Two New Bachelors in Education Degrees Approved by State Board For OWC
02/20/2007
TALLAHASSEE,FL -- The Florida Board of Education approved two new bachelors' degrees in teacher education for Okaloosa-Walton College at its February 20 meeting in Tallahassee. OWC proposals for the Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and the Bachelor of Science in Middle Grades Math and Science Education were both approved. The new OWC degrees will also offer the opportunity for endorsements in reading and English as a Second Language instruction.
"We are simply elated that we'll be able to expand our baccalaureate offerings to help meet the regional and statewide need for more teachers," said Dr. Bob Richburg, OWC President, in a statement phoned from the state capital shortly after the OWC proposals were approved. Richburg noted that OWC's proposals were among those from five other Florida community colleges that were each seeking additional bachelor's degree authority from the state.
"Of the 13 bachelor's proposals up for approval from the 5 colleges, 9 proposals were for education degrees. All 13 of the proposals were granted approval. This speaks volumes about how state community colleges that hold bachelor's degree accreditation are stepping up to the plate to meet critical workforce needs for Florida," said Richburg.
State officials estimate that 20,000 new teachers will be needed in Florida each year for the next 10 to 15 years. The state's universities and independent institutions produce about 6,000 education degree graduates each year.
With state approval now in hand to move forward, OWC will finalize curriculum and staffing requirements necessary to offer the two new bachelors' degrees in education and plans to begin the programs in the Fall 2008 semester.
OWC was accredited as a bachelor's degree granting institution in 2004. Since then, the college has admitted more than 500 students into its bachelor's degree program in management and to a joint program with the University of West Florida for the bachelor's in nursing. To date, 54 OWC students have graduated with a bachelor's degree through the two programs and 42 more are slated to graduate in May.
"We've learned from OWC's resounding success with our two current baccalaureate programs that the demand may be greater than we anticipate," said Dr. Jill White, OWC Senior Vice President for Instruction. "Our proposal calls for 50 students in the first class, but we need to put a program in place that can meet an even greater demand." White noted that initial projections for the college's Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Projects and Acquisitions Management called for far fewer than the nearly 500 students who have been admitted to the BAS program to date.
White noted that while authority for Florida community colleges to offer bachelor's degrees has been established in Florida statute since 2001, a recent agreement* signed January 10 by the State Board of Education and the State University System's Board of Governors was seen by many as helping pave the way for the large number of additional bachelors' programs that were approved at Tuesdays State Board of Education meeting. (*ATTACHED BELOW)
Through the recently signed agreement, the boards that govern universities and community colleges agreed that the state's community colleges should be authorized to offer four-year degrees in the fields of nursing, teaching and applied sciences without opposition from the university system. The two boards also agreed to ask the Legislature to modify state law to further define and clarify the role of community colleges to offer four-year degrees in the three fields.
"Florida's university system will always remain as the primary way for students to earn a bachelor's degree," Community College Chancellor David Armstrong said in a statement* issued January 18. "But in the case of professions where our state has the greatest need - nursing, teaching and applied sciences - Florida's community college system provides a viable and accessible option." (*SEE FULL STATEMENT BELOW)
Seven of Florida's 28 community colleges have baccalaureate degree authority and currently offer four-year degrees: Chipola, Daytona Beach, Edison, Miami-Dade, Okaloosa-Walton, St. Petersburg, and Florida Community College at Jacksonville. Of these, three colleges, St. Petersburg, Miami-Dade and Chipola already offer various bachelors in education degrees.
