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Newspaper Says St. Petersburg College may be Model for Four-Year Programs at Other Florida Community Colleges

St. Petersburg, Fla. (PRWEB) April 7, 2008 -- The lead story in the March 31 issue of the St. Petersburg TIMES was about how St. Petersburg College may provide the model for new four-year educational institutions in the state of Florida.

The Florida Legislature is considering a plan that could allow more Florida community colleges to offer four-year degree programs. St. Petersburg College has been authorized to offer four-year degree programs since 2002, and was the first community college in the state to obtain that authorization from the legislature.

"Under a potentially sweeping plan gaining steam in the Legislature, more community colleges could start offering bachelor's degrees ...." the TIMES story said. "And if they do, they'll be using St. Petersburg College as the model."

The story, written by TIMES reporter Ron Matus, said that SPC had no four-year programs in 2001, but now offers 20, and has plans in the works for five more. About 2,700 students were enrolled in SPC's four-year programs for the Spring term.

Under the plan being considered by the legislature, Florida's 28 community colleges would be converted to "state colleges." While those institutions would continue the community college role of providing two-year degrees, many of them aimed at the needs of local workforces, they could also become hybrid schools that also offer four-year degrees in certain fields. The idea would be to provide graduates with four-year degrees in certain areas of significant need, such as teaching or nursing.

More students could get four-year degrees under the system without placing additional pressure on the state's existing state university system, the story said.

At present, almost half of SPC's bachelor's degrees are in teaching, but others include banking, dental hygiene, and orthotics and prosthetics.

"Every one of the programs is off the charts," SPC President Carl Kuttler Jr. told the newspaper. "It's been one of the most successful ventures in higher ed in America."

To see the St. Petersburg TIMES story, click on http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/college/article436787.ece. To learn more about the four-year programs at St. Petersburg College, click on http://www.spcollege.edu/bachelors/index.php.

ABOUT ST. PETERSBURG COLLEGE:

St. Petersburg College was founded in 1927 as a two-year institution of higher learning. Known then as St. Petersburg Junior College, it provided high-quality, fully-accredited programs with credits that were fully transferable to four-year institutions. In 2001, the Florida Legislature passed legislation allowing the college to offer four-year degrees. In response, the college dropped the word "junior" from its name and became St. Petersburg College. Today, St. Petersburg College offers programs at learning sites in St. Petersburg, Seminole, Clearwater, Tarpon Springs and elsewhere. It also offers courses and degree programs online.

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This press release has been reprinted from PRWEB per the terms and conditions of the copyright notice.

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