TEMPE,
Ariz., April 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The
following is written by Dr. Steven
Gonzales, Chancellor, Maricopa Community Colleges, a
member of the American Association of Community Colleges.
For millions of Americans, community colleges have long been the
entry point to higher education, bridging the gap between high
school and the workforce or transferring to a university or
college. Community colleges exemplify flexibility and practicality,
offering a là carte workforce development training, professional
certificates, associate degrees, transfer programs and now
bachelor's degrees at some community colleges.
Integrating bachelor's degree programs within community colleges
provides students with more choices, increases educational
attainment, aligns curriculum with local workforce needs, and
ensures a more inclusive path to higher education for everyone.
Community colleges remain synonymous with affordability and
provide students with accessible and attainable solutions to
achieve their post-secondary education goals. According to
NerdWalllet, the total student loan debt is $1.74 trillion, leaving millions of Americans
drowning in debt whether or not they graduate with a degree. As
tuition continues to soar across our nation at four-year public and
private universities and colleges, we must work together to ensure
that access to higher education remains diverse, inclusive,
equitable and, most importantly, affordable.
With less than half of the states across our nation allowing
some, but not all, community colleges to offer bachelor's degree
programs, as educators, we must continue to have open dialogue and
meaningful conversations with changemakers centered around
providing additional cost-effective learning opportunities that can
significantly ease student loan debt for students and provide
greater access to underserved students.
One solution to America's student loan crisis is allowing more
community colleges the ability to offer affordable baccalaureate
degrees in high-demand professions.
As chancellor of the Maricopa County
Community College District (MCCCD), with 10 colleges and 31
satellite locations, I am proud to share that we have seen an
overwhelming response with 2,713 students enrolled in our inaugural
bachelor's degree programs that launched in Fall 2023. Many of the
seven programs are at or hitting their target enrollment goals.
In the coming years, we will continue to develop innovative
offerings that address critical workforce needs, including
Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing later this fall
and Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Machine
Learning, Business Administration-Accounting and Business
Administration-Management in 2025.
A highly enticing draw to our bachelor's degree programs is the
tuition cost of $145.50 per credit
hour for 300-and 400-level courses. Our tuition is one-third of the
cost of attending one of the three public universities in
Arizona.
Most importantly, Maricopa Community Colleges accept the top
100% of all students who apply. By pursuing a bachelor's degree at
a Maricopa Community College,
students can take advantage of low or possibly no student loan debt
when they graduate. In addition to affordability, community college
bachelor's degrees offer students benefits such as smaller class
sizes with more direct instruction and the opportunity to complete
their bachelor's degree with the same exceptional faculty that they
began their education with.
I know each state's law regarding the bachelor's degree programs
community colleges can offer is different. According to
Arizona law, community colleges
offering bachelor's degrees must demonstrate both a workforce need
and student demand — while also not unnecessarily duplicating
programs already offered by traditional universities in our county.
Therefore, we have strategically developed our programs to provide
a more detailed focus and fill targeted needs to alleviate
Arizona's workforce shortages in
critical, high-demand industries.
In recent years, the Grand Canyon State has seen significant
declines in professionals entering into healthcare, information
technology, K-12 education and public safety. Workforce shortages
across these essential sectors strain our communities and leave
Arizona employers struggling to
find and hire qualified employees. As Arizona continues to prioritize filling
critical high-demand professions, MCCCD is bridging the gap by
providing students with viable choices and high-quality education
at an affordable cost.
Community colleges have proven that academic excellence and
innovation are not exclusive to traditional four-year institutions.
If more states embrace the community college baccalaureate degree
model, a bachelor's degree can be within reach for millions of
Americans, especially first-generation college students, students
of color, and the unique population of those with some college, and
no credential.
The impact of community college bachelor's degrees reaches far
beyond individual attainment. In Arizona alone, increasing college enrollment
by 20% has the potential to create more than $5 billion in economic gains for the state each
year. As we look ahead, it's clear that expanding community college
baccalaureate programs is a strategic investment in our students,
the growing workforce, and economic vitality.
Uniquely American, community colleges serve more than 10
million students annually, providing critical access to higher
education in academic and workforce development. As
the voice of the nation's community colleges, the American
Association of Community Colleges (AACC), delivers educational and
economic opportunity for more than 10 million diverse students in
search of the American Dream. Uniquely dedicated to access and
success for all students, AACC's member colleges provide an on-ramp
to degree attainment, skilled careers, and family-supporting wages.
Located in Washington, D.C., AACC
advocates for these not-for-profit, public-serving institutions to
ensure they have the resources and support to increase economic
mobility for all. https://www.aacc.nche.edu/
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SOURCE American Association of Community Colleges