A bill sponsored by District 5 Rep. Bill Konopnicki (R-Safford) that would allow Eastern Arizona College to offer baccalaureate degrees will be heard by Arizona House of Representatives' Government Reform and Government Finance Accoun-tability Committee at 1:30 p.m. today.

Konopnicki chairs the Government Reform and Government Finance Accoun-tability Committee.

The legislation, House Bill 2311, underwent a "strike everything amendment," which means 2311 was completely gutted and the words replaced with the same verbage contained in House Bill 2624. Using the strike everything amendment to place the words of HB 2624 in HB 2311 allows the bill to take the next step in winding its way through the Arizona Legislature and possibly to Gov. Janet Napolitano's desk.

House Bill 2624 is assigned to the Universities, Com-munity Colleges and Technol-ogy Committee, chaired by District 17 Rep. Laura Knaperek (R-Tempe). As of late afternoon Tuesday, Knaperek had not placed the bill on her agenda.

Those who want to follow the bill may visit the Legislature's Web site at azleg.state.az.us.

College officials and students hope the proposal for EAC becomes law because it would allow aspiring teachers, business owners, nurses and others to complete their bachelor's degrees at the local college instead of transferring to a university.

Allie Spilsbury and Magdelyn Weir are Eastern Arizona College students and aspiring teachers who will be forced to transfer to a university next fall to complete their degrees.

A pending bill in the Arizona Legislature would allow Eastern Arizona College to offer four-year baccalaureate degrees, but even if it passes, it won't be in time to help Spilsbury and Weir.

"We're just outsiders looking on," Spilsbury, the reigning Miss Graham County, said. She plans to become an elementary school teacher and is in her final year at EAC.

Both students are attending college on scholarships, and both work to support themselves. The cost of education at a university will probably be more than at the college. If they could stay at EAC, the financial drain would be less, they said.

Even if they continue with the local program offered by Northern Arizona University, the costs would be higher than attending EAC.

Spilsbury, who hails from Sierra Vista, said she and other education majors take more classes than needed to earn associates degrees just to make sure their credits will transfer to a university.

"Transferring is a mess," she said, adding that each university has different requirements for students transferring from a community college.

She chose EAC because she has family in the area, and she works at Cingular Wireless and at EAC to support herself.

Weir was living in Alamogordo, N.M., when she learned about EAC from a woman at her church. When she visited the campus, she learned the college offered opportunities in fine arts in addition to its teacher education program.

"I never heard of it until the lady from church mentioned it," she said.

Like Spilsbury, she works to support herself while she attends college. She has a job in the EAC theater department and tutors an autistic child.

She said she plans to become a substitute teacher for the Safford School District while she works on her bachelor's degree.

"I might do the NAU program to stay here," Weir said.

Spilsbury said she was skeptical at first about the proposal to make EAC a four-year college. She later came to support the legislation after learning that the community college will remain intact.

Weir said offering area residents an opportunity to earn four-year degrees is good for the economy.

"More educated people get better jobs," she said.

Could help teacher shortage

EAC President Mark Bryce said the college will offer bachelor's degrees in nursing, business, interdisciplinary studies and education.

School officials throughout Arizona, including those in the Gila Valley, say there is a teacher shortage. Bryce and others believe offering the four-year degrees at EAC will help provide area schools with "home-grown" teachers.

Mark Tregaskes, superintendent of the Safford School District, said the question is whether making EAC a four-year college is better than the current system followed by many education majors in the Gila Valley. Those students earn an associate's degree from EAC, then their bachelor's degree from NAU.

Making EAC a four-year college, however, would lend to continuity of teacher training, he said. Students would be better focused and there would be no need for additional courses.

"If they could offer a quality education at a low cost, that would be a win-win," Tregaskes said. "I'm in support of Rep. Konopnicki's legislation."

His thoughts were echoed by Thatcher School District Superintendent Janice Given, who said although NAU "has done a splendid job," she favors the proposal.

"I think it's fantastic for the economy and education. I'm all for it," she said.

Few students return to Thatcher as teachers. Perhaps the ability to complete their educations locally would keep new teachers in the area, Given said.

Flagstaff-based Northern Arizona University has offered classes in the Gila Valley since 1985. In addition, NAU offers online degree programs and classes via distance learning, Max Phillips, area coordinator for Graham, Gila and Greenlee counties, said.

Phillips said the elementary education program would be impacted the most if the bill passes in the Legislature and is signed into law by Gov. Janet Naplitano.

"We've produced most of the elementary education teachers in this Valley," he said during a recent phone interview.

About 125 students attend NAU classes "face to face, while about 85 take online classes, Phillips said.

He believes many students will continue to attend NAU classes offered at the EAC campus if the bill passes.

He is not sure that offering four-year degrees will increase the pool of new teachers. Phillips said statistics show only 50 percent of education majors ever enter classrooms.

Those who become teachers have a high-drop out rate. Phillips said 50 percent of classroom teachers drop out within the first three to five years of their careers.

"They're not coming into the program," he said, referring to why the state's universities are not turning out enough teachers.

Joanne Ellsworth, a faculty member in EAC's education and psychology departments, said about 40 education students are expected to graduate this year.

She said being able to stay at EAC to complete their bachelor's degrees would be emotionally easier for students because "this is their home."

She said a "large share" of education students are older than the typical 18- to 20-year-old college student. These are people who have returned to college after working at jobs or raising children.

Bryce agreed with Ellsworth, saying the average age of college students continues to go up. These older students often have commitments to the community, making it difficult for them to leave to pursue a four-year degree at a university.

"The bottom line is our people need the accessibility, and I hope nothing gets in the way of the bill's passage," he said. "Accessibility also means financial accessiblity. We're not going to stop (if the bill fails this year). At some point, what is right will prevail."

A lot of work will have to be done if the legislation passes and is signed into law. Ellsworth said tasks include adding adjunct faculty, arranging for students to do student teaching at local schools and developing a curriculum.

"I don't think it's going to be easy, but it's going to be a great thing - a beautiful thing," Ellsworth said, adding that the EAC faculty will look to local educators for input. "We still have to meet accreditation standards."

John Wayne Lines, president of the Eastern Arizona College Governing Board, said making the college a four-year institution is important to area students because the state's universities are not accessible and affordable.

He also believes the bill, if it passes, would be "an economic boon here in the county."

The cost of tuition for upper level classes would probably increase to cover the extra costs of setting up and teaching those classes.

"We foresee there's going to be a little increase but not nearly as high as the universities," Lines said.

He also believes adding upper-level classes at EAC will not immediately impact NAU's mission to the area. That's because EAC needs time to develop degree programs, Lines said.

The board president said offering bachelor degrees at EAC will help in continuity in higher education.

"All the (EAC) classes are transferrable but not applicable to a (four-year) degree," Lines said.

Housing

The college's already overflowing dormitories present a challenge, but the college is planning to build additional dormitories whether the legislation passes or not, Todd Haynie, EAC spokesman, said.

"There are plans right now for building more (dormitories) on campus," Haynie said, adding that college officials are looking for a site.

Contact Diane Saunders at 428-2560 (ext. 234).