Leadership at a Peoria-area community college say there’s more to consider before committing to pursuing four-year programs.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker threw his support behind the idea in his budget address last week. He said the proposals would allow for four-year baccalaureate degrees for “in-demand career paths” like nursing, manufacturing and early childhood education.
“With lower tuition rates and a greater presence across the state — especially in rural areas — community colleges provide the flexibility and affordability students need,” Pritzker said.
More than 20 states already allow for four-year programs at their community colleges. These programs often come with restrictions, such as limiting the number of community colleges that can participate, which programs apply or requiring a proven workforce need in the region a community college serves.
Illinois Central College Chief of Staff Derrell Carter says this means the school’s administration will need to wait to see exactly what the final legislation looks like before committing one way or another.
“Once we're able to see that legislation, then we will make some decisions that will be based in part and in a large majority, based on our conversations with our local and regional businesses business partners to make sure that there's a path forward,” he said.
Illinois Central College [ICC] serves more than 8,000 Greater Peoria area students from locations in East Peoria, Peoria and Pekin. The school, which serves a primarily commuter student body, reported an increase in enrollment for last fall’s semester.
Carter says he believes any community’s student body could benefit from four-year programs at community colleges.
“Recognizing that these degrees will be offered based around workforce needs,” he said. “There’s a need across Peoria. There’s a need across the county, as well as locally and across the region.”
ICC already has programs in place with a focus on workforce development. The institution’s IT Workforce Accelerator program has been the recipient of multiple federal grants. ICC’s East Peoria campus is home to an entire building dedicated to the effort called the Workforce Sustainability Center.
“The college’s mission is to change minds and change lives and so we’ve been very intentional about the programs that we pursued based on the economic needs and demands of our business partners,” said Carter. ‘So when it comes to this legislation, and it comes to this opportunity, we have to make sure that we have those conversations and that we look at what the regional needs are, as well as what the research is stating.”
According to Carter, research from the Illinois Community College Board at least shows students want more flexible, affordable baccalaureate options.
“That’s the opportunity, when you think about who the student is that would be supported by a community college baccalaureate degree, that’s a very distinct student population,” he said. “It includes working adults, students who are place-bound, meaning they live within their community. There’s not necessarily access to multiple educational institutions where they live.”
The authorization for community colleges exists in early forms on two recently introduced pieces of legislation in the Illinois House and Senate. They include requirements like annual reports from the colleges, proof the programs reach underserved students and caps on tuition in the third and fourth years of the degrees.
A representative with the Pritzker administration told NPR Illinois the proposals are separate from other pre-existing legislation proposing overhauls of the state’s process for funding public universities.
