In a state that desperately needs more nurses, the Legislature is expected to approve a common-sense pilot program to allow 15 community colleges to offer bachelor's degrees in nursing. This would make it cheaper and easier for nursing students to earn their degree and allow them to land good jobs sooner.
Small and reasonable as the change was, Senate Bill 895 shook up the California State University administration because it would slightly disrupt the Master Plan for Higher Education.
Until now, the division of postsecondary education laid out in the master plan has been clear: Four-year degrees have been the preserve of Cal State and the University of California, with UC the primary producer of research and doctorates. Community colleges were for two-year degrees and vocational certificates; they could only offer a bachelor’s degree in fields like respiratory science and funeral service that had been ignored by university systems. Cal State officials see SB 895 as a crack in that historic wall and are against change.
The Legislature should pass this bill, but then it should begin dismantling the wall that separates community colleges from four-year universities. If anything, SB 895 aims too low. It is time to rethink aspects of the master plan, which is more than half a century old, to create a more flexible higher education plan.
California works hard to make college affordable and boost graduation rates, with some success. Despite its efforts, too many students don’t complete their education, wasting student and taxpayer time and money. According to a report by the Public Policy Institute of California, fewer than 20% of community college students who start out planning to transfer to a four-year school actually do so within four years. Transfer rates are especially low for rural students, who often don’t have a nearby Cal State to attend.
Among students who begin their college careers on a Cal State campus, nearly 40% do not graduate within six years, according to its own 2023 report.
While researching my upcoming book, “Rethinking Education: A Guide to Thriving Without a Degree,” about how people can and do thrive without a bachelor’s degree, I found that the general perception about higher education is disturbingly binary: the idea that you either have a bachelor’s degree or you’re a second-rate student is totally false and does a disservice to teens and young adults. There are some innovative universities that are doing things differently, either through practical experience-oriented degrees or by offering flexible degrees.
One institution that has gotten the message of what many of today's students need is Utah State University Eastern. It offers a wide range of vocational certificates, associate degrees and majors leading to a bachelor's degree, and also extends to graduate degrees.
Unlike most community colleges, students at Utah State University Eastern typically live on campus. They may begin by pursuing a bachelor's degree or may be interested in a short-term program. In either case, they all begin within the associate degree program.
The school is more successful in helping students who want to earn a bachelor's degree overcome the hurdle between the first two years of community college and the third year because they do not have to change schools, so courses are automatically accepted for “transfer” and counselors can guide students more easily. Also, having been at the school for two years, students feel more at home. They know the place, have made friends, and are familiar with the professors. They get to see and interact with juniors and seniors. About 60% of students continue to their junior year at the school.
And those who feel that a four-year college degree isn't for them can opt for an associate's degree or a vocational certificate in fields as broad as 3D printing and environmental policy. They haven't come out of a four-year college degree with nothing to show for it.
To make this possible, financial support from the state is needed. Attending Utah State University costs much less than attending most four-year schools: about $4,000 a year for state residents and $12,000 for nonresidents. Room and board add up to about $7,000 a year. Financial aid is available.
It's not that California should completely remake its model in that regard. Restructuring the system would be prohibitively expensive and possibly unfeasible. But rather than creating a handful of bachelor's degrees in a single discipline at community colleges, state leaders should be bolder and more ambitious in redesigning the master plan.
What should matter above all else is providing a meaningful education that is accessible to the greatest number of students, and giving them the flexibility to earn a degree or certificate that helps them get started in their careers, even if it’s not a bachelor’s degree. That means breaking down at least some of the barriers between community colleges and Cal State, allowing community colleges to offer many of the same bachelor’s degrees, as well as allowing Cal State and UC to award associate degrees when students can’t complete the four-year degree.
This article was written with the financial support of a fellowship from the Institute for Citizens and Scholars.