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
1. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION Agenda (source: www.fldoe.org )
Action Item
February 20, 2007
SUBJECT: Approval of Community College Baccalaureate Proposals
BOARD ACTION
Approval of the following community college baccalaureate proposals:
Chipola College:
Bachelor of Applied Science in General Business Management
Edison College:
Bachelor of Science in Secondary Math Education
Bachelor of Science in Secondary Biology Education
Miami Dade College:
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Okaloosa-Walton College:
Bachelor of Science in Elementary Teacher Education
Bachelor of Science in Middle Grades Math/Science
Indian River Community College:
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Bachelor of Science in Secondary Biology
Bachelor of Science in Middle Grades Science
Bachelor of Science in Secondary Mathematics
Bachelor of Science in Middle Grades Mathematics
Bachelor of Science in Exceptional Student Education w/ESOL
Endorsement
Bachelor of Applied Science in Organizational Management
AUTHORITY FOR STATE BOARD ACTION
Section 1007.33, Florida Statutes. Section 1007.33, Florida Statutes provides authority for site-determined baccalaureate degree access. Proposals from five community colleges were submitted in summer, 2006. An extensive internal and external review process was conducted for each proposal. Recommendations were provided to the institutions as a result of the reviews, and the colleges revised the proposals, as appropriate, based on the recommendations. Supporting Documentation Included: Introduction and Overview of Process, Proposals from Community Colleges, and Section 1007.33, Florida Statutes. (Appendices for individual proposals may be obtained under separate cover.) Facilitators/Presenters: Judith Bilsky, Executive Vice Chancellor, Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Education and Representatives from Chipola College, Edison College, Indian River Community College, Miami Dade College, and Okaloosa-Walton College;
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2. BACKGROUND
Portions of FL statute 1007.33 which authorize community college baccalaureate degrees:
(1) The Legislature recognizes that public and private postsecondary education institutions play essential roles in improving the quality of life and economic well-being of the state and its residents. The Legislature also recognizes that economic development needs and the educational needs of place-bound, nontraditional students have increased the demand for local access to baccalaureate degree programs .... It is therefore the intent of the Legislature to further expand access to baccalaureate degree programs through the use of community colleges.
(2) A community college may be authorized by the Florida Board of Education to offer a limited number of baccalaureate degrees designed to meet local workforce needs through one of the following processes: ...
(b) A community college may develop a proposal to deliver specified baccalaureate degree programs in its district. The proposal must be submitted to the Florida Board of Education for approval. The community college's proposal must include the following information:
1. Demand for the baccalaureate degree program is identified by the workforce development board, local businesses and industry, local chambers of commerce, and potential students.
2. Unmet need for graduates of the proposed degree program is substantiated.
3. The community college has the facilities and academic resources to deliver the program.
Upon approval of the Florida Board of Education for the specific degree program or programs, the community college shall pursue regional accreditation by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Any additional baccalaureate degree programs the community college wishes to offer must be approved by the Florida Board of Education.
A community college may not terminate its associate in arts or associate in science degree programs as a result of the authorization provided in subsection (2). The Legislature intends that the primary mission of a community college, including a community college that offers baccalaureate degree programs, continue to be the provision of associate degrees that provide access to a university.
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3. BACKGROUND:
JANUARY 18, 2007
Full Statement By: COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND WORKFORCE EDUCATION CHANCELLOR DAVID ARMSTRONG
Regarding Florida State Board of Education and Board of Governors Agreement on Four-Year Degrees
"Today the State Board of Education and the Board of Governors took an important step to ensuring Florida students have access to achieve their postsecondary goals. Florida's university system will always remain as the primary way for students to earn a bachelor's degree working hand-in-hand with our nationally recognized 2+2 articulation system.
But in the case of professions where our state has the greatest need - nursing, teaching and applied sciences - Florida's community college system provides a viable and accessible option for students seeking four-year degrees in these disciplines.
Florida's community college system is one of the best in the nation. It serves the unique needs of the state's diverse population by providing alternative educational opportunities for students. In conjunction with the settlement between the State Board of Education and the Board of Governors last week concurring that the State Board of Education has jurisdiction over community colleges, this move to ask the Florida Legislature to modify state laws will expand access for students.
I want to thank State Board of Education Vice Chair Philip Handy and Board of Governors Chair Carolyn Roberts for their leadership and commitment to Florida's students. We look forward to the Florida Legislature clarifying the role our community college system plays in helping the state meet its workforce needs."
