Yavapai Community College president Dr. Lisa Rhine says implementation two or three years away
Governor Doug Ducey
Governor Doug Ducey signed legislation this past Tuesday that will allow Yavapai Community College to offer some baccalaureate degrees in the future. According to an interview given to Mr. Bill Helm, in the Verde Independent of Sunday, May 9, 2021, College President Dr. Lisa Rhine said the “process for implementing new baccalaureate degrees will take time.”
Dr. Rhine indicated that offering certain new upper division programs is two to three years away. She said that programs must be identified and approved by the District Governing Board. She also said that the curriculum has to be created and that any proposal then submitted to the Higher Learning Commission for approval.
The legislation contains specific requirements for any Community College considering offering new upper division programs leading to a baccalaureate degree. As noted by Dr. Rhine in her interview with the Verde Independent newspaper, the bill requires a district governing board to determine if there is a local workforce need for the degrees that would be offered. There is also a provision that requires a study of the costs and a determination of whether a similar degree is offered by other Arizona colleges.
There are specific restrictions on Pima and Maricopa counties. In those districts, community colleges are limited to offering no more than 5% of their degrees at the baccalaureate level for the first four years. After four years, the number is capped at 10%.
Community Colleges also cannot charge tuition for the courses offered to juniors and seniors that is 150% higher than the fees for courses in the first two years. Finally, before new degrees can be offered, public universities are given an opportunity to provide a written response to any planned community college degrees.
Dr. Rhine said during her interview that she will direct her staff to begin researching possible new programs by using “labor market data and community needs to determine what would have a lasting impact on our students and communities.”
Sources: Verde Valley independent, Sunday, May 9, 2021 article by Mr. Bill Helm; Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services, https://tucson.com/news/local/arizona-lawmakers-ok-bill-to-allow-4-year-community-college-degrees/article_6aa4fafa-a847-11eb-9f54-e3a56056748a.html; April 30 Blog.