Pennsylvania Board Suggests Creating a 'No Frills' 4-Year College

January 22, 2009
Pennsylvania Board Suggests Creating a 'No Frills' 4-Year College
In an attempt to help lower the cost of earning a bachelor’s degree, Pennsylvania’s State Board of Education has proposed creating a new type of four-year college: a “no frills” institution that would offer an accelerated academic program without extras like athletics programs, fancy gyms, and plush dormitories, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The board approved the proposal and will pass its recommendation along to the state’s General Assembly for further consideration.

“This is really just an idea,” Jim Buckheit, the board’s executive director, was quoted as saying in the Inquirer. “What form it takes hasn’t been decided.”

The recommendation comes after the board released a report in November that found that Pennsylvania ranked as the sixth-most-expensive state in which to earn a college degree. The state’s students also graduate with high levels of debt, an average of $19,047, the report said.

Other states, including Florida and Washington, have sought to tackle similar problems by allowing their community colleges to grant some four-year degrees. —Megan Eckstein

http://chronicle.com/news/article/5841/pennsylvania-board-suggests-creating-a-no-frills-4-year-college

It would be interesting to see if they go with a big three approach and/or offer distance learning.

 

This is no shock. I started my higher education journey at Bloomsburg University. The current undergraduate tuition rate for a three credit class is $669 plus fees. Compare that to one of the local schools near my current location - the University of Central Oklahoma. The current undergraduate tuition rate for a three credit class is $422.25 (including fees). Over the course of the standard 120 credit baccalaureate program, that is nearly a $10000 difference.

What added benefit does a student get for that additional sum of money (not to mention the additional amount that the Bloomsburg student will pay in fees)? Floods and lots of snow instead of tornado warnings and ice storms?

I think PA needs do a gut check on why the state funded schools are so expensive.