Alternative Pathways to the Baccalaureate : Do Community Colleges Offer a Viable Solution to the Nation's Knowledge Deficit?

“This book does an excellent job of tracing the history of the movement and where it stands today. It discusses the political context when these discussions happen in states and the education implications when institutions take on this additional mission. This book may or may not convert those who are concerned about ‘mission creep’ of community colleges, but it sure will give them something to think about. Clearly we cannot continue to do business as we have always done and expect to meet the growing demand for college educated citizens. This book provides some thoughts on how to create a new model going forward and it deserves serious consideration.”—from the Foreword by Carol D’AmicoThe premise of this book is that, in a globalized economy dependent on innovation and knowledge, higher education must provide greater, more affordable access to the acquisition of higher-level skills and knowledge for a greater proportion of the population.The purpose of this book is to open up a debate about the status quo. Should four-year institutions remain the near-exclusive conferrers of the baccalaureate? Or is there a legitimate role for community colleges who already educate over half the undergraduate population of the United States, at lower cost with few barriers to access?The contributors examine the capacities of four-year colleges to deliver training for technical occupations; the ability of community colleges to deliver rigorous, high-quality courses; and issues of access, affordability, faculty development, and responsiveness to changing needs. A chapter devoted to student voices provides the critical perspective of this constituency.The book concludes by describing examples of implementation across the United States, reviewing different models of articulation as well as promising practices that include eliminating the need for transfer altogether.Alternative Pathways to the Baccalaureate provides vital information and new research for policymakers, community college leaders, and scholars of higher education to provoke much-needed debate.Published in association with the Community College Baccalaureate Association