The Community College Baccalaureate: Putting the Pieces Together

Abstract

This article will address important puzzles about community colleges and their roles with baccalaureate delivery. To that purpose, the article is organized into five key sections. First, the rationale underlying the community college baccalaureate (CCB) and key policy issues will be described. Second, a glossary of terms will be offered to provide a foundation for research about baccalaureate degree programs and models involving community colleges. Third, a national summary of states where community colleges are authorized to confer baccalaureates will be discussed. Florida is home to the largest number of community colleges authorized to confer baccalaureates and will be discussed as an illustrative case of a bellwether movement. The fourth section will build on the first three and discuss issues and challenges for local and state leaders, policymakers, and practitioners to guide program development, future research, and policy exploration at the local, state and federal levels. Finally, our fifth section will offer our closing remarks and summarize briefly key predictions for the future in relation to the nation's CCB movement.