Running head: COMMUNITY COLLEGE BACCALAUREATE PROGRAMS 1

Community College Baccalaureate Programs

Stephanie Swigart

Wright State University

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The landscape of higher education is forever evolving. Among shifting student

demographics, technological advances and a constant stream of new regulations and guidelines

with which to comply, institutions must work to adapt to the changing economic, political and

social climate. One such way that higher education has attempted to adapt is through community

college baccalaureate programs. While far from common practice, more and more state

legislators are at least considering the idea in order to meet the very specific needs of their

communities. In reviewing the literature on the subject, there are many arguments both for and

against implementing these types of programs. Being that this is a measure taken as a last resort

when all other options have been exhausted, studies that have been conducted on community

college baccalaureate programs overall impact are lacking. This paper seeks to look into some of

the states who have already approved and started community college baccalaureate programs and

to explore the theoretical implications of considering such programs for future states.

The first state to allow a community college to confer a bachelors degree was

West Virginia in 1989 in which one institution and eleven programs were approved (Russell,

2010). Since then, there has been a steady increase so that there are now twenty-three states that

have approved community colleges baccalaureate programs. The Education Commission of the

States identified core elements that are addressed by most states policies. These core elements

include location of institutions offering programs, number of participating institutions, number

and type of degree programs, program demand by employers and students, approval process, cost

effectiveness or available resources, data collection and reporting (Fulton, 2015, p. 3).

Furthermore, the ECS has developed a set of questions for policymakers to use based upon these

core elements as well as some more fundamental questions to consider when deciding whether or

not to allow their community colleges to confer bachelors degrees (Fulton, 2015). Many of these
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touch upon the basic arguments used by both proponents and challengers of the community

college baccalaureate programs.

One interesting trend that can be seen once community colleges start to offer

bachelors degrees is a change in categorization. The baccalaureate/associates college

classification was introduced by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

in 2005 for those schools with ten to fifty percent of their degrees being bachelors while the

category of primarily associates accounts for those community colleges conferring less than

ten percent bachelors degrees (Cohen, Brawer, & Kisker, 2014).

It was mentioned earlier that there is not a lot of research concerning the impact

community college baccalaureate programs (or CCBs for short) have once they are in place.

However, in an institutional study of two Florida community colleges that transitioned into

offering baccalaureate programs, McKinney and Morris (2010) identified five major themes

which came across in the studying the executive administrators navigation through the launching

process which include:

determining if there is a real need for the proposed CCB, activities related to

gaining state approval and regional accreditation for the CCB, leadership actions and strategies

throughout the CCB change process, obstacles that emerged during the planning and

implementation of the CCB, and the modifications required to existing college policy and

practice as a result of the CCB. (p. 205)

It was the hope of the study that the organizational change data identified could guide future

leaders in their adaptation of a CCB program.

While Florida is a leading state in CCB programs which gained its approval in 2001,

California is a state that recently gained approval for community college baccalaureate programs

in 2014. California points to increasing equity for their African American, Native American and
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Latino students as a major reason for adapting the 15 college CCB initiative for the 2017-2018

academic year in addition to creating more qualified applicants for targeted jobs needed in the

workforce. However, by focusing more on equity and helping URM students as opposed to the

economic component of CCB programs, California hopes to pioneer ways in which to best

launch CCB programs in states that are similar to California demographically (Gndara, 2016).

In addition to the considerations mentioned above, going back to more

fundamental arguments both in favor of and against community college baccalereate programs

are considerations that states will need to grapple with in order to determine if going forward

with these types of programs is appropriate in their circumstances. Proponents of CCB programs

often point to shifting student demographics and low access as reasons that community colleges

should confer bachelors degrees, especially when it comes to nontraditional students who may

be place bound and work full-time and for those who are first-generation and traditionally

underserved populations. Not only do community colleges provide greater access but they are

also more affordable when compared to four-year institutions. Additionally, CCB programs

would allow for very technical programs that are in great demand in the local workforce. Typical

programs also include business, education and nursing as they are in great demand across the

nation (Russell, 2010).

When it comes to the other side of the coin, there are just as many

arguments against community college baccalaureate programs. One of the most cited is a

phenomenon called mission creep which refers to the fear that by allowing community

colleges to confer bachelor degrees, the traditional mission upheld by community colleges which

focuses on open access and developmental education will be weakened . Another reason often

brought up is that there may be overlap or duplication of programs within a given area. A very
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obvious and formidable argument against implementing or enhancing community college

baccalaureate programs is the cost. This includes hiring new faculty, improving facilities and

going through the necessary accreditation processes. Finally, fears about the quality of the

degrees conferred as well as potential faculty issues that may arise round out the common

concerns surrounding CCB programs (Russell, 2010; Cohen, Brawer, & Kisker, 2014).
There really is much to consider for state policymakers and community college leaders

when determining whether CCB programs should be implemented or not. While there are a lot of

theoretical arguments for both sides, the research on the actual impact of these programs is yet to

be seen. With a new federal administration in place, it will be interesting to see where the future

of higher education lies and what direction it will take going forward. Will CCB programs

continue to grow and eventually become commonplace? Only time will tell.
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References

Cohen, A. M., Brawer, F. B., & Kisker, C. B. (2014). The American Community College (6th

ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Fulton, M. (2015). Community colleges expanded role into awarding bachelor's degrees. ECS

Education Policy Analysis. Education Commission of the States.

Gndara, P., & Cuellar, M. (2016). The Baccalaureate in the California Community College:

Current Challenges & Future Prospects. Civil Rights Project-Proyecto Derechos Civiles.
McKinney, L., & Morris, P. A. (2010). Examining an evolution: A case study of organizational

change accompanying the community college baccalaureate. Community College

Review, 37(3), 187-208.

Russell, A. (2010). Update on the community college baccalaureate: Evolving trends and issues.

Policy Matters: A Higher Education Policy Brief. American Association of State Colleges

and Universities.