State community colleges to make higher ed more accessible

The State Board of Education on Thursday voted to make attending community college more accessible to Alabamians, unanimously approving a new policy that requires the state’s two-year colleges to make at least a third of their scholarships need-based.

According to the Department of Postsecondary Education, the new policy would allow nearly 2,700 students who otherwise might not be able to afford it to attend college next year. The department estimates the new policy will impact about $5.3 million in scholarship funds.

“If a student meets the admission criteria for entry into one of our colleges we do not want financial hardship to be their barrier to higher education,” said E.J. Cooper, a spokesperson for the Department of Postsecondary Education. “We want to remain affordable and accessible to the individuals in our communities.”

Betty Peters, District 2 State School Board member, said she voted for the new policy because it will make the state’s community colleges more accessible to residents seeking to improve their lot in life. Peters also commended a recent initiative by the Wiregrass Foundation which virtually guarantees that all students graduating from a Dothan City or Houston County school will be able to attend Wallace College.

“That will be a real boost for right here,” she said.

Bradley Byrne, Alabama College System chancellor, said in a press release that the Department of Postsecondary Education is pushing a number of initiatives to make community college affordable for Alabama residents.

Alabama’s community and technical colleges have held their tuition rates steady for the past four years, and their rates are less than half that of the state’s public four-year universities. Because community college students can easily transfer to four-year universities in the state, many students take advantage of them to complete their core academic courses cheaply.

In another money-saving move, some community colleges around the state have also recently altered their class schedules to allow students and faculty to drive to campus fewer days of the week, thus saving them gas.

Byrne said the state’s community colleges offer its residents a practical, affordable way to obtain a higher education, and become more productive.

“We offer a roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-the-job-done approach to helping people meet their career goals through education and training focused on practical and near-term benefits,” he said.