To try remedy this serious gap in higher education, Assemblyman Jerry Hill introduced bill 1455. This bill would allow Junior institutions like Cañada College to offer bachelor degrees in a limited number of fields such as nursing, education and biotechnology. This would be a temporary offering while the CSU and UC system cannot afford to educate many well qualified students.
Sadly, major universities are opposed to this bill since it cuts into their turf. However, I find it ironic, that they are more concerned about protecting their fiefdom and less about the tens of thousands of students that may be denied a full education if a solution to this crisis is not discovered soon.
While allowing junior colleges to offer some bachelor degrees seems like an innovative solution, I am unaware of how this will save money? The CSU and UC systems obviously had their budgets cut and so have many junior colleges, so won’t the junior colleges need to hire more professors for a four-year program? Where will the money for those extra people come from?
If the program is implement, then perhaps your kid can live at home and get a four year degree at a fraction of the price that it would cost you if they had instead moved away to attend some out of state college? Stay tuned to see how this plays out.
|