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4. BACKGROUND
January 10, 2007
State Board of Community Colleges and
State University System Board of Governors
AGREEMENT (Full Text)
Florida continues to rank near last in bachelor's degree production, and is experiencing significant shortages in teacher education, nursing, and applied sciences critical to the workforce viability and economic development of the state.
Florida's 2+2 system is a nationally recognized system of articulation, providing a majority of students with access to higher education that begins in one of 28 state community colleges and culminates with articulation/transfer into one of 11 state universities to earn a bachelor's degree. The State Board of Education and the Board of Governors pledge to continue to support this as the primary route of higher education access for a full range of bachelor's degree programs. Joint and concurrent use programs, offering university programs on community college campuses, have increased by 102% since 2000-2001, and are a growing and important collaborative/partnership approach to providing more access geographically with existing resources.
Additionally, as a way to target more regional access to non-traditional students and to target local high demand workforce needs, community colleges are increasing their role as authorized by the Florida Legislature by seeking approval to offer limited numbers of bachelor's degrees.
The Board of Governors and the State Board of Education agree that Florida's community colleges are positioned and capable of helping to meet a portion of this unmet need in a quality, cost-effective way, both through 2+2 partnerships and by granting baccalaureate degrees. The boards further agree that community colleges should focus on bachelor's degrees limited to teaching, nursing, and Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) workforce-oriented degrees in high-need/high-demand majors. The 2+2 and partnership approaches should continue to be supported as the priority routes for most students seeking other degrees.
Given the existing statutory authority to provide these degrees, the compelling need, the increasing partnerships, the unique needs of the community college student population, and the highly-focused scope of this initiative, there is common ground for cross-sector recognition of a shared approach to expanding baccalaureate access in Florida. Florida universities will still need to address additional access needs for growing numbers of traditional students graduating from Florida's high schools, even as community colleges provide additional access opportunities.
Therefore, the State Board of Education and the Board of Governors agree that, pursuant to section 1007.33, Florida Statutes, the State Board of Education should continue to support baccalaureate degrees at community colleges limited to the areas of teaching, nursing, and applied sciences.
The Bachelor of Applied Science degree is a workforce baccalaureate designed primarily for Associate in Science degree holders desiring career advancement and/or advance technical training.
Further, the two boards agree to seek modifications to section 1007.33 that are in accord with this Agreement to further define and clarify the role of community colleges in expanding access to the baccalaureate degree in these fields to more students in these high need areas.
This Agreement shall be conditioned upon the dismissal by Plaintiffs of their claim directed to the alleged unconstitutionality of section 1007.33 in the current legal action in Floridians for Constitutional Integrity, Inc., et al. v. State Board of Education and Board of Governors, Case No. 04-CA-3040, pending before the Circuit Court of the Second Judicial Circuit in and for Leon County, Florida by Thursday, January 11, 1007.
DATED this 10 day of January , 2007.
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5. BACKGROUND
OWC BACHELOR'S TIMELINE:
December 2002 - OWCC first submitted proposals to the Florida Board of Education for the college to offer two separate bachelor's degrees - Project and Acquisitions Management and Nursing
April 2003 - OWCC receives approval from the State Board of Education to develop its own bachelor's degree program, in Projects and Acquisitions Management, and to develop a joint degree program with the University of West Florida for an Okaloosa County based bachelor's degree in Nursing with OWCC authorized to offer upper division courses in nursing.
April 2003 to September 2003 - OWCC develops a Substantive Change proposal for submission to the Commission of Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the accreditation board for OWCC. The college was required to have a substantive change in its regional accreditation with SACS in order to issue accredited bachelor's degrees.
December 2003 - SACS votes to approve change in OWCC accreditation status and grants the college Level Two status as a baccalaureate degree granting institution
May 2004 - College name change approval in FL Legislature to Okaloosa-Walton College
July 1, 2004 - College name officially changes from Okaloosa-Walton Community College to Okaloosa-Walton College.
Fall Term 2004 - OWC beings bachelor's degree programs
December 2005 - OWC graduates first class of bachelor's degree students
August 2006 - OWC submits proposals to state for two Bachelor of Science in Education degrees