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Indian River Community College's student government association has unanimously voted to endorse IRCC's proposal to offer workforce-oriented Baccalaureate degrees. Over 50 representatives of the IRCC Campus Coalition Government (CCG) adopted a plan to issue a Resolution of Support for IRCC's Bachelor's Degree programs to be presented to the IRCC District Board of Trustees at the October 24th Board of Trustees meeting. Representing students in both Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degree programs, as well as all four counties served by IRCC, the student leaders directed CCG Executive Board members to attend Tuesday's Board of Trustees meeting to emphasize CCG's strong support for IRCC's Baccalaureate proposal. The Resolution was presented to the Board by Rebekah Thompson, Campus Coalition Government President.

"Students should not have to put their hopes and dreams for a good career on hold because there aren't enough educational opportunities here. We're really happy that IRCC is doing something about it," said Thompson, a business major. "IRCC's Bachelor's degree programs will enable us to complete our education where we live and work and prepare us for better paying careers."

In separate action, the District Board of Trustees adopted its own Resolution emphasizing that IRCC's proposed Bachelors degree programs are a necessary extension of IRCC's mission to provide accessible, high-quality educational programs to meet existing and projected workforce needs.

"The provision of Bachelors degree programs by IRCC represents a natural and essential progression of the College's mission which will result in significant benefits to the Treasure Coast community," said Dr. Edwin R. Massey, IRCC President.

Responding to exceptionally strong student and business demand for locally based Bachelor's degree programs in workforce fields with critical employee shortages, IRCC has submitted a proposal to the State Board of Education to offer Bachelor's degree programs in the high-demand areas of education, nursing and applied science. In a recent needs assessment survey, more than 3,000 current students and IRCC graduates indicated that they would be "very interested" or "interested" in participating in Bachelors degree programs offered by IRCC. In addition, over 160 Treasure Coast employers expressed a desire to hire more Bachelors-degree employees, if they were available.

Currently, many area residents are unable to earn a four-year degree in their chosen fields due to the limited availability of Bachelors degree programs on the Treasure Coast. IRCC's four-county service district is the only region of its geographic size and population in the State without a major university's main campus.

IRCC students attended the Board of Trustees meeting to speak about their career plans and the issues they face due to the lack of Bachelors degree programs available on the Treasure Coast.

"I'm eager to become a biology teacher, but cope with a great deal of stress since I have to travel over 500 miles a week after work to attend Bachelor's level courses in Jupiter and Boca Raton," said Port St. Lucie resident Mark Evans, a 2006 IRCC graduate.

There are no Bachelor's degree programs available to prepare middle and high school science and math teachers within St. Lucie, Martin, Indian River or Okeechobee counties.

"Math and science education is vital to the region's evolution into a knowledge and research based economy, yet there's a critical shortage of qualified math and science teachers throughout our region, state and nation," added Dr. Massey, "It's extremely important that we prepare more highly qualified teachers to fill the number of job vacancies in this area. We need to open up the supply pipeline to meet this critical need."

Pending approval of the IRCC proposal by the State Board of Education, IRCC plans to introduce the math and science Baccalaureate programs as early as 2007-08.

Recent IRCC nursing graduate Larry Ortega will soon begin a new job as an RN at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and plans to continue his education for a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing.

"I feel that the continuity of the program, with the same teachers, really helps students succeed and IRCC has more scheduling options so you can get the courses you need," said Ortega, who will attend the IRCC Bachelor's Degree in Nursing program following state approval.

With over 200 annual nursing vacancies in area health care facilities, only 27 were filled last year by locally trained nurses with a four-year degree. Area hospital administrators support IRCC's proposal as a means to help them fill vacant positions with locally trained residents who are more likely to stay in the area and remain employed on a long-term basis, as opposed to nurses recruited from other parts of the country and world.

The over 400 students who earn career-oriented Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science degrees from IRCC each year have very limited options for local Bachelor's Degree studies, since most upper-division and "2 + 2" transfer programs are structured for students who have earned an Associate in Arts degree. To provide a streamlined Baccalaureate option for IRCC graduates with A.S. degrees, the College is proposing a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Organizational Management with specializations in business, public safety and health care management.

Danae Cordona, of Port St. Lucie, hopes to earn a Bachelor of Applied Science degree at IRCC in Health Care Management.

"The BAS in Health Care is perfect for me as a continuation of my studies in respiratory care and it will help me position myself for career advancement, which is very important for me and my child," said Cordona, who earned her Associate in Science degree in Respiratory Care in 2004 from IRCC and is now employed in home respiratory health care.

IRCC researched and assessed regional educational, economic and workforce factors to determine the types of Bachelor's degrees most needed.

"We will meet the same accreditation standards and quality assurance measures as the state university system," Dr. Massey noted. "IRCC is fully prepared to offer the Baccalaureate degree programs in a cost-effective manner without duplicating resources and by using existing facilities, technology and faculty at no added cost to the taxpayers."