Baccalaureate Completion Programs at Community Colleges

              Baccalaureate Completion Programs at Community Colleges
Introduction
Senate Joint Resolution No. 88, adopted by the 94th General Assembly of the State of Illinois, directed the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) to inventory baccalaureate-completion partnerships involving community colleges and public and private, in-state and out-of-state four-year institutions. The IBHE collaborated with the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), which maintains baccalaureate completion program data and conducted the survey of the state’s 39 community college districts.
In addition to directing the inventory, SJR88 urged ICCB to “review its policies and guidelines for Illinois community colleges that are seeking four-year institutions as degree-completion partners, with regard to preferences for Illinois-based institutions.” Further, the resolution recommended that ICCB “create guidelines that will guide community colleges to seek Illinois-based institutions as bachelor’s degree partners, when possible.” A review of ICCB policies determined that there are no existing guidelines for baccalaureate degree completion. ICCB staff, in consultation with community college presidents and other advisory groups, is considering the feasibility of developing such guidelines.
Program information was provided by all thirty-nine community districts. Thirty-one indicated agreements are in place, while eight reported having no such agreements. The 31 community colleges with agreements report that, in the aggregate, they have partnerships with 9 Illinois public universities, 16 Illinois private institutions, 12 out-of-state institutions, and 4 online institutions.
In addition to the baccalaureate degree completion programs listed in this report, Illinois’ public universities offer a number of completion programs online and have numerous articulation agreements designed to facilitate transfer from community colleges within their respective regions. Or, as another example, Governors State University has developed educational centers in collaboration with community colleges in Naperville and Kankakee. While not based at community colleges, such centers provide completion opportunities for students in their regions.
Part I of this report provides a listing of baccalaureate completion agreements between community colleges and four-year institutions. Part II of the report supplies an inventory of existing baccalaureate degree completion programs. Part III examines needs articulated by community colleges for additional bachelor’s degree opportunities.
Part I – Baccalaureate Completion Partnerships
Table 1 shows agreements between individual Illinois public universities and community colleges, either for on-site or online baccalaureate completion programs.
Table 1
University
Community College
Chicago State University
Moraine Valley
Eastern Illinois University
Danville
Harper
Kaskaskia
Logan
1