Alternative Pathways to the Baccalaureate: How Community Colleges Can Respond to Workforce Needs, the Politics, and Issues of Implementation

The community college, or applied, baccalaureate continues to be controversial although now approved by legislatures in eighteen states. Does it contribute to economic development and social mobility? Does it fill a major gap in our educational system?

Opening with a brief historical account of the community college baccalaureate movement, this book then situates the baccalaureate in the context of demographic trends and workforce needs; addresses concerns about “mission creep” and the impact on four-year colleges; offers insights into the political arguments arrayed for and against wider adoption; and looks at the implications for accreditation.

The contributors review the capacities of four-year colleges to deliver training for technical occupations; the ability of community colleges to deliver rigorous, high-quality courses; and consider issues of access, affordability, faculty development, and responsiveness to changing needs. A chapter devoted to student voices provides the critical perspective of this constituency.

The book concludes by describing examples of implementation across the U.S., reviewing different models of articulation, as well as promising practices that include eliminating the need for transfer altogether.

Published in association with the Community College Baccalaureate Association

Nancy Remington holds a PhD from the University of Nevada in educational leadership. Her 30-year teaching experience in Nevada spans the spectrum of preschool through graduate school. As an English and education faculty member at Great Basin College, she developed and implemented the ?rst baccalaureate degree program in teacher education. Particularly passion-ate about effective professional development for teachers and administrators, she was the founding director of the Great Basin Writing Project and the Nevada Regional Professional Development Program. She has worked as an evaluator for the Northeastern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program, and currently, she serves on the Board of the Nevada Women’s Fund, as an editor for the Community College Baccalaureate Association online journal The Journal of the New Comprehensive College as well as working as an educational consultant and as a ?eld director with the National Writing Project. Ronald Remington holds a PhD from the University of Nevada in cognitive psychology. With 35 years’ experience as a faculty member and administrator in higher education in three states, he has served as a commissioner for Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and as president of two Nevada community colleges. During his tenure at Great Basin College and the Community College of Southern Nevada, he pioneered innovative baccalaureate degrees in education, applied sciences, professional studies, and dental hygiene. He currently works as an educational consultant and serves on the Board of Directors for the Community College Baccalaureate Association.