Out-of-state community colleges offer IU degree

Community college students in Illinois, Arizona and California can receive degrees in general studies through a program from the IU School of Continuing Studies. \nThis program, called 3+1, requires students to take three years of courses through select community colleges and then finish their final year through IU online courses, Daniel Callison, dean of the School of Continuing Studies, said in an e-mail interview. \nCallison said 29 community colleges in Illinois, Arizona and California participate in the program, first initiated in 2004.\nTo make it more affordable, the out-of-state students pay the same tuition as in-state students, he said.\n“Our eight IU campuses meet the needs of thousands of adult learners who must also deal with full-time or part-time employment, families, travel, military service and other situations that make attending a campus full-time impossible,” Callison said. \nIndiana community colleges are also able to participate in the 3+1 program while giving their students the other option of participating in the 2+2 program, said Jeff Fanter, executive director for marketing and communications at Ivy Tech Community College.\n“In addition to transfer agreements in the general-studies field, which is was what the 3+1 program offers,” he said, “we also offer 2+2 transfer agreements in over 30 career-focused fields such as nursing, criminal justice, elementary education, biology and computer graphics, to name a few.”\nSimilar to 3+1, 2+2 consists of two years of study at a community college followed by two years of online study.\n“These 2+2 programs prove to be very valuable for (Indiana) students and are a key component in our efforts to continue to provide educational opportunities that result in good-paying jobs in Indiana,” Fanter said.\nSince out-of-state students mostly do the 3+1 program, advisors counsel the students over the phone or by e-mail, Callison said. “When possible, the director of the systemwide general studies program visits the community college campuses for personal advising.”\nTo complete the program, it is necessary for students to take courses higher up than the traditional vocational courses usually associated with community colleges, Callison said.\nThis program keeps IU “on the competitive and cutting edge in delivery of distance education options,” Callison said.\nFor now, these goals will have to wait until the program shows actual results.\nCallison said there has not been a graduate from the 3+1 program yet, because the degree requirements are demanding and because it is difficult for students working jobs to fit courses into their schedules.\nSome IU students do not think opening IU to community-college students is a good idea.\n“Taking online classes is not the same as going to a university,” senior Sam Fennig said.\nThe out-of-state students in the 3+1 program don’t have much affiliation with the main university, he said.\n“It seems too easy to get an IU degree,” junior Ryan Taylor said.\nOther IU students said they don’t see any problem with opening up IU to out-of-state community-college students. \n“If (students) only want a general-studies degree, I don’t see the harm in it,” freshman Shane Atherton said.\nStudents seeking more advanced degrees should have to come to IU, he said.\n“The 3+1 program gives students a chance to get a degree from a well-known school,” said sophomore Brittany Lambertus, “but it doesn’t affect me.”