Why state's two-year colleges should offer four-year degrees

Should two-year community colleges in our state offer four-year degrees?

The question has provoked spirited discussion in the education community and among others interested in higher education. It's a timely question because of an experiment getting under way at four of Washington's 34 community and technical colleges.

The colleges are gearing up for each to offer a four-year degree, in a pilot program authorized by the state Legislature. At South Seattle Community College, we plan to welcome students this September to earn a bachelor of applied science (BAS) degree in hospitality management.

Bellevue Community College will offer a BAS in radiology and imaging sciences. Olympic College in Bremerton is developing its bachelor of science in nursing (BSN), and Peninsula College in Port Angeles will have a BAS in management.

Two-year colleges should be supported and encouraged to continue offering four-year programs. Our state needs additional capacity for students to earn four-year degrees, and community colleges can help meet the need for these bachelor degree "slots" in a cost-effective way.

Washington Learns, the 18-month comprehensive review of our state's education system convened by Gov. Christine Gregoire, last fall reported the need to increase Washington's bachelor degree production by more than 3,900, or nearly 14 percent. The two-year colleges are ready to help meet the need; already, 41 percent of bachelor's degree awardees in Washington's public institutions are community-college transfers.

For the community served by my college, in South and West Seattle, the most recent census numbers show that more than 43,000 people 25 years and older have "some college, no degree." Most of those people would like to get that degree, according to community awareness and opinion research that we conducted in mid-2005. More than 55 percent of the people interviewed said they need courses leading to a bachelor's degree, and 18 percent said they would take those classes in the near term.

Some critics fear that four-year programs will lead community colleges to abandon their traditional mission of "open access," serving as the primary higher-education starting point for students seeking post-high-school degrees. But at South Seattle Community College, we see our four-year degree as an expansion of that access for students, making it easier for graduates with two-year technical/professional degrees to move up a career ladder.

The BAS degree program at South Seattle will prepare students for management, marketing and human-resource positions in all facets of the hospitality industry. The only other similar bachelor's degree program is at Washington State University in Pullman, some 300 miles from Seattle. WSU has no plans to offer its high-demand program in the Seattle area, but has agreed to be South Seattle's mentor university as we develop our bachelor's degree program.

Our colleagues at Washington's four-year universities and colleges might make the case that they have priority for offering bachelor's degrees, but our state's university system has dropped to 36th in the nation for granting bachelor's degrees. This was a key finding of the 61-page "economic report card" produced late last year by the Prosperity Partnership, a coalition of more than 200 government, private and nonprofit organizations.

Our state's community and technical colleges have facilities already in place. It makes economic sense to use existing resources, and our 34 campuses in communities across the state also will provide placebound students access to bachelor's degrees.

Offering four-year degrees at community colleges is not a new idea. A recent inquiry by Community College Journal found that over the past 10 years, at least a dozen other states have authorized bachelor's degrees at community colleges.

Washington's two-year colleges already are deeply engaged in helping students reach a four-year degree through transfer options. In addition, many community colleges are forming partnerships with four-year institutions to bring classes to neighborhood campuses.

The governor has emphasized the need for Washington "to remain competitive in the global economy." The state's two-year colleges already are engaged in meeting the challenge of helping more students become graduates with four-year degrees, and we have the capability of doing more.

Dr. Jill Wakefield is president of South Seattle Community College, www.southseattle.edu