Community colleges weigh expanding degree offerings

Community colleges across 24 states offer students the option of earning a four-year degree, and Iowa is now exploring that option as well. 

Representative Taylor Collins, District 95, has asked the Community Colleges of Iowa, an organization that includes all 15 community colleges in the state, to research the possibility of offering four-year degrees. 

According to Kirkwood Community College President Kristie Fisher, the study is still in its early stages.  

“It was not something we expected,” said Fisher. “So, when Representative Collins brought it to us, we kind of had to go ‘Oh, we haven’t thought about that,’ so we’re really starting at that ground level.” 

Fisher said the largest concern she sees with the possibility of adding four-year degrees is potentially harming the relationship between Iowa’s community colleges and its larger universities. 

Fisher added the organization is committed to having the study completed and a report filed to the Iowa House of Representatives in October. 

The findings of the study will be available to the public once it is submitted to the state.

One purpose of potentially expanding community colleges is to address unmet workforce needs while also cutting costs. However, Fisher stated Kirkwood already fills workforce needs that are unmet by four-year colleges by adding programs or training courses based on what is needed.  

As of December 2023, 187 community colleges in the United States offer four-year degrees, according to Diverse Education. That’s around one fifth of all community colleges. Delaware, Florida, and Nevada are the only states where every community college offers bachelor’s degrees. 

Cameron Chaffee, computer science, expressed support for the idea, “I think it’s a great idea. Kirkwood is already a really affordable option for people who can’t really get to higher education because of the paywall. Allowing people to attain bachelor’s degrees through Kirkwood could be a great way for people to achieve their careers and dreams without having to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars and be buried in student debt for the rest of their lives.”