State budgets of the past and present, the culture of online activity and the ever-increasing costs of a college education are some of the factors driving toward a future where life after high school looks very different.
By and large, Californians have become accustomed to a path that goes like this: high school graduation, attending a four-year university, or community college first and two years at university next, and last, graduation.
But it hasn’t been that simple for some years, made increasingly complicated and difficult for a variety of reasons, the most serious of which are increasing tuition costs that hit families and debt-riddled students hard.
Compounded by dwindling courses because of colleges’ financial woes, the traditional path to a college education has been running off course for a while now.
All of these factors under consideration, it looks like Gov. Jerry Brown has support at both the California State University and University of California levels to make some headway into this arena through online education where costs are controlled, if not hopefully capped.
Hot on the heels of the news that San Jose State University is teaming with an online start-up to provide entry-level courses for credit online, Brown met with University of California regents last week and heard its chancellor talk about unveiling a plan to develop more online courses aimed at the high-enrollment and introductory courses.
This is the start of the changing face of California university education, and it couldn’t come at a better time for the families and pocketbooks of those families in the state.
Imperial County is more than a microcosm of this situation; we’re the far end of the spectrum showing how Brown’s educational plan fully realized could seriously help both new and returning college students finish their education.
Many of our local students are left bound to the Valley by limited finances and limited course offerings. Online classes are either too expensive or leave our local students nursing student loans on par with those incurred at private universities.
A UC- and CSU-based system of fee structure that would at least allow students to get their prerequisites out the way before heading off to a final two years on campus would be a spectacular thing for the Valley, as what we have locally now is not a one-size-fits-all matriculation.
Eventually, we hope a program is put in place where returning students, older individuals fully in the workforce and caring for families, are allowed an opportunity to earn a reasonably priced education that doesn’t require time away from their families at night.
Brown is headed in the right direction with these ideas. Just as K-12 education needs attention in this state, community college and universities cannot go unnoticed. We’re happy to see this.
THE ISSUE:
Brown looking into online-centric education.
WE SAY:
Finances and convenience create a favorable environment for this.
WHAT DO YOU SAY?
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