In a Newsweek Web Exclusive, Kevin Carey describes how some community colleges have moved away from their “roots as low-cost, open-access institutions” and offer bachelor’s degrees. CCRC’s director, Thomas Bailey, is quoted in the article.

…Take Miami-Dade Community College in Florida, which educates more Latino students than any other college in America. A few years, ago it lost its "community" and became just Miami Dade College, grantor of four-year degrees on top of the traditional associate's degrees and certificate programs.

Others have made similar moves. The Community College of Southern Nevada erased "community" from its name in 2007. Northern New Mexico Community College and Bellevue Community College in Washington recently did the same. Only a few weeks after Obama's speech, community colleges in Michigan were pushing for state legislation that would give them the right to grant bachelor's degrees. "It's definitely becoming more common," says Tom Bailey, director of the Community College Research Center at Columbia University. "And it's definitely controversial. Some people say they're giving students more options, but others say it threatens the character of what community colleges are all about."

--Read the entire article at: http://www.newsweek.com/id/215469?from=rss (Registration may be required.)