2015

Whereas, SB 850 (Block, 2014) authorized the Board of Governors to establish a statewide baccalaureate degree program at not more than 15 pilot colleges;

Whereas, Originally no additional funding was allocated to support the development of curriculum, student services, or implementation of course offerings beyond the $84 per unit additional fee for upper division offerings; and

Whereas, Six million dollars was allocated in the 2015-16 budget cycle to support the baccalaureate pilot programs;

Whereas, SB 850 (Block, 2014) authorized the Board of Governors to establish a statewide baccalaureate degree program at not more than 15 pilot colleges;

Whereas, Upper division units offered by the pilot colleges have not yet been established as transferrable to other institutions of higher education; and

Whereas, Pilot colleges need to meet the general education needs of students utilizing a limited cohort model;

Whereas, SB 850 (Block, 2014) authorized the Board of Governors to establish a statewide baccalaureate degree program at not more than 15 pilot colleges;

Whereas, The mission of the California community college is based on providing an open-access higher education opportunity to all who may benefit from instruction;

Whereas, Education Code §78261.5 provides for a limitation on enrollment for nursing; and

Whereas, It is anticipated that demand for community college baccalaureate programs will exceed capacity in the initial cohorts;

Whereas, SB 850 (Block, 2014) authorized the Board of Governors to establish a statewide baccalaureate degree program at not more than 15 pilot colleges;

Whereas, The faculty of the California community colleges value the integral role of general education as essential to degree attainment, and the breadth of general education addresses the skills needed to succeed in the workforce as identified by employers cited in the National Association of Colleges and Employers in their October 2013 survey[1];

Whereas, SB 850 (Block, 2014) authorized the Board of Governors to establish a statewide baccalaureate degree program at not more than 15 pilot colleges;

Whereas, No perceived difference in breadth, rigor, and utility should exist between the quality of a baccalaureate degree offered by the California community colleges and those offered in any other segment of the California higher education system; and

Whereas, Faculty across California are considering migration to a new Course Management System (CMS) in conjunction with the adoption of the Canvas course management system by the Online Education Initiative (OEI);

Whereas, Migration to a new CMS provides an opportunity for faculty to evaluate and update their online and hybrid courses, and colleges may wish to include their courses in the OEI Exchange, which will require compliance with certain standards as set forth by the OEI in its adopted rubric; and

Whereas, The Common Assessment Initiative, Education Planning Initiative, and Online Education Initiative are academic initiatives that require sufficient technological resources to be successful, not simply technology infrastructure initiatives, and yet the primary oversight from the Chancellor’s Office is through the Institutional Effectiveness Division, not the Educational Services Division[1]; and

Whereas, In 1991 the California Community College mission was expanded to include economic workforce development and this charge was added as a program in Economic Workforce Development Division of the Chancellor’s Office in the form of ten initiative areas of focus, now called Sectors;

Whereas, In 2011-2012 this program was revitalized under the Doing What Matters campaign in part to be more strategic with shrinking resources (63% reduction) resulting in reduced sector choices within each of the California community college regions;

Whereas, The California Virtual Campus (CVC)[1], which is operated by the California Community Colleges Technology Center, maintains a catalog that is intended to be a resource used by students to identify the distance education classes that meet their particular educational goals, including identifying courses that fulfill their degree-completion needs;

Whereas, The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) has garnered support around the United States, with more than 10 states joining the agreement to allow students to take online courses without individual colleges needing to seek authorization from those students’ home states;