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Florida
St. Petersburg College offers bachelor of science degrees in elementary education, exceptional student education, secondary education mathematics and secondary education biology. In 2001 it became the first community college in Florida approved to offer baccalaureate degrees, filling a need which seemed to be unmet by the state’s four-year universities. The college has hired additional faculty members for its new upper division education courses in pedagogy, science and math. As part of this process, the college dropped “junior” from its name to reflect its new status.

In 2002, the Florida State Board of Education approved Miami-Dade Community College to offer three high-need baccalaureate education programs in math, secondary and gifted and talented. The board’s action also awarded Chipola Junior College in Marianna a five-year provisional approval of program proposals for baccalaureate degrees in business administration, nursing and secondary Education

For over a decade, Florida lawmakers have been concerned about smoothing student transitions from elementary to secondary school and from secondary to higher education and degree attainment. In 2001 their efforts resulted in the creation of a single K-20 board responsible for all levels and types of education institutions. Since then, community colleges have been allowed to petition for approval to offer select high-need baccalaureate degrees. Governor Jeb Bush supported the decision to offer baccalaureate programs at community colleges because they provide “greater access to bachelor’s degrees for nontraditional students in fields where we are experiencing critical workforce shortages.”

Nevada
Great Basin College (GBC) based in Elko, Nevada began offering a bachelor of arts in elementary education in 1999. The college is located more than 300 miles from the closest urban center. Leaders at GBC developed their own bachelor degrees in education and other high-demand fields when they were unsuccessful in recruiting universities to partner in providing baccalaureate programs that would increase access, address local workforce needs and contribute to economic stability in local communities. Many students in rural Elko previously could not afford the time or expense to continue their education past that offered by the local community college. In addition, the region historically had trouble retaining teachers recruited from other states. GBC is now able to produce teacher candidates who are familiar with the community and are more likely to stay than those hired from outside the region.

A committee of faculty from various departments across the college and superintendents from local school districts worked together to design a four-year teacher education curriculum that maximizes field experience in the local schools. The program now graduates about 20 students per year. Students who wish to teach at the elementary school level are urged to complete an associate of arts elementary education program before continuing into the four-year bachelor of arts degree program in elementary education. The program also collaborates with five local school districts providing students with clinical and field experience.

Based on the positive results at GBC, the board of regents for the Nevada Community College and University System has developed policies that allow community colleges to petition to offer baccalaureate degrees. The review process allows the state’s universities to review and approve the petition before it goes to the board of regents for consideration. The policies seek to assure that the necessary staff and financial backing is in place to support the degree and that program quality and workload issues have been addressed prior to the board giving approval. Initially, these degrees are limited to baccalaureate offerings in healthcare, education and technology.

Louisiana
Louisiana State University at Alexandria (LSU), the only public higher education institution in its nine-parish rural area was originally created as a two-year commuter college. Since 2003, it has offered four baccalaureate programs, including one in elementary education, to meet local workforce training needs.

The teacher education baccalaureate program consists of general education requirements, professional courses, and student teaching components in the last year of the program. Graduates may apply for certification to teach grades 1-6 in the state and may add on certificates in early childhood education.

In order to implement the baccalaureate programs, the campus underwent a restructuring and was approved for new facility funding and student housing. The college is currently seeking approval from the Louisiana Board of Regents to create additional four-year programs.

New Mexico
Northern New Mexico Community College (NNMCC), located in Espanola, will offer a teacher education baccalaureate beginning in the fall semester of 2004. The need for more and better teachers in northern New Mexico was discussed during the 2004 legislative session, and both the Senate and the House approved the request for authorization of NNMCC to offer the program.

NMCC has traditionally had large enrollments in its associate degree program but has struggled in encouraging potential teachers to transfer into four-year university teacher education programs to complete their degrees. This is because NMCC has a large majority of non-traditional students (average age 31) who are unable or not interested in attending a university away from home. The college is pursuing national accreditation from NCATE and the Higher Learning Commission.

Utah
Utah Valley State College, formerly Utah Valley Community College, was approved by the board of regents and the state board of education by 1999 to offer a baccalaureate in elementary education, and has since added the following degrees: early childhood education, English education, mathematics education, biology education, chemistry/physics education, earth science education, history education, and business/marketing education. It is the fastest growing institution in the Utah’s higher education system. During the past ten years, the number of full time equivalent students has increased by 117%, while the number of faculty members has grown by 86%.

Dixie State College, located in the far southern part of the state, has also been approved by the Utah State System of Higher Education to offer an elementary education program. In 2000, the Utah State Legislature granted a name change and baccalaureate degree status to the college. Upon completion of the college’s teacher education baccalaureate program, students obtain a Utah State Level I Educator License, and are allowed to teach grades 1-8.