Whereas, SB 850 (Block, 2014) established a pilot program to create baccalaureate degrees in 15 districts within the California Community Colleges system, based in part on concerns regarding the potential gap in the number of students needing baccalaureate degrees by 2030 and beyond;
Whereas, The 15 pilot programs have succeeded in graduating more than 200 students in the first two years of the pilot, with hundreds more currently in courses leading to a baccalaureate degree, particularly in those programs related to allied health;
Whereas, A demonstrated economic and professional need exists in local communities and professions that baccalaureate degree graduates in allied health would be able to fill, and external national accreditation standards in allied health have raised the expected educational attainment of future workers in allied health fields; and
Whereas, The California State University System continues to be impacted in allied health and other fields, preventing students from accessing public post-secondary educational options for baccalaureate degrees and encouraging the proliferation of for- profit allied health programs and the erosion of available clinical rotation sites available for California community college students;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges support the expansion of baccalaureate degree programs in the California community colleges in disciplines and communities that best serve the students of the California Community Colleges; and
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges urge the prioritization of programs in allied health fields in the expansion of baccalaureate degree programs.
MSC