The pilot program to offer four-year courses to students in community colleges in the state of California saw the preliminary approval of 15 academic institutions on Tuesday--a move that became tangible following the passing of a bill last year.
The 34 applications were submitted to the board members comprised by reviewers from the University of California and California Department of Education, the staff of the Chancellor's Office, members of the workforce and business communities as well as faculty, administrators, and staff of community colleges from the districts without any pending application.
The factors considered following the selection of the 15 community colleges to be included in the pilot programs included the geographic distribution, diversity, the district's capacity to enforce and support the proposed fields to be offered, and the relevance of the program to fulfill an unmet demand in the community.
"Students will have a range of programs from which to choose to earn high quality, affordable and in-demand degrees. California employers win too, as they will have improved access to highly qualified candidates in these fields," declared California Community Colleges Chancellor Brice W. Harris.
The law requires the four-year courses to be up and running by the commencement of the academic year 2017-2018, but districts set to start with the pilot program may start offering classes by the fall of the 2015 semester. Prior to accepting enrollees and officially commencing their participation to the program, the districts must first obtain the approval of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
"This is a major step in keeping California's higher education system affordable and accessible while also keeping our state economically competitive in the future," Senator Marty Block, the representative from Senate District 39, shared in his statement.
SB 850 aims to aid the state to fulfill the demand for qualified individuals to work on the technical disciplines, which have started to impose the requirement of baccalaureate degrees as a qualification. The law was also enacted to promote the growth of college participation among the youth and to advance the training prospects offered to the local residents in the workforce.
The selected programs will still be reviewed by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office. These will also be deliberated upon again by the California State University and University of California prior to obtaining a final approval from the Board of Governors in March.
