LTCC on dual course to offer 4-year degrees
By Kathryn Reed
Lake Tahoe Community College is on a path that would allow students to obtain a four-year degree two ways.
One is through allowing universities to offer their programs on the South Lake Tahoe campus, the other is by being selected as one of the 15 community colleges in California to be part of a pilot program offering baccalaureate degrees.
“We really want to bring programs to Tahoe that will benefit Tahoe,” LTCC President Kindred Murillo told Lake Tahoe News. “We would love to have UC Davis on campus. I think it would be a good partnership with (Tahoe Environmental Research Center) on the North Shore (at Sierra Nevada College).”
Through Measure F, the $55 million facilities bond that voters approved last month, one line item was for a university center. There is $825,000 in the bond to renovate a section of campus to allow for a CSU, UC or UNR to have a presence at LTCC.
The state will not pay for a university center.
But the ideal situation would be to have a standalone building that the higher education institutions could use for classrooms, registration and counseling.
Lisa Maloff is allowing this to occur with her $5 million gift to LTCC. She is the widow of Bob Maloff, who at one time owned what was the Timber Cove Lodge. They both have been and continue to be, through this donation, supporters of the college. This is the single largest donation the college has ever received.
Maloff was not available for comment.
“She doesn’t want a lot of recognition. She is very humble about this. She wants to do something for the college and the community,” Murillo said.
A university center is a location on a community college campus occupied by staff from four-year colleges who offer their programs locally. It gives them their own identity.
“They are not part of us,” Murillo explained. That means LTCC staff does not register students for those classes, nor offer counseling or anything else. The universities are essentially renting space from LTCC.
Depending on how many institutions are interested and when classes would be offered, the center could handle three to four colleges.
“One thing I’d like to see is a teaching credential, particularly for bi-literate teachers,” Murillo said. “I have to directly negotiate with the university and work with them.”
That will be done over the course of the next year.
It’s estimated it will take about 3½ years from now for the building to be done. Plans need to be drawn, permits obtained, the state architect’s office will be involved, and then construction of the approximately 5,500-square-foot facility begins.
If the $825,000 from the bond is needed for the larger facility, then that is where it will go. Otherwise the college will figure out how it will be spent on other facilities.
The other way the college is looking to add four-year degrees is through the state. The college this week filed an application with the intent to be part of a pilot program. LTCC is proposing a public safety administration degree.
With the current course offerings, this would complement what is in place. Today LTCC offers an associate of arts and transfer degree in criminal justice, and three AA degrees and certificates in the area of fire, including fire science, fire officer, and fire academy.
A team comprised of Chancellor’s Office staff, a member of the business and workforce community, CSU and UC representatives, and community college staff from districts that did not apply to host a program will review the proposals. The chancellor will then make a recommendation to the CSU and UC systems. The final decision is expected Jan. 21.