| An online magazine dedicated to sharing best practices and providing in-depth coverage of issues and trends affecting the Washington State community and technical college system. |
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| May 2006 Edition 6 |
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Creating Opportunities for students to access a four-year degree |
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Main Story |
As the U.S. emerges out of an economic recession, it’s difficult to ignore the mounting evidence that education is the key to remaining competitive in a global economy. Higher educational attainment has been correlated with countless social and economic benefits, such as higher per-capita earnings, an increase in health, family income and civic participation, as well as a reduction in crime and child poverty. It’s no mystery that employers are also relying on a strong public education system to prepare workers with the skills and abilities to keep their businesses competitive. “Today’s and tomorrow’s economy demands more highly skilled and knowledgeable employees than ever,” explained SBCTC Executive Director Charlie Earl. “The higher education system is innovating to expand access and target education for current and future workers.” Community and technical colleges are the start for more than 40 percent of all baccalaureate graduates in the state, most of whom transfer smoothly from a two- to four-year college. However, for those students who cannot travel far from home or work, or want to advance their technical associate degree, the road to a bachelor’s degree can be rough and difficult to navigate. The State Board released a report in 2005 that quantified the need for additional bachelor’s degree pathways for place-bound students, for under-served regions of the state, and for workers with technical associate degrees needing to advance in their careers. “Our state is experiencing increasing demand at the junior and senior levels of college,” stated Assistant Director for Education Services Loretta Seppanen. “We are working with our four-year college partners to create additional bachelor’s degree options for students, and respond to employer needs for applied bachelor’s degrees in management and professional technical specialization.” One way to do this is to bring to students the degree opportunities that are in demand and needed to help Washington’s economy grow, she explained. Serving a diversity of students requires a diversity of pathways to a bachelor’s degreeThe 2005-06 Legislature took a bold approach in expanding access to bachelor’s degrees by the passage and funding of Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1794. Sponsored by Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney, D-Seattle, the bill authorized the community and technical college system to pilot four applied bachelor’s degrees, three university contract pilots, and placed Everett Community College as lead of the North Snohomish, Island, Skagit (NSIS) counties consortium. “The direction behind the legislation was bold and visionary,” stated the State Board’s Earl. “By offering four-year degrees on two-year college campuses, we will expand educational opportunities to students where they are, as well as infuse the local economy with an educated workforce.” The bill also expanded the role of the university branch campuses by allowing them to offer lower-division classes, and increase their capacity for community and technical college transfer students at the junior and senior levels. “Accolades must also go to our state and regional four-year partners who have expanded existing degree options to better serve community and technical college transfer students,” said the State Board’s Seppanen. “For example, The Evergreen State College’s Upside Down degree and Central Washington University’s new Bachelor’s in Applied Science degree provide much needed pathways for our students.” However, for some programs currently offered only at the community and technical college level, the faculty expertise to develop them into bachelor’s degrees resides only in the two-year college sector. “The applied bachelor’s degree pilots offered at the two-year colleges will efficiently build on this expertise,” Seppanen said. Breaking new ground and expanding opportunities: Applied bachelor’s degreesWhile the concept of a community or technical college offering an applied bachelor’s degree is new to Washington state, the practice is in use in other states across the nation. Washington joins a dozen other states that have authorized four-year degrees at two-year colleges. In April, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges adopted four college proposals to offer pilot applied bachelor’s degrees. The degrees vary from a two-year management track on top of a two-year technical education, to a continuation of a specialized technical degree, such as nursing or radiologic technician. To be considered to offer an applied bachelor’s degree, each pilot college was required to show an unmet demand from employers and a demonstrated need from students. This involved colleges partnering with local business and industries to garner support and solicit input while developing their proposals. “There is a tremendous need for the hospitality management bachelor’s degree on the west side of the state,” explained South Seattle Community College President Jill Wakefield. “For the hospitality industry, this program will fill a dramatic need for trained and educated employees who are interested in hospitality careers. It will also provide career pathways for existing hospitality industry employees who are seeking promotional opportunities.” Applied bachelor’s degrees will provide a direct pipeline for employers looking to recruit qualified applicants who possess both a bachelor’s degree and job-specific skills. According to Wakefield, South Seattle Community College’s Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Hospitality Management has already sparked interest from 15 students who are eagerly waiting to begin their studies in the program. In addition to South Seattle’s proposal, Bellevue Community College was approved to pilot a Bachelor of Applied Science in Radiation and Imaging Sciences; Olympic College, an Associate Degree Nursing to Bachelor’s of Science Nursing (ADN to BSN) program; and Peninsula College, an Applied Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Management. “In my view, this is a natural ‘next step’ for community and technical colleges to increase access to higher education in areas that aren’t served by four-year colleges and universities,” stated South Seattle’s Wakefield. “This builds on our mission to provide affordable, accessible higher education to all who have the interest and capabilities.” Before each college may begin offering classes, the new programs must receive authorization from the Higher Education Coordinating Board and accreditation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Classes are scheduled to begin fall 2007. Bringing degrees to students: Community and technical college university contractsBuilding on the successful, long-standing partnerships established between two- and four-year institutions, the three university contract pilots selected by the State Board will help increase access for place-bound students. University contracts create opportunities for students to complete a bachelor’s degree – awarded by a public college or university – on a two-year college campus. Essentially, the community or technical college provides the first two-years of college, while the four-year partner delivers the junior and senior years. Different from traditional university offerings on two-year college campuses, these pilots position the community or technical college as the fiscal driver for bringing courses to campus. The dollars flow to the two-year college to contract with their four-year partner, rather than the other way around. “Managing the contract allows us to make intentional decisions up front with the students’ success in mind,” explained Sunny Burns, vice president for learning and student success at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom. “There are slightly different requirements for each four-year provider. For our proposed pilot, the pathway was already there and our relationship with Central Washington University was already established.” The Pierce College Fort Steilacoom pilot features CWU offering a Bachelor of Elementary Education degree on Pierce’s campus. No other public institution offers teacher preparation at the bachelor’s level in Pierce County. “This will dramatically open access for students around the south Puget Sound, from Olympia to Tacoma, to complete the last two years of a four-year degree,” Burns stated. The first cohort of students is expected to graduate with an endorsement in reading, a teaching specialty that is currently in high demand in the workforce. Future cohorts will be offered endorsements in other high demand areas including special education and teaching English as a second language, she said. The other two pilots approved by the State Board include Clark College partnering with Eastern Washington to offer a Bachelor’s of Arts in Social Work, and Edmonds Community College with Central Washington University to offer a Bachelor’s of Applied Science - Information Technology and Administrative Management. Like the applied bachelor’s degrees, each of the university contracts requires approval by the Higher Education Coordinating Board. The universities must also be granted the authority to expand their existing degrees outside the main campus by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Classes are scheduled to begin fall 2006. Meeting regional needs for expanded access: North Snohomish, Island and Skagit countiesThe third component of E2SHB 1794, stated in order to better meet the higher education needs of the North Snohomish, Island and Skagit (NSIS) region, a “university center model of service delivery” located on a community college campus would be more effective in developing degree programs and attracting students. To accomplish this, the legislation assigned management and leadership responsibility for the NSIS Consortium, a group comprised of two community colleges and four universities in the region, to Everett Community College. Everett CC was also charged with providing the Legislature a plan for expanding access in the NSIS region. The report, entitled “Higher Education Opportunity in the NSIS Region,” described the vision for a new University Center of North Puget Sound, which would sponsor bachelor’s and graduate degree programs offered by several universities. The center will eventually be moved from its current location at Everett Station to the Everett CC campus. “Our vision for the University Center of North Puget Sound is to provide access to an array of baccalaureate degrees to residents of the NSIS region,” explained Christine Kerlin, interim executive director for the University Center of North Puget Sound. “Our goal is to expand capacity beyond our current programs and courses …and we are forging ahead in concrete discussions with all possible university partners.” The proposal, as well as the funding to support it, was adopted by the 2006 Legislature. Creating opportunities for students and the economyWith the support of the governor and Legislature, the two-year college system is poised to create additional opportunities for students to access a bachelor’s degree close to where they live and work. According to Governor Christine Gregoire, the two-year college system has shown a proven track record for getting people educated and trained for high demand jobs in the workforce. “Our community and technical colleges are nimble,” Gov. Gregoire said in her speech at the All-Washington Academic Team reception in March. “If I’m in China or South Korea, I can tell businesses that, ‘yes, we have the capacity to generate a local, specially trained workforce.’ … That’s impressive, and that’s why our community and technical colleges are so central to my vision of what we need to do to elevate our educational system – to meet the needs of both our citizens and the state’s economy.”
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