<p>Our local CC is not a vo-tech. It has a creative writing program and a theater program. Many CC students take their gen ed requirements in English, science, math, social sciences, history, freshman comp etc. and transfer them to Rutgers or TCNJ. CCs are most certainly “real colleges,” even if they don’t award bachelor’s degrees.</p>
<p>There are many people who think that LACs aren’t “real colleges,” or that places without Greek and Latin aren’t “real colleges.”</p>
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<p>Depends on how highly sought after Mr. Scruffy Blazer is in academia. If he’s a gifted teacher or a pre-eminent researcher, he may command a higher salary. What he’s wearing and what he’s writing on are the least of it.</p>
<p>What I think makes more sense than unbundling is schools addressing themselves to niche pricing points. Schools like Sewanee (which has reduced its COA) and Elon (which has a lower overall COA) are tapping this market. Going the other way, some schools offer a variety of housing options ranging from more spartan triple rooms to luxurious suites with amenities. Commuting to a state university or community college is supposed to be the bare bones model. Texas is working to come up with a super-bare-bones model which drives price way way down.</p>
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<p>Community colleges are usually dual purpose schools offering both terminal vocational certificates and associates degrees as well as academic preparation for students to transfer as juniors into four year schools where they can complete their bachelor’s degrees.</p>
<p>While some may turn their noses at this route to a bachelor’s degree, there are some very brilliant students who started at community colleges, such as [this</a> student](<a href=“http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/at-just-14-ucla-math-student-moshe-229359.aspx]this”>Newsroom | UCLA).</p>
<p>Who would most benefit from unbundling? In my estimation it would be the wealthier full-pay students. Unbundling seems like a perfect excuse to lower the amount of finaid given to needy students. “You don’t need to join clubs or attend events, so we’ll just give you the basic academic + room and board package.”</p>
<p>And do we really want to create a tiered system where one’s ability to participate in campus life is based on one’s income? College should be a leveler, not a place where one’s financial status is highlighted.</p>
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<p>If a CC has genuine college-level courses in history, composition, calculus, chemistry etc., and not just remedial courses taught at the high school level or below, than it deserves to be called a real college.</p>
<p>I would not call CA community colleges “vo-tech.” A good percentage of UC grads are cc transfers.
[Your</a> University of California From community college to a UC degree](<a href=“http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/youruniversity/archive/2010/november/from-community-college-to-uc-degree.html]Your”>http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/youruniversity/archive/2010/november/from-community-college-to-uc-degree.html)</p>
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<p>Our local CC (ten minutes away) didn’t have a Calculus I course when our daughter was starting - it was a voc-tech CC. They have some academic courses now but they have schedules to accommodate evening students. This is why she goes to a CC that’s 40 minutes away in another state. There are differences in what CCs offer and they don’t provide a solution for every student that needs them for price or other reasons.</p>
<p>Oddly enough, my mom and I were discussing unbundling this morning. I see the potential benefits–for example, I don’t use my school’s gym, but because of the mandatory rec center charge on my bill, I couldn’t afford to go out and get a private gym membership (note here that I live 45 minutes from campus and there are plenty of gyms between my home and campus). Unbundling would be nice for me in that sense. </p>
<p>WRT community colleges, the CA CC system has elements of vocational school (I believe they have some vocational programs scattered throughout the system), but they’re really geared towards UC admissions. They have very specific articulation agreements with the UCs, and the transfer numbers are huge.</p>
<p>personally, I’d be in favor of unbundling the mandatory health clinic/center expense. :)</p>
<p>victoriaheidi-
The problem is that unbundling would make it necessary to raise the prices for each component. The cost to heat and clean the gym won’t go down if you choose to buy a membership at the local gym. What I see unbundling doing is making it possible for schools to see which activities students really value. If no one chooses to pay the fee for the weight room perhaps it’s time to shut it down. Unfortunately this would also sap some of the vitality of residential colleges. I think it would be much less of a problem at commuter colleges, as students at these schools usually make much greater use of existing outside resources and depend less on the college to provide cultural enrichment. </p>
<p>Again, what I hate is the idea of providing services only to those who can afford them. I’d rather have my kids choose a college that will be affordable overall than to get to school only to find that they have to make a choice between going to the football game with their friends or getting help on their first econ. paper.</p>
<p>Sue–I get it. It’s a catch-22. Unfortunately, overall, with the rising cost of college, I am afraid that we’ll face another recession in the next 25 years when the education bubble bursts. </p>
<p>I also agree with the idea that health services could be changed in some way to lower costs.</p>
<p>We do have “unbundled” colleges already. Consider, for example, the University of Phoenix. It’s entirely a la carte, you only pay for the courses you take, no frills, no extras–no student activity fees, no health service fees, no rec center, no extracurriculars, no sports teams, no housing services, no meal plans, nothing. If you want any of those things, you go out in the open market and pay for them. Extensive use of online learning, almost all the faculty are part-time adjuncts, no one has tenure, no distractions like research and faculty committees and such. Courses feature standardized, cookie-cutter content so the instructor doesn’t even need to put any thought into the syllabus.</p>
<p>Is it cheaper? I guess so. But I’m sure not having my kid go that route.</p>