A lesson from the once popular book “Who Moved My Cheese?” is to not totally resist or go nuts every time conditions change, but rather, to adapt wisely.
In the conversations around launching bachelor’s degree programs at Iowa community colleges, Iowa lawmakers and community college leaders are right about two things: Workforce needs matter and higher education needs to adapt.
Where the discussion goes wrong is the assumption that adding state supported bachelor’s degree programs at community colleges is the right (and most efficient) solution. At first glance, the idea might sound practical, but in reality, it risks creating unnecessary duplication, higher costs and internal competition that ultimately weakens Iowa’s higher education system. Iowa already has the institutions, faculty, degree programs, and positive working relationships it needs. The state’s educators and educational leaders need to continue to collaborate, not create redundant systems…