4-year degrees at community colleges can open doors

I left the house early on my first day at Glendale Community College, knowing my class was at 7:40 a.m. and I’d have to find it. My dad raised his coffee cup and wished me luck. I was the first person in my family to go to college.

The campus was bigger than my high school. No bells rang, calling us to class.

The students were of all ages. There was a smoking area. Anything seemed possible there. I found my class, Philosophy 101, on the opposite side of campus from where I’d parked. The professor had a scraggly beard and wore Birkenstocks.

I joined the student newspaper and met Gerri Fiedler, the adviser and my journalism professor. The newsroom was a classroom, noisy and messy with overstuffed filing cabinets and desktops littered with soda cans. It was where I found my people — smart, quirky and interested in what was happening in the world. We studied together, trading algebra solutions and quizzing each other for exams. I took a coding class.

I graduated in 1985 with an associate degree in journalism, and transferred to Arizona State University.

The campus was bigger but the classes were not any harder. I joined the State Press and found my people again.

Back then, annual tuition was less than $3,000. I worked part-time. Now my son’s at ASU, and annual base undergraduate tuition is $10,710, plus additional fees. For some families, it’s impossible.

This week, Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill allowing community college students to earn some bachelor’s degrees without transferring to a university.

Steven Gonzales, Maricopa Community College District interim chancellor, told The Republic’s Piper Hansen that four-year degrees likely will be offered in health care, information technology and education as early as fall 2023.

Community colleges can’t duplicate programs at state public universities, so it won’t work for every student. But annual tuition at the community colleges is $1,020. For some students, that could make anything seem possible.