move to D.C. to work as the deputy assistant secretary of education for the United States. Basically this position on President Barack Obama’s team and all of the duties that it entails, equate this job to Chong becoming the chief of community colleges. Now that Chong has left Laney College in California, the Vice President Elnora Webb will serve as the interim president of the school while they search for a replacement. President Obama is a big supporter of community colleges in the US and view them as key to helping the economic problems of the country. This is because about half of college students in the US attend two year community colleges so they can learn a skill or trade to enter the workforce. Approximately 3 million students in California attend these two year schools and the more support they get will result in more qualified people in the workforce contributing to the economy.

There are a few key items which Chong is looking to address in his new leadership role. The first will be to improve the transfer rates to 4 year colleges where students can earn their bachelors degree, and to address poor writing and math skills for those just entering college. High school students need to be better prepared so they can jump right into college and help the US compete in the ever evolving global economy. Having more qualified individuals in the US will reduce the amount of outsourcing to other countries who want the talented workforce that certain businesses desire. Students not only need to be prepared for college so they do not get frustrated and quit, they also need the tools and information necessary so they transfer upon graduation and earn a bachelors degree. Obama’s goal is to significantly raise overall college graduation rates over the next ten years and Chong looks to be instrumental in making this change happen.