Community colleges eager to offer bachelor's degree

Riverside Community College District wants to expand one of its two-year programs into a four-year program if a bill becomes state law.

Administrators are trying to choose one of four career programs to expand into a bachelor’s degree program. The choices are: registered nursing at Riverside City College, the physician’s assistant and dental hygiene programs at Moreno Valley College and the video gaming program at Norco College, said Robin Steinback, interim vice chancellor for educational services, workforce development and planning,

The Legislature passed a bill to authorize up to 15 community college districts to award bachelor’s degrees in limited circumstances as a pilot program.

“We definitely want to be considered as one of the 15 pilots,” Steinback said.

On Friday, Senate Bill 850 was awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature. California would join 21 states that allow community colleges to confer four-year degrees.

Each district could offer one bachelor’s degree program, she said. The programs could begin as soon as January and would have to start by 2017. Supporters say the effort would address a statewide shortage of adults with bachelor’s degrees in the workforce.

Community colleges would not be able to offer degrees that Cal State or UC campuses already have. However, the law would allow community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees in fields where Cal State or UC cannot accommodate demand for a program, the California Community Colleges chancellor’s office said in a news release.

Community colleges don’t yet know all the criteria for them to add four-year programs, Steinback said; however, the district has begun its review and will work with UC Riverside, Cal State San Bernardino and other Cal State campuses.

San Bernardino Valley College has no immediate plans to join the pilot program, said college spokesman Gregory Zerovnik, citing insufficient funding, faculty and support staff, which were all lost during the state budget crisis.

“Now the funding spigot is being very, very slowly turned back on,” he said.

Mt. San Jacinto College officials could not be reached Friday.

Zerovnik said the college’s two-year nursing program wouldn’t be considered for the state’s pilot because Cal State and UC campuses all offer four-year nursing degrees.

However, Steinback said the expectation is growing for registered nurses to have bachelor’s degrees, the state and region don’t have enough nurses, and RCC’s registered nursing program is first-rate.

“There is a nursing shortage,” she said. “If we have unmet workforce need whether it’s statewide or in our region, the argument could be made that we should offer that,” Steinback said.

RCC, Norco College and Moreno Valley College were just re-accredited. As part of the accreditation review, the colleges realized they have enough faculty with doctoral degrees and expertise to teach upper level courses, equipment, technology and facilities to expand any of the four programs being considered, she said.

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