4-year degrees from community colleges?

The state Legislature on Thursday sent a bill to the governor that would allow 15 California community college campuses to offer four-year degrees to meet local workforce needs.

The state Senate voted 32-0 to approve Assembly amendments made on the bill, which backers said would create more college graduates in the state and fill a critical need for educated workers.

The bill, authored by Sen. Marty Block, D-San Diego, originally was touted as a way to produce more graduates with bachelor’s degrees in nursing, but was amended in April to exclude degrees — such as nursing — already offered by state-funded colleges.

“California has a workforce skills gap,” Block said in a release. “By 2025, our state will need 1 million more adults with four-year degrees. We need to use all of California’s resources — including our community colleges— to close that gap.”

More than 20 states already allow community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees.

The bill enjoyed wide support but was opposed by the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges. An earlier version also was opposed by nursing groups.

Under the pilot program, the campuses could offer one degree under the program and begin offering the programs as soon as January. Officials said that programs may be offered in such areas as dental hygiene, radiologic technology, health information science/infomatics, and automotive technology.

Constance Carroll, chancellor of the San Diego Community College District, called the bill a “win-win proposition for our students, for employers and for the economy.”

Carroll served on the state’s baccalaureate study group and chaired a statewide coalition that pushed for the passage of Senate Bill 850.

“One of the top missions of the California community colleges is workforce education,” Carroll said in a statement. “In cases where businesses, health care organizations, and other industries now require a bachelor’s degree at their entry level, it is imperative that community colleges step forward to ensure the competitiveness of our students.”

Block, a former community college trustee, has repeatedly introduced legislation

to allow community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees without success. If the measure becomes law, he said it will be a “game changer for California’s higher education system and our workforce preparedness.”