Arizona House Passes Bill Allowing Community Colleges to Offer 4-year Degree Programs
By Kevin Murphy
On February 22, the Arizona House passed HB2523 by a vote of 57-3, which would allow community colleges to offer 4 year degrees. This is the first time ever that a bill advocating for four-year degrees being offered at community colleges has passed the Arizona House.
If passed in the State Senate, the bill would require community colleges interested in offering 4 year degrees to conduct multi-year studies funded by local tax revenues to determine if they would be eligible to hire the required faculty and sustain four-year programs.
While other state colleges have backed the bill going forward, Pima Community College has not advocated for or against it.
Libby Howell, the Executive Director/Media, Community, and Government Relations at Pima Community College, said that the...