ALLOW COMMUNITY COLLEGES TO GRANT

BACCALAUREATE DEGREES IN CERTAIN FIELDS

House Bill 4837

Sponsor:  Rep. John Walsh

Committee:  Education

Complete to 10-21-09

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4837 AS INTRODUCED 4-28-09

 

House Bill 4837 would amend the Community College Act to allow community colleges to grant baccalaureate degrees in nursing, cement technology, and culinary arts.

Under the law, a "community college" is defined to mean "an educational institution providing collegiate and non-collegiate level education primarily to individuals above the 12th grade age level within commuting distance.  The term includes an area vocational-technical education program that may result in the granting of an associate degree or other diploma or certificate, but not an educational institution or program granting baccalaureate or higher degrees."  (Emphasis added)

House Bill 4837 would revise that definition to allow the granting of a baccalaureate degree in nursing, cement technology, or culinary arts.  It strikes the language, "but not an educational institution or program granting baccalaureate or higher degrees."

The section of the law that describes the power and authority of the board of trustees of a community college district would be amended to allow a board to establish education programs and grant baccalaureate degrees in nursing, cement technology, or culinary arts.

MCL 389.105 and 389.121

FISCAL IMPACT:

In general, the bill would serve to increase operating costs of state community colleges that elect to offer the select baccalaureate programs.  A community college could incur costs for the salary and benefits of additional faculty (full-time and part-time) and support staff, as well as operating costs for administration, materials and supplies, travel, information technology, accreditation, and other support services.  A college could also incur costs for capital expenses related to equipment and facilities (increased capacity).  Some expenses would be non-recurring in nature, such as those related to equipment and facilities, while others would be recurring in nature (e.g. faculty salaries).[1] 

Funding for community colleges comes from three main funding sources:  property tax revenue, tuition, and state appropriations.  The costs of adding a baccalaureate program would be borne by some combination of those sources, or supplemented by other outside sources (grants, contributions, etc).  In general, upper division courses have a higher cost than lower division courses.  As such, costs could be partially offset through a stratified tuition plan that imposes higher tuition rates for upper division courses, as is the practice in many public universities.  The costs of expanding an existing associate's degree program into a baccalaureate program would vary by college, depending on its current capacity and the additional requirements (costs) imposed by expanding its program.[2] 

According to the State Board of Nursing, all 28 community colleges offer an associate's degree in nursing, while 20 colleges and universities (12 public universities and 8 private colleges and universities) offer baccalaureate degrees in nursing.

Additionally, there are nine community colleges that offer an associate's degree in culinary arts, including Mott, Grand Rapids, Henry Ford, Macomb, Mid-Michigan, Northwestern Michigan, Oakland, Schoolcraft, and Washtenaw, according to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).  The concrete technology program is said to apply to Alpena Community College.

                                                                                           Legislative Analyst:   J. Hunault     

                                                                                                  Fiscal Analyst:   Mark Wolf

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.

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