Community colleges would be allowed to offer four-year bachelors of science nursing degrees, under legislation a Senate committee began taking testimony Sept. 15.

Sen. Aric Nesbitt’s (R-Lawton) SB 1055 would re-open legislation passed in 2012 that first allowed limited baccalaureate offerings by community colleges.

“This was a policy that I was supportive of before I even came to the House,” Nesbitt said. “A simple change to the statute that will have far-reaching impact across our state. Adding the BSN to community colleges will increase the geographic access to this degree.”

Nesbitt said that the original legislation expanding baccalaureate offerings was introduced by then-Rep. John Walsh. That legislation, which covered some technical fields including maritime and cement management among others, had originally included the offering of BSN degrees by two-year community colleges.

“The House passed it fairly solidly on a bipartisan vote,” Nesbitt said. “In the Senate, the BSN was stripped out of it. What was signed into law was the compromise.”

The legislation brought out support from community colleges, particularly rural community colleges, as well as rural health care facilities. Opposing the expansion were the state’s public universities and independent universities.

Dr. Trevor Kubatzke, president of Lake Michigan College, testified that his community is rural enough that he cannot get a four-year university to partner with for the BSN program and offer teaching on-site. On top of that, his community lacks sufficient internet access to allow students to study remotely.

Kubatzke also argued that his institution has the basic infrastructure in place, including instructors, to offer instruction.

On the opposite side, Dan Hurley, of the Michigan Association of State Universities, said opening the four-year degree lane for community colleges would not increase access to the programming but would run up costs.

“We believe that they would be duplicative for students and taxpayers,” Hurley said. “It would represent a significant legislatively directed expansion of institutional mission-creep.”

The Michigan Association of Independent Colleges and Universities testified that the language of the state’s constitution clearly requires that institutions that offer four-year baccalaureate degrees have to have an eight-member, statewide board.

Their opinion was presented by Peter Ruddell, of the law firm Honigman.

Ruddell argued that the framers of the state’s constitutions created a three-part education system. Each part has its own unique missions. Those parts, he added were K-12, junior and community colleges, and four-year universities.

“I understand that legislation has been adopted in the past on this issue and hasn’t been challenged,” Ruddell said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that the actions of those boards are constitutionally just or couldn’t be challenged in the future.”

Robert LeFevre, president of the MAICU took it a bit further and all but promised if the Nesbitt legislation passed, there would be a legal challenge on the grounds outlined by Ruddell.

“If this does pass, we will challenge,” LeFevre said.

When pressed why the constitutional argument is coming up now, LeFevre said they made the same arguments when the first package passed. But they were reassured by sponsors of that package that “they weren’t coming back.”

“We left it alone, but then last session, they wanted more than nursing, they wanted allied health, that wanted information technology, which is about 100 different degrees. They are driving toward full four-year.”

Dr. Daniel Phelan, argued that his institution, Jackson College, has a legal opinion that says it’s well within the scope and authority of the panel to decide to add.

“There are questions about constitutionality every day,” he said, adding he’d be happy to have those discussions at some point, but the focus should be on making education accessible.

“These students don’t have what we have, they don’t have two or three cars in the driveway,” he added. “I wish the discussion before us was about serving our students. They want these jobs because they pay between $50,000 and $70,000.”

This story courtesy of MIRS, a Lansing-based news and information service.