SFCC news brings smile

I smiled as I read the Feb. 13 editorial praising Spokane Falls Community College for offering a four-year applied science baccalaureate degree in the field of computing.

In 1967, when the Legislature was debating the merits of establishing a state community college system, the question was asked at one of the hearings if the new community colleges would ever pressure to become four-year schools. The reply was never, they were the “people’s colleges,” invoking President Truman’s description.

Another part of those formative discussions was whether the community colleges should be tuition free. This should be the case, if all of the state’s citizens were to have access. This did not become part of the law, but there was a promise to keep tuition low. This did not happen, and most community college students need federal grants or student loans.

Forty-eight years later, President Obama is advocating free tuition; prompting a second smile.

Well, times change. The decision by the State Board for Community Colleges and SFCC to offer a technical baccalaureate is a good one. SFCC is well-positioned to carry out this mission, having a very qualified faculty, leadership and a heritage committed to learning and academic excellence.

Ron Johns

Retired SFCC faculty, administrator

Spokane