The Assembly’s higher education team came together Thursday with readers at Scuppernong Books in Downtown Greensboro for the first installment in its new event series, Article Club.
The discussion centered on reporter Korie Dean’s coverage of a new proposal for three-year degrees at UNC System campuses and what they may look like.
The overall goal, according to proposals, is to prepare students with skills they can immediately apply in the workforce. Some community colleges throughout the state want to be a part of this transition.
At last week’s event, faculty from several UNC system campuses voiced their questions about and discomfort with this new direction. One of their biggest concerns: whether the three-year pathway— technically 90 credit hours — is truly attainable in three years. Some worried that students, particularly adult learners returning to higher education, may be unable to commit full-time, while also balancing careers and family obligations. Others questioned which classes universities may choose to cut to make the pathway to degrees more swift.
The Assembly plans to make Article Club a regular event series across the state. If there are stories in any of our network publications you’d like to discuss as part of the series, please let us know.
