As part of the 2012 SXSWedu conference, Texas A&M-University System Chancellor John Sharp led a panel of higher education experts and regulators from around the state, including the commissioner of higher education, Raymund Paredes, to discuss the challenge state university systems face in providing affordable education options for a diverse variety of students, according to a press release circulated by University spokeswoman Marilu Reyna.
The new degree plan is in response to Gov. Rick Perry’s challenge to the state’s top colleges to come up with a four-year degree program that costs no more than $10,000.
Dr. Carolyn Wilson Green, director of the center for information technology and cyber security, is one of the leading faculty developing the program at this University.
Green said the University’s goals are affordability and making the transfer process as streamlined as possible.
She also said the degree plan would eliminate the issue of students taking classes they don’t necessarily need.
The University initially met with Alamo Colleges personnel last semester to determine cost and how the pieces would fit together, Green said.
Green said this BA in information technology is “the only (degree) we’ve looked at that really does have all the pieces that make an ‘Affordable Degree.’”
“We will take a look with other BAs to see whether there’s some opportunities that would have a similar good fit,” she said.
She added that the University also has to see what the associate’s degree looks like on the Alamo Colleges’ side.
Sometimes, a program at the Alamo Colleges doesn’t match well with a program offered at this University, which makes it difficult for students to transfer, Green said.
Communications Specialist Jill Reddish said the “Affordable Degree” will also be offered across the A&M-University System including A&M-Commerce.
Green was unable to provide details of which degrees would be offered, but said more information would be offered at tomorrow’s press conference.
While local universities are acting strategically to create affordable degree programs, Perry’s challenge for Texas’s top colleges “to come up with a program that costs no more than $10,000 for four years” has stirred a national debate.
Although a $10,000 degree sounds economical for students in the face of skyrocketing costs in higher education, skeptics say it’s a goal “that cannot be achieved without sacrificing academic quality and prestige,” according to a story on washingtonpost.com.
In another discussion on washingtonpost.com, it states that, “The real flaw in Governor Perry’s plan is that it does not go quite far enough. We would argue that his focus should not be solely on offering affordable college degrees, but also on linking these degrees to real jobs.”
During Perry’s presidential campaign, during which he announced the “Affordable Degree” initiative, The New York Times invited academics across the country to weigh in.
Back at home, Green said the course content will be the same as what the University has been offering.
“We haven’t done anything that changes the quality or eliminates courses they would need to take,” she said.
Related stories:
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/09/05/rick-perrys-plan-10000-for-a-ba
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/09/05/rick-perrys-plan-10000-for-a-ba/perrys-college-plan-its-just-a-start
