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While the University Center model does not raise as many policy challenges as allowing community colleges to grant baccalaureate degrees, there are still significant issues that need to be addressed by policymakers and educators as they encourage the development of such academic collaborations.

Hiring, supervising and supporting faculty and staff at a distance from a university’s main campus requires significant institutional resources and attention if it is to remain viable. In a time when public appropriations to higher education are dropping across the country, a critical issue in the creation of new two- and four-year college partnerships exemplified in the University Center model are the fiscal incentives that encourage such relationships.

One of the strengths of the University Center model is the breadth of baccalaureate and graduate educational offerings potentially available to the local community through different providers. At many University Centers however, community colleges have found that the most willing four-year partners are not the state’s own public universities, but private, for-profit baccalaureate providers, or out-of-state institutions that have developed expertise in distance education delivery systems. While degree completion programs offered by private providers will help address the needs for access to quality baccalaureate and graduate programs, non-public providers typically charge much higher tuition and fees than state-supported institutions.

Policymakers seeking to increase baccalaureate access to under-served regions by encouraging community college/university partnerships need to consider some of the following questions:

• Where does providing baccalaureate access to the community fit within the priority list of public or student interests to be served by the community college?
• What fiscal incentives exist that will encourage and reward public universities that enter into academic collaborations like a University Center with the state’s community colleges?
• What financial incentives exist for community colleges to partner with universities to provide additional baccalaureate access on their campuses?
• Should state or system funding formulas be changed to fund these new degree collaborations adequately, and if so, how?
• Are there regulatory policies that need to be addressed in order to allow private, for-profit, or out-of-state postsecondary providers to offer baccalaureate or graduate degree programs through a public community college?
• Does the University Center have the necessary level of resources and/or facilities, to ensure quality baccalaureate and graduate programs?