The writer in the article makes good points. But... I worry that the idea that every CC should offer BAs (or BS's which might be more appropriate in their applied subjects) would just feed into degree-inflation and contribute to the increasingly widespread opinion out there that if somebody doesn't have a university degree, then he or she is nothing and nobody. ("Uneducated" and "ignorant". "Lower class" in our brave new class-system.) There are lots of useful job skills that don't require four years of higher education to learn. If CC's all offer bachelors degrees, we will probably see the bachelors degrees elbowing aside the associates degree and certificate programs, that might be more useful to students and less costly to taxpayers, even if the result isn't as prestigious in conventional elitist terms. Instead of introducing lots of unnecessary bachelors programs, community colleges should be trying to publicize some of the cooler and more unusual associates and certificate programs that they offer. Talk them up, make people aware of them. For example... http://zoo.moorparkcollege.edu/ The whole idea that universal higher education will produce better citizens or even a population of intellectuals is flawed out of the gate. Society (whatever that is) isn't going to create a culture of intellectuals by tacking a few more general ed classes onto what are essentially a vocational bachelors degrees. (Classes that most students regard as speed-bumps between them and graduation.) Being smart and becoming an intellectual comes from within, it's a matter of fundamental curiosity. If an individual has that, then he or she can feed it by independent study and if a credential is desired, DL might be a good solution.
I'm sure you can see holes in this argument yourself. No one talks about mandatory BAs and, btw, more years of school does tend to produce better citizens, on average. Also, sorry, but becoming an intellectual requires much more than fundamental curiosity; one must also expend significant resources in money, sweat, deferred income, deferred leisure etc. Lowering these barriers is at least on its face a worthy goal. I agree that having a lot of letters (any letters) doesn't nearly necessarily means you're an intellectual. But there's a correlation.
It is great Community Colleges start offering Bachelor degree level; however, I afraid they start increasing tuition exponentially. If that is the case, its does not do any good for those college students who trying to save money for the first two years.
