SB 850, as introduced, Block. Public postsecondary education: community college districts: baccalaureate degree pilot program.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires the board to appoint a chief executive officer, to be known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts, administered by governing boards, throughout the state, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction to students at the community college campuses maintained by the districts.
Existing law requires community colleges to offer instruction through, but not beyond, the 2nd year of college and authorizes community colleges to grant associate degrees in arts and science.
This bill would authorize the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to authorize the establishment of one baccalaureate degree pilot program per campus per district. The bill would provide that the baccalaureate degree pilot program shall consist of a limited number of campuses, to be determined by the Chancellor. The bill would require a baccalaureate degree pilot program to expire 8 years after the establishment of the program. The bill would require a participating district to meet specified requirements, including, but not limited to, offering baccalaureate degrees in a limited number of fields of study, and submitting a report to the Legislature at least one year prior to the expiration of the baccalaureate degree pilot program that would evaluate specified factors.
This bill would also require the governing board of a participating district to perform certain functions and would authorize the governing board to charge baccalaureate degree-seeking students a fee for enrollment in specified courses, which would be required to be expended for the purpose of providing a pilot program. The bill would authorize the governing board of the district to enter into agreements with local businesses and agencies to provide educational services to students participating in a baccalaureate degree pilot program.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(a) California needs to produce one million more baccalaureate
4degrees than the state currently does to remain economically
5competitive in the coming decades.
6(b) The 21st Century workplace increasingly demands a higher
7level of education in applied fields.
8(c) There is demand for education beyond the associate degree
9level in specific academic disciplines that is not currently being
10met by California’s four-year public institutions.
11(d) Community
colleges can help fill the gaps in our higher
12education system by granting baccalaureate degrees for a limited
13number of specific areas in order to meet a growing demand for a
14skilled workforce.
15(e) These baccalaureate programs will be limited and will not
16detract from the community colleges’ mission to advance
17California’s economic growth and global competitiveness through
18education, training, and services that contribute to continuous
19workforce improvement, nor will the programs unnecessarily
20duplicate similar programs offered by nearby four-year institutions.
21(f) Community colleges can provide a quality baccalaureate
22education with lower costs to their students than a traditional
P3 1four-year university, enabling place-bound local students the
2opportunity to earn the baccalaureate degree needed for new job
3opportunities and promotion.
4(g) Twenty one other states, from Florida to Hawaii, already
5allow their community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees.
6California is one of the most innovative states in the nation, and
7the California Community Colleges will use that same innovative
8spirit to produce more health, biotechnology, and other needed
9professionals.
Article 3 (commencing with Section 78040) is added
11to Chapter 1 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education
12Code, to read:
13
For the purposes of this article, “district” means any
17community college district identified by the Chancellor of the
18California Community Colleges as participating in the
19baccalaureate degree pilot program. Each district may establish
20baccalaureate degree pilot programs pursuant to Section 78041.
Notwithstanding Section 66010.4, the Chancellor of
22the California Community Colleges may authorize the
23establishment of baccalaureate degree pilot programs that meet all
24of the eligibility requirements set forth in Section 78042. A pilot
25program established pursuant to this section shall expire eight
26years after the establishment of the program. For purposes of this
27section, a pilot program is established when the first class of
28students begins the program. The baccalaureate degree pilot
29program shall consist of a limited number of campuses, to be
30determined by the Chancellor of the California Community
31Colleges.
(a) The district shall seek authorization to offer
33baccalaureate degree programs through the appropriate
34accreditation body.
35(b) The district shall maintain the primary mission of the
36California Community Colleges specified in paragraph (3) of
37subdivision (a) of Section 66010.4. The district, as part of the
38baccalaureate degree pilot program, shall have the additional
39mission to provide high-quality undergraduate education at an
40affordable price for students and the state.
P4 1(c) The district shall offer one baccalaureate degree per campus
2in a limited number of fields of study subject to the following
3requirements, as determined by the
governing board of the district:
4(1) The district shall identify and document unmet workforce
5needs in the subject areas of the baccalaureate degrees to be offered
6and offer baccalaureate degrees in those subject areas possessing
7unmet workforce needs in the local community.
8(2) The baccalaureate degree pilot program shall not
9unnecessarily duplicate similar programs offered by nearby public
10postsecondary educational institutions.
11(3) The district shall have the expertise, resources, and student
12interest to offer a quality baccalaureate degree in the chosen field
13of study.
14(d) The district shall maintain separate records for students who
15are enrolled in courses classified in the upper division and lower
16division of a baccalaureate program. A student
shall be reported
17as a community college student for enrollment in a lower division
18course and as a baccalaureate degree program student for
19enrollment in an upper division course.
20(e) The governing board of the district shall do all of the
21following:
22(1) Determine the appropriate governance system for the
23baccalaureate degree pilot program.
24(2) Make decisions regarding the baccalaureate degree pilot
25program’s curriculum, faculty, and facilities.
26(3) Establish the level of matriculation, tuition, and other
27appropriate costs for students enrolled in a baccalaureate degree
28program.
29(f) (1) The governing board of the district may charge
30baccalaureate degree-seeking
students a fee, of an amount to be
31determined by the governing board, that covers the additional costs
32imposed by providing a baccalaureate degree pilot program, for
33enrollment in courses that are not transfer core curriculum courses,
34as defined in Section 66720.
35(2) All fees collected pursuant to this subdivision shall be
36deposited in the designated fund of the district in accordance with
37the California Community Colleges Budget and Accounting
38Manual, and shall be expended for the purpose of providing a
39baccalaureate degree pilot program.
P5 1(g) The governing board of the district may enter into
2agreements with local businesses and agencies to provide
3educational services to students participating in the baccalaureate
4degree pilot program.
5(h) The district shall submit a report to the Legislature at least
6one year
prior to the expiration of the baccalaureate degree pilot
7program pursuant to Section 78041. The report shall examine the
8success of the baccalaureate degree pilot program by evaluating
9all of the following factors:
10(1) The percentage of students who complete a baccalaureate
11degree, calculated by dividing the number of students who graduate
12from the baccalaureate degree pilot program by the number of
13students who enrolled in the program.
14(2) The extent to which the baccalaureate degree pilot program
15is self-supporting, such that the student fees charged pursuant to
16subdivision (f) cover the costs of the program.
17(3) Whether there is a problem with finding and paying
18instructors for the baccalaureate degree pilot program.
19(4) Whether there was a decline
in enrollment in the California
20State University and the University of California as a result of the
21baccalaureate degree pilot program.
22(5) The number of students who received jobs in the area in the
23field of study of their baccalaureate degree.
24(6) The amount of student fees charged pursuant to subdivision
25(f) compared to the amount of student fees charged for courses at
26the California State University and the University of California.
27(i) A report submitted pursuant to subdivision (h) shall be
28submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government
29Code.
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