BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1455
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 21, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Anthony Portantino, Chair
AB 1455 (Hill) - As Amended: April 13, 2009
SUBJECT : Community colleges: baccalaureate degrees: pilot
program.
SUMMARY : Requires the Board of Governors (BOG) of the
California Community Colleges (CCC) to establish a pilot program
to allow selected CCC districts to offer baccalaureate degrees.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires the CCC BOG to establish a pilot program to offer
baccalaureate degrees at CCCs that meet the following
eligibility requirements:
a) The CCC campus is accredited by the Western Association
of Schools and Colleges (WASC);
b) The boundaries of the CCC district are coterminous with
the boundaries of the county in which the campus offering
the baccalaureate degree is located;
c) The CCC district is coterminous with a county that has
no CSU or UC campus; and,
d) The CCC district presents evidence to the CCC BOG of a
successful working relationship with either UC or CSU
through either a university center in the CCC district, a
jointly administered program already in existence, or the
shared use of facilities.
2)Provides that a baccalaureate degree may be offered in
different fields of study at the discretion of the CCC BOG,
provided:
a) The CCC district has identified and documented unmet
workforce needs in the subject area of the degree to be
offered;
b) The degree program does not, as determined by the CCC
BOG, unnecessarily duplicate similar programs offered by
nearby public educational institutions; and,
AB 1455
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c) The CCC district has demonstrated to the satisfaction of
the CCC BOG that it has the expertise, resources, and
interest to offer a quality baccalaureate degree in the
chosen field of study.
3)Provides that a CCC district participating in the pilot
program may charge a fee for courses in the baccalaureate
program that is greater than that charged for courses at the
associate degree level but not more than the fee charged at
CSU for similar programs.
4)Provides that before a CCC district participating in the pilot
program may offer a baccalaureate degree, a right of first
refusal shall be offered to UC first and CSU second to offer
the baccalaureate degree program on the CCC campus; provides
that a CCC district may not participate in the pilot program
unless UC and CSU have declined to exercise their respective
rights of first refusal; and, provides that if the right of
first refusal is exercised, the degree shall be offered by the
university on the CCC campus in a manner that is mutually
agreeable to both the CCC district and the public university.
5)Provides that the pilot program shall expire six years after
the initial offering of a baccalaureate degree, unless
otherwise extended by law.
6)Requires CCC, the Department of Finance (DOF), and the
Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) to jointly conduct an
evaluation of the degree programs implemented pursuant to this
bill and report the results of the evaluation before January
1, 2016, in writing to the Legislature and the Governor.
7)Generally finds and declares: the economic downturn and high
unemployment rate is resulting in tens of thousands of
unemployed or underemployed individuals entering and returning
to college; because of the enrollment caps imposed by the
University of California (UC) and the California State
University (CSU), thousands of qualified students have been
denied access to pursue a baccalaureate degree; CCC students
who want to transfer to a four-year university are being
denied admission or placed on a wait list due to
over-enrollment at UC and CSU; and because of these factors
the State is making an exception to the differentiation of
function in public higher education segments established
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pursuant to the Master Plan for Higher Education.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes CCC, with the primary mission to offer academic
and vocational instruction at the lower division level for
both younger and older students, including those persons
returning to school, and not beyond the second year of
college.
2)Establishes the CCC Baccalaureate Partnership Program, formed
for the purpose of offering baccalaureate degree programs on
participating CCC campuses. Authorizes the CCC Chancellor's
Office (CCCCO) to award annually two grants, not to exceed
$50,000 each, to a collaborative, consisting of at least one
CCC and at least one baccalaureate degree granting
institution, formed for the purpose of offering a
baccalaureate degree program at participating CCCs.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : Purpose of this bill : According to the author, this
bill "creates a baccalaureate degree pilot program which may end
up only applying to the San Mateo Community College District
(SMCCD)." The author believes that SMCCD is in a unique
position to participate in the pilot program established by this
bill because of the successful University Center program at
Ca?ada College. The University Center is a model whereby
specific four-year college degree programs are offered by San
Francisco State University (SFSU) and CSU East Bay on the Ca?ada
College campus. In addition, the author notes that "San Mateo
County has no public university which is why this change could
be valuable for local residents being turned away from SFSU or
San Jose State University because of enrollment caps." The
author believes that this bill "will allow San Mateo residents
access to a baccalaureate degree program within their county."
