In the News

Daily Herald, April 27, 2007

Despite strong opposition from four-year universities in the state, a bill that would allow Harper College in Palatine to offer select four-year degrees has advanced.

The House voted 69-48 Thursday in favor of the pilot program after nearly a 40-minute debate on the issue.

“When I took this, I knew it would be a hard fight,” said Fred Crespo, the Hoffman Estates Democrat who sponsored the bill. “I had some strong support from key members in the House who believed in this whole concept.”

Harper College’s board of trustees approved the idea of going after four-year degree programs in 2002. Since then, they’ve been lobbying the legislature to change a state law which bans community colleges from offering bachelor degrees.

If approved by the Senate, Harper would offer four-year degrees in two areas — public safety administration/homeland security and technology management.

These degrees would be on a pilot basis and the legislation would “sunset” after four years, meaning that another vote will be needed for the program to continue.

Earlier this year, the bill passed out of the House Local Government Committee.

Harper’s idea has been a subject of much debate. Many lawmakers said they believe Harper would be diverted from its primary mission — being a two-year, community college.

Opponents also say a community college should stick with creating partnerships where universities and two-year schools work together.

“If you want to destroy the community colleges, this is the first step in their destruction,” state Rep. Ron Stephens, a Troy Republican, said Thursday.

Likewise, the lawmaker representing the Northern Illinois University area, Rep. Robert Pritchard, a Hinckley Republican, said it’s been difficult for NIU to work with Harper since they only have a vision of offering four-year degrees.

The concept is now allowed in 12 other states.

“This is going to happen in Illinois. It may not happen in my lifetime, but this will happen,” said Rep. Bill Black, a Danville Republican.

He stressed that no community college wants to get in the business of awarding bachelor degrees, but that times are changing and people need more technical training for jobs.

Opposition has also cropped up from public and private four-year schools that say Harper has no business offering such degrees.

At the University of Illinois, for example, officials said the state already has a good system for higher education — one that is collaborative with four-year universities and community colleges, said Tom Hardy, the executive director for university relations at the school.

“Given that, our view is that the worst thing we could do to that system is make piecemeal, ad hoc situations to suit one ambition,” said Hardy. “Before you upset the apple cart to suit one particular agenda, you need to know what the situation is for the entire education system.”

A similar view is echoed at Southern Illinois University, where officials there said allowing Harper to offer these degrees is a huge policy shift and should be considered more thoroughly.

“This comes at a financially difficult time,” said spokesman Dave Gross. “There is reduced funding from the state when it comes to higher education.”

He added that since the bill has received so much support, it’s a wake-up call to universities that they need to do more partnering with community colleges.

“We want to be on community college campuses fulfilling that role,” said Gross. “There are already hundreds of agreements with community colleges.”

Proponents of the bill said not all Illinois students who are interested in the disciplines Harper would offer can afford or have access to a four-year college. As well, they argue that if a four-year school wants to come onto Harper's campus and offer these programs, they can do that instead.

The bill will come at no cost to taxpayers, officials said. Programs will be completely funded through tuition and corporate donations.

Crespo said he focused on getting the plan passed by the House and not yet begun to work the Senate for support.

“That’s my next step,” he said. “I hate to lose.”

State Sen. Susan Garrett, a Lake Forest Democrat, has previously said she plans to sponsor this proposal once it gets to the Senate, even though she knows it’s a tough sell.