News
January 19, 2005
Contact: Suzy Ames, Director of Communications, SBCTC, 360-704-4310
Community and technical college board approves innovative ways to expand capacity
OLYMPIA – The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges gave authority for two-year colleges to pursue planning for pilot baccalaureate degrees. In addition, the board directed the two-year college system to pursue more partnerships with four-year institutions, and to support more access for juniors and seniors at public four-year colleges and universities. These efforts are ways to meet the looming demand for access to four-year degrees in Washington state.
“In the next five years, the state needs to find a way to provide access for 8,780 additional juniors and seniors,” said State Board Chair Tom Koenninger. “The State Board’s vote today is the first step to allowing the two-year colleges to be an innovative leader in higher education.”
The State Board provided its vote based on a comprehensive report produced by staff from the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and the public four-year institutions. The report shows that by 2010 the state will need slots for 4,460 additional full-time juniors and seniors just to keep up with the population growth. In addition, there is a need for 3,000 full-time students to earn technical baccalaureate degrees at two-year colleges. Particularly in Snohomish County and southwest Washington, there is also a gap of 1,320 full-time junior slots to match the level of service provided in the rest of the state.
“There is no silver bullet to solve the problem of expanding baccalaureate education,” said Earl Hale, the State Board’s executive director. “This report identifies several options, all of which can be part of an overall strategy to meet the demand.”
The recommendation to provide baccalaureate degrees at two-year colleges requires the approval of the Legislature and the Higher Education coordinating Board. Approval by those two entities will be sought in the near future.
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The meeting agenda and background materials are posted on the State Board Web site at: http://www.sbctc.ctc.edu/general/a_board/
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