The author argues that "since the SMCCD already partners with
SFSU and other higher education institutions this pilot program
is a natural progression for SMCCD."
Does this bill contradict the Master Plan for Higher Education ?
The Master Plan for Higher Education specifies that CCC shall
not offer instruction beyond the second year of college. This
bill represents a precedent-setting expansion of the CCC
mission; with an unknown impact on the ability of CCC to
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complete existing missions. As reported by the Institute for
Higher Education Leadership & Policy, of the 60% of CCC students
seeking a degree or certificate, only about one-fourth succeed
in transferring to a university and/or earning an associate's
degree or certificate within six years. The committee may wish
to consider whether further study of CCC capacity to offer
bachelor's degrees is necessary before enacting such a program.
Is there a lack of baccalaureate degree offering institutions in
the Bay Area ? The author asserts that this bill is necessary to
allow San Mateo residents access to a baccalaureate degree
program within their county. While there is no CSU or UC within
the county of San Mateo, this is certainly not unique to San
Mateo; and while numerous other counties do not have a UC or CSU
within their county, San Mateo has the benefit of being near
several CSU and UC campuses in the Greater Bay Area. For
example, CSU maintains SFSU, CSU East Bay, San Jose State
University, and the California Maritime Academy and UC maintains
UC San Francisco, UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley.
Is adequate funding available for CCC to provide baccalaureate
degrees ? CCCs have argued during budget debates that they do
not receive adequate funding for their existing responsibilities
and student enrollment levels. The committee may wish to
consider if it would be wise to add either additional
responsibilities or additional students into the CCC system
until the current problems with CCC finance are resolved.
Are there alternative methods to address the problems raised in
this bill ? The committee may wish to examine whether
alternative models are available to address the issues raised by
this bill. For example, as noted by the author, Ca?ada College
partners with SFSU and CSU East Bay to provide bachelor's
degrees at the University Center located on the Ca?ada College
campus in Child and Adolescent Development, Nursing, and Health
Sciences. The city of Stockton receives baccalaureate-level
instruction provided by CSU Stanislaus at an off-campus site in
Stockton. CSU Fullerton maintains a branch campus in El Toro,
serving approximately 1,140 full-time equivalent students
annually. Partnerships between a community college and a CSU
campus have been established to deliver upper-division
instruction at community sites away from the main CSU campus,
and this model could be expanded in San Mateo.
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Are there examples in other states ? According to the American
Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU),
nationwide there has been a steady growth in the number of
community colleges offering baccalaureate degrees. In 2005,
AASCU identified 11 states where at least one two-year-college
offered baccalaureate degrees, and three states in which similar
baccalaureate programs were being examined. AASCU also found
that most of these community colleges offered bachelor's
programs in collaboration with four-year universities through
university centers or shared facilities, very few offered
independent baccalaureate degrees. A recent analysis of states
with community college bachelor degree programs found the
primary reasons for offering these programs are to address
workforce needs, respond to economic pressures from employers,
increase access to populations underserved by traditional
bachelor degree-granting institutions, and maintain college
affordability.
Previous Efforts : AB 1280 (Maze), Chapter 515, Statutes of
2005, established the CCC Baccalaureate Partnership Program. AB
1932 (Maze) of 2004, expressed legislative intent to authorize
CCCs to award bachelor's degrees and establish an advisory
committee to examine the issue. This bill was held without
recommendation in the Assembly Higher Education Committee. The
California Performance Review issued by Governor Schwarzenegger
in 2005 recommended that the Governor work with the Legislature
to create a pilot program allowing approved CCCs to offer
bachelor's degrees. Under the pilot program, individual
community colleges interested in offering a bachelor's degree
would submit a proposal for approval by the Secretary of
Education, or his or her successor.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
None on file
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Laura Metune / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960