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Community Colleges Raise Enrollment, Benefit Students

Aug. 24—Peter Kozak has wanted to be an engineer since high school.

After taking drafting classes and helping build a more fuel-efficient vehicle, the Illinois native moved to Tucson with the goal of graduating from the University of Arizona’s engineering college.

But rather then entering the UA right away, Kozak enrolled at Pima Community College to save money on tuition and get more attention in class.

Kozak, 21, isn’t a typical transfer student. He’s on a specialized path that has allowed him to work in research labs at both institutions while not having to worry whether the UA will take all his credits.

The UA-PCC partnership is a prime example of how higher education in Arizona is changing as the state’s three universities seek to expand their degree offerings into all regions of the state through better community college partnerships, increased online offerings and the construction of new four-year colleges.

Using faculty focused solely on teaching and sharing costs with community colleges, cities and towns, the UA, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University plan to offer degrees at several regional campuses that would be cheaper to both the student and the state, increasing access to populations that wouldn’t have attended college in the past.

The bold plans from university and state Board of Regents leaders could cost millions and come during difficult economic times. But officials say systemic change is essential if Arizonans want to attract higher-paying jobs, fatten tax coffers and keep the state’s best and brightest from leaving after graduation.

Community colleges are key to the plans. With ready-made facilities, advisers and faculty members, the institutions are the most cost-effective and efficient means to produce the extra 30,000 university students a year education leaders envision. Also, they get most of their funding from local taxes rather than from the state, so they’re not subject to the same legislative pressures and cost-cutting now plaguing Arizona universities.

Under the plan, students would attend community college for two years. Universities would hire faculty focused on teaching — as opposed to research — to teach the final two years.

Through a combination of factors, the universities believe they can offer students the same quality in popular degree programs, such as communications, business and education, that can be found on university campuses — but at a lower cost.

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