Washington State Community College’s President Dr. Vicky Wood and Workforce Development Director Gary Barