A Calvert County Republican delegate has proposed legislation that would allow community colleges in Maryland to offer bachelor’s degrees.
The legislation has been unsuccessful in the general assembly and has not moved forward. However, 21 states already have four-year community college degrees or similar baccalaureate degree programs, according to Sean McNew, legal aide to Del. Mark Fisher, the delegate who proposed the bill.
Fisher said that the purpose of the bill is “to allow citizens to have easier access to college at a much lower price” than traditional four-year colleges. He mentioned accessibility and affordability as key benefits of the bill. A 21st century reality that would make bachelor’s degrees in community colleges appropriate is the widespread use of technology in education, such as online courses, he said.
With community colleges being close to home, students would be able to have easier access to education and save money on campus housing by living at home, paying lower community college tuition and having the ability to work locally, Fisher said.
He emphasized that the rise of online education also makes college more accessible. The technology being used today allows students to take courses online which can be equal in quality whether created by four-year institutions, educated individuals or community colleges, he said.
Fisher said that community colleges, however, would offer those online courses at lower prices, which is why this bill is important. The only thing for which a student would be paying more by taking online courses at a traditional four-year institution, he said, would be the name.
The university systems in Maryland, however, oppose the bill because it encourages competition in the areas of tuition and degrees, McNew said. The baccalaureate degrees in other states work by offering programs in applied majors, such as nursing, education and piloting. Most of these programs don’t exist in traditional four-year institutions, but have a “road-bus population of people interested,” he said.
Fisher said that the challenge for four-year institutions would be good. It would push them to “get with the program” by updating their education and making it better.
Katherine Conway-Turner, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Hood College, agreed that if the bill were passed, a four-year institution like Hood would need to recruit students from other places, create new programs to attract students and make it easier to transition from community colleges. However, she emphasized that students tend to come for the full experience of a four-year institution, which community colleges wouldn’t provide even with similar bachelor’s degrees. The impact on Hood College would be marginal, she said, because community colleges tend to attract a different kind of population, including commuter and adult students.
At a four-year institution like Hood, there is a sense of community and a sense of “I am a graduate of Hood College,” Conway-Turner said. Students get to know other students and their faculty really well, she said, and the sense of community “forges these kinds of relationships.”
“The level of activities and programs is so rich and so layered,” Conway-Turner said, whereas in community colleges, people go home after classes end. There are lectures, panels, films, musical performances and the like every night at Hood, she said. “All of that richness allows you to develop as a person” and to get a deeper understanding of the discipline and yourself.
Hood College senior Julia Sell, a commuter student, said she would get a bachelor’s degree at a community college only if she wanted to get it quickly and at a lower cost. She said she feels like at community colleges, the requirement is to just know the information, whereas at a traditional four-year institution, education goes beyond knowing the facts and requires in-depth study and application.
Conway-Turner mentioned that if she were president of Frederick Community College, for example, she would create programs that would not compete with those of local institutions. She said she would fill the gaps in the education of local institutions and create new programs that make sense.
Frederick Community College would indeed focus on those degrees that have most interest and need in the community, such as nursing and teaching education, said David Croghan, interim vice president for learning at the college. He said the college would have to make many changes, such as purchasing the necessary equipment for upper-level science courses. College officials would also have to think about the possibility of turning it into a residential college for those students “looking forward to living on campus,” he said.
The high cost of implementing bachelor’s degrees in community colleges is another factor besides competition stopping the bill from advancing. The Maryland Higher Education Commission would need to hire two additional educational policy analysts, and the community colleges would need to hire additional qualified faculty members. State fund spending would increase $14.9 million by 2019. Increased enrollment in community colleges would bring local revenue, but not state revenue, according to the bill’s legal report.
Fisher, however, said he will reintroduce the bill next year without any changes and thinks it should work.
“We need more citizens to come out to organize and put pressure on the education commission,” he said.