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As policymakers, students and employers continue to demand more from their postsecondary education system, they will look to community colleges to help meet their expectations. Developing a community college baccalaureate degree in teacher education raises a number of important policy issues.

Institutional Mission
The community college serves five primary functions:

1. Transferring students to four-year colleges,
2. Providing technical and occupational education,
3. Offering remedial education,
4. Providing training for business and industry, and
5. Filling community service needs.

Many believe it is a logical extension of the “comprehensive” mission of community colleges to award baccalaureate degrees. The community college baccalaureate raises concerns, however, about the community college’s ability to maintain its core two-year focus. “Mission creep,” or the shift from the community college’s original functions to a concentration on baccalaureate education, could leave a gap on the postsecondary landscape. Influenced by perceptions of prestige or the realities of limited funding, a community college, for instance, may gradually change its emphasis from remedial to baccalaureate education.

Such changes then would affect the community college culture, causing division among upper- and lower-division faculty on issues of workload, pay or emphasis on academic research versus applied and technical learning. Shifts like these could have a dramatic impact on state goals such as meeting workforce demands for jobs that require 1-2 years of postsecondary training, increasing postsecondary access for underserved populations, or improving educational opportunities for welfare recipients.

Policymakers examining institutional mission issues should consider the following questions:

• Where does the baccalaureate fit within the priority list of public or student interests to be served by the community college?
• Will priorities need to shift in order to maintain the necessary level of resources, quality and services?

Student and Community Need
Community colleges often serve as the only postsecondary education provider in a particular geographic area. Consequently, they can be an important resource for students seeking access to baccalaureate education, particularly in high demand fields such as teacher education.

The community college baccalaureate degree, however, relies on the assumption that the need exists for such a program. Distinguishing between anecdotal evidence and a documented access need requires a clear understanding of how current needs have been met and where there may be gaps. A tough-minded assessment of the need for and impact of offering this degree requires careful consideration of several questions:

• Whose needs are being served by a community college baccalaureate?
• Is the need for increased baccalaureate access in particular degree areas or for advanced workplace training?
• Are those needs significant enough to warrant new responses? Can they be addressed through alternatives other than the baccalaureate?
• Which of the goals reflect public interest, which reflect institutional interests and how do they relate to overall state needs?

Costs
Faced with rising enrollments and limited resources, states are looking for effective ways to provide quality education to the public. Advocates argue that, by using existing resources, faculty, support services and facilities to expand access to four-year degrees, the community college baccalaureate ultimately could save tax dollars.

It is shortsighted, however, to assume that an institution simply can convert to a baccalaureate mode without incurring significant costs. Complying with accreditation requirements mandated by NCATE and TEAC could affect costs for faculty and libraries. Upgrading laboratories and equipment to meet baccalaureate institutional needs also could require substantial investments.

While the costs associated with converting curriculum, faculty salaries or libraries are often immediate concerns, larger policy questions also need to be addressed. These include:

• Is the community college capable of developing a cost model for offering bachelor degrees that differs markedly from the traditional cost model in four-year colleges and universities? (As previously discussed, generally university faculty have higher salaries and a different workload than their community college peers. Additionally, taxpayers often pay a larger proportion of the total cost for a baccalaureate education.)
• How will the community college baccalaureate in teacher education or other select fields affect institutional competition for enrollment and fixed state resources?

Structure
Many postsecondary education structures in the states have been based on the distinction between offering two- or four-year degrees. The community college baccalaureate blurs the lines around those differences, potentially requiring changes in state laws, governance, program approval, funding formulas and financial aid. Some basic policy questions in this area include:

• If a state has both a community college and four-year institutional board, who should have primary decision-making responsibility on issues of program approval, funding or financial aid for community college baccalaureate programs?
• Are the program approval guidelines sufficient to determine the need, structure and requirements for this new degree?
• Should state or system funding formulas be changed to fund a new degree structure adequately, and, if so, how?
• Should current financial aid policies be adapted to address a new class of student?