The ripples felt by President Barack Obama’s proposal to provide two years of education at American community colleges can be felt at Green River.
“It’s kind of exciting. We’re waiting to hear more details about it,” said Allison Friedly, Green River College communications director.
Friedly said the college is still waiting to see what could happen if it receives the grant money.
The influx of students would require another upgrade to facilities and services.
“That hasn’t been a discussion yet,” Friedly said. “We’re still waiting to see what’s going to happen. It wouldn’t be implemented immediately.”
The Obama administration expects the program to cost $60 billion over the next 10 years. By comparison, the U.S. government has spent more than $84 billion on the F-35 fighter program and failed to produce a workable prototype in 14 years.
The goal of the community college program is to provide high school graduates with an affordable, practical option for continuing their education. The program has been lauded and attacked by progressive liberals and fiscal conservatives for the ramifications it will have on the administration’s $18 trillion budget.
“It would provide so much more upward mobility,” Friedly said. “In terms of economic prosperity, the more people we have in the workforce the better we are as a society.”
Putting high school graduates in positions where they can find skills-based employment dovetails with the Washington State Board of Technical and Community Colleges’ goal to increase the number of Bachelors of Applied Science (BAS) four-year degrees at its multiple community colleges.
BAS programs provide hard-skill certifications but also give students a background in other skills that will make them more attractive for career advancement.
“We’re looking at a lot of careers that require technical-based education,” Friedly said, “so we’re also providing the soft skills so that workers are joining the workforce with the ability to deal with customers and write proposals and serve in a much greater capacity.”
BAS programs, Friedly said, will help close a gap between four-year college graduates and high school graduates.
“The community and technical colleges are able to offer a pipeline into those careers,” Friedly said. “If they’re just seeking a high school diploma, that’s not going to benefit you as much.”
The SBCTC recently heard proposals for seven different BAS degrees at colleges, ranging from Bellingham to Olympia to Yakima. Green River has its eyes set on several more programs to add to its list.
In addition to the marketing and computer science BAS programs, the school is on track to launch a BAS in natural resources in the fall. The college might add a four-year bachelors of science in nursing after the Washington State Nursing Board contacted Green River to request it add the program.
Friedly is optimistic about adding the programs and feels that there is a strong student interest in community college degrees.
“The demand is definitely there when we have those giant waiting lists at other colleges,” she said.
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