Community colleges' role is examined

The future of Utah's community colleges is in the hands of representatives from each of the state's nine colleges and universities as well as the Utah System of Higher Education as they clarify the need for two-year education.

Salt Lake Community College, College of Eastern Utah and Snow College fulfill the responsibilities of community colleges, but each serves the community in a different way — as a comprehensive college, a regional, multicampus college and an educational destination, respectively. Other institutions in the state also serve an important role in two-year education, offering various associate degree programs and certificate training.

Utah Commissioner of Higher Education William A. Sederburg said he believes it is time to align the missions of the schools, keeping the best interests of a growing student population and the expanding training needs of statewide industries in focus.

"We need to clarify and publicize the basic functions of community colleges," he said. A continued economic slump has turned record numbers of workers back to school, producing an enrollment surge at all of the state's colleges. Community colleges satisfy education requirements for a niche population, and Sederburg said they shouldn't be seen as second-rate.

SLCC President Cynthia Bioteau chairs the task force and says it is imperative that the function of community colleges be clearly defined to preserve and protect access, which in turn determines funding and maintains the niches they serve. She said not all community colleges want to grow up to be universities.

Affordability, Sederburg said, is a big issue as students at SLCC pay nearly 130 percent of what students in other Western states pay to attend a community college. He foresees a future imposition of a local sales or property tax to help the state finance an increasingly popular two-year education option.

"We've got to start the conversation in the state so the public has a clear understanding of the important role a community college carries," he said. "It sets the stage for these two-year programs that are important at all of our schools."

Starting July 1, SLCC will assume the duties of administering career and technical education for Salt Lake County, previously the responsibility of the Utah College of Applied Technology, which will continue to serve other regions of the state, offering noncredit technical education. Sederburg said he hopes the task force, which will meet three more times this year and may continue to monitor progress after that, encourages colleges and universities that offer similar training for credit to maintain their commitment to students and the communities they serve.

In addition to defining the role, function and future of community colleges in the state, other issues the task force will address include identifying performance measures, eliminating misconceptions and promoting the value of two-year education.

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