Arizona community colleges could finally get one thing universities have that they're lacking - the ability to offer four-year degrees.
After five months of research, a joint committee of 10 Arizona community college and university administrators supported a plan that would let community colleges offer undergraduate degrees in an initial proposal to the Arizona Board of Regents last week.
"The community colleges have said they would support integration," said Regent Ernest Calderon, co-chair of the joint conference committee.
The committee began the process of proposing and researching integration options in May with the goal of improving access to undergraduate degrees in Arizona.
"This is our contribution to moving articulation forward," said John Haeger, NAU president and committee member.
Regent Robert Bulla opposed the proposal.
Integration of the community colleges and universities would only compromise the idea of affordable prices for higher education by creating more competition, he said.
"There will be winners and there will be losers," Bulla said. "I'm very concerned for the citizens of Arizona."
Regent Lorraine Frank said the community colleges just want "to be one of the big guys."
"They want to say they can [offer four-year degrees] and they can do it for less."
Haeger said the community colleges' previous role in education should not limit what they can become.
"You can sense a difference between community colleges and universities," he said. "But are community colleges as institutions not allowed to expand their mission?"
Regent President Christina Palacios, a member of the committee, said if the integration proposal passes ABOR and legislative approval, a committee would be established to monitor this integration.
Group members from the university system and community colleges would research whether or not universities are deficient in offering baccalaureate degrees and decide which areas the community colleges could adopt.
"There are problems, but [integration] is a possibility," she said.
Other issues in the committee's proposal include increasing the number of credits students could transfer from a community college to a university, establishing joint funding and increasing partnerships between institutions.
Increased partnership would mean joint appointment of faculty, joint admission for some students and shared facilities.
Students had mixed opinions about the proposal.
Mathematics senior George Belokas said he thinks it would be nice if community colleges offered four-year degrees so a student could get a degree without spending a lot of money, but said the degrees wouldn't be equivalent.
"A degree from an in-state university is worth more," he said.
International business sophomore Dana Randall said if she could do it over again, she would attend a community college.
"They are smaller, and there is one right by my house so I wouldn't have to drive," Randall said.
The committee will submit its final recommendations to the Presidents' Summit, an annual meeting between the community college and university presidents, in November. The recommendations will then be presented to ABOR in December.
Reach the reporter at tara.brite@asu.edu.
