"While community college advocates argued the lower-cost degrees would benefit students in a state with vast rural expanses and education deserts, private universities countered that community colleges are stepping out of bounds and infringing on their territory. Greg Steinke, the president of the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, even went so far as to say the move could put some institutions out of business, telling lawmakers a few weeks ago that "without any question and without any doubt," if the bill passed, "some of our private colleges will close.""
"On Jan. 28, the Iowa House higher education committee amended the bill to impose some limits. Community college baccalaureate degrees would be introduced as a pilot program: Two-year institutions would be allowed to offer no more than three baccalaureate degrees, and only if they are at least 50 miles away from a university offering a similar option."
""We don't see this as an existential threat to any of [the universities], and that certainly isn't the goal," said Shields. "I really don't think there's evidence from other states to back up that fear.""
State lawmakers in Iowa introduced a bill to allow community colleges to offer four-year baccalaureate degrees, aiming to expand lower-cost options for students in rural areas and education deserts. Private universities pushed back, warning of competitive harm and potential institutional closures. The Iowa House higher education committee amended the proposal into a pilot program that would limit each two-year institution to no more than three baccalaureate degrees and require those programs to be at least 50 miles from a university offering a similar option. A feasibility report identified a clear need for more bachelor's options for place-bound and cost-concerned students.
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