Opening the Door to the Baccalaureate Degree

Abstract

Community colleges have made their mark by providing high-quality, open access to higher education. This democratization of learning has resulted in the development of nearly 1,200 community and technical colleges across the United States. During the 100 years since the first public junior college was founded, the broader community college mission has expanded from a singular focus on university transfer to include technical and vocational education, adult education, workforce development, and remedial education. In the new century, the demand for even greater access to education has become critical. Once again, community colleges are being asked to step forward and provide the skilled workforce to keep the nation competitive in a global economy. Community colleges are uniquely qualified to meet this challenge of educating a wide population to the level required for entry into the skilled workforce. While the inate principles of the community college will remain intact, the mission should expand to offer the baccalaureate degree to more students, at convenient locations, in a more student-centered learning environment, and at a greatly reduced cost.