The number of the community colleges offering baccalaureates is growing. What’s behind this growth? And what are some promising practices for colleges with bachelor’s degree programs? Community College Baccalaureate Association (CCBA) President Angela Kersenbrock – who also serves on the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) board of directors – answers these questions and more.
This article comes from the current issue of the Community College Journal, AACC’s bimonthly magazine.
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It feels like the number of community colleges now approved to offer baccalaureates is doubling – or tripling – every year. To what do you attribute this growth?
According to CCBA’s National Program List, there are now more than 737 workforce-focused bachelor’s degrees in approximately 203 community colleges across the nation.
Community colleges, in states where community college baccalaureate degrees (CCBs) are authorized, are working to respond to labor-market needs in their communities and states. Community colleges have always been nimble and responsive to community needs, so this growth is the result we expected and are indeed seeing.
For example, there are significant teacher and healthcare workforce shortages in many states. Their community colleges are creating baccalaureate programs that directly meet these critical needs. The programs are affordable and accessible to everyone in the community, especially working adults.
Students often cite cost as a significant roadblock to earning a bachelor’s degree. Most CCB programs cost 30% less than university baccalaureate degrees, allowing students to graduate without significant debt. Additionally, students who enroll in CCB programs are often part-time students and full-time employees who may be able to take advantage of tuition reimbursement and other programs their employers offer.
Accessibility is another factor that makes CCBs attractive to diverse student populations. Most community colleges offer flexible scheduling, with many classes held evenings, weekends, online and in hybrid formats. This strategy aims to reduce disruption to students’ responsibilities, including work, family and other obligations.
Related article: More data on good jobs for CC baccalaureate grads
Smaller class size is another benefit of CCB programs, as it offers students a more individualized approach to learning, the chance to create a community within the class, and more direct interaction with faculty. In addition, many community colleges hire faculty members who have direct work experience in the fields in which they teach, while also representing the culture of the communities in which their students live.
CCBs appeal not only to the students they serve but also to the communities they support. Employers nationwide have found it exceedingly difficult to hire qualified employees with the education and skills needed to fill existing vacancies and fuel company growth. CCBs address those challenges by focusing on the needs of regional industries. An excellent example of this college/industry partnership is the Applied Artificial Intelligence baccalaureate degree developed by Miami Dade College in collaboration with IT industry leaders.
What are some of the roadblocks community colleges are facing when trying to get approval to offer bachelor’s degrees? And is there any concern about federal or state policies that may hinder the growth of community college bachelor’s degrees?
University and legislative pushback continues to be the most significant obstacle to community colleges being responsive to state and regional industry needs. Some universities are concerned about duplication of degrees, when the real issue that should be addressed is existing and future labor gaps. Universities that are more than 75 to 100 miles away from adult working students are not accessible to this population, particularly given their work and family responsibilities.
Another challenge is that universities are concerned community college bachelor’s programs will hurt their enrollments. However, in the 24 states where community college bachelor’s degrees are currently being offered, this effect on enrollment has not been realized. In fact, community colleges want to build partnerships with universities to offer master’s pathways for their students. These relationships result in win-win solutions for the students, colleges and local workforce and foster long-term economic vitality in their communities.
Another consideration is that state and federal funding for universities is declining or under attack and has not kept up with inflation. These situations inevitably lead the universities to be very concerned about anything that might potentially harm their enrollments.
In April, CCBA announced the development of national standards for designing and implementing community college bachelor’s degrees. Can you say more about that?
With the introduction of CCB degrees, community colleges have made commitments to their communities. These are promises for high-quality, relevant and affordable programs that lead to family-sustaining careers and salaries that support economic growth and stability.
In order for all of us to continue to make good on these promises, we must collectively ensure that CCBs are workforce-driven and meet students where they are to help them achieve their goals. To do this, the CCBA’s members have collectively identified the highest quality standards required to develop and maintain CCB academic excellence.
The quality standards, and their accompanying framework, are voluntary and can be used to build new programs, self-evaluate existing programs and help colleges continually improve their degrees. The CCB Quality Framework is being built in collaboration with CCBA’s industry partners, accrediting boards, graduates, scholar practitioners and national CCB researchers. Generally, all groups that are invested in seeing these degrees succeed.
State legislators, associations and community college systems can also use the Quality Framework to equip states with the tools to propose, design, implement and evaluate CCB programs that ensure broad access to all students and align with regional labor and industry needs.
Over the next year, community colleges across the country will actively engage in piloting and validating the CCB Quality Framework. Ultimately, this work will establish a shared understanding of the key elements that define high-quality CCB programs. By providing a clear framework and evidence-based guidance, colleges will have the resources and expertise to design and enhance programs that promote student success, align with workforce needs, and drive positive community and economic impact.
CCBA is also building a promising practices database. Can you tell us about one or two promising practices that other colleges may be able to replicate?
The CCBA Promising Practices database is another way members collaborate and work together. We have been gathering best practices, from colleges around the country, that drive student outcomes in every phase of the CCB student life cycle. Community colleges submit their strategies and practices that have moved the needle on outcomes. CCBA then vets these practices and publishes them for all members.
An exciting Promising Practice at Miami Dade College (MDC), highlights the college’s partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), which infuses AWS cloud computing curriculum into the information systems technology baccalaureate degree. This cloud curriculum is a specialization in the information technology BS degree. Included in this innovative degree are AWS industry certifications and experiential learning opportunities via AWS industry engagement events and capstone projects. This partnership ensures graduates from MDC’s information systems technology BS program are job-ready and possess the skills, knowledge and competencies sought by employers.
Another promising practice is a collaboration between South Texas College with both public and private university partners that provides community college graduates the opportunity to be co-enrolled in bachelor’s and master’s level courses. In this initiative, students who choose the co-enrollment track take nine credit hours in South Texas College’s 4000-level courses, which also count as nine credits in the university’s master’s program curricula. Coursework in these 4000-level courses is enhanced so assignments include research and a focus on graduate work. South Texas College has dedicated academic coaches for the co-enrollment track that can assist students with the process. There are positive outcomes for the college and the universities that participate in this innovative program. First, the program provides recruitment opportunities for South Texas College as it can raise its future faculty members.
Additionally, the universities that participate in the co-enrollment agreement have a pipeline of graduate students coming from the college, thus increasing the universities’ enrollments, and South Texas CCB students have a seamless pathway to a master’s degree that further enhances their career and earning power.
The bachelor’s degree programs offered at community colleges that we hear about are for healthcare, hospitality, skilled trades and technology. Are there any other fields we can expect to see grow in the next couple of years? Are you keeping an eye on changes in the industry to see what the next in-demand fields might be?
In addition to the established CCB degrees that have addressed high-demand fields noted above, new innovative degrees are being developed to address the industry needs of the future. As examples, Miami Dade College has created a degree specializing in artificial intelligence. In Washington, Green River College offers a CCB in aeronautical sciences. A few other up-and-coming degrees include building performance, automation, aviation maintenance, behavioral health, diesel technology, digital gaming, marine resource management, accounting and sustainable building technology.
A key strategy that community colleges utilize to forecast labor needs is through the use of active industry advisory boards. With the rapid changes occurring in every facet of technology, direct connections with local industry continue to provide the data for community colleges to develop CCB degrees that fill labor gaps and meet the market’s future needs. The beauty is that these partnerships address local and regional needs, with CCB graduates who tend to stay in their communities to fill those needs. We look forward to seeing anyone who is interested in CCBs at our national conference in February.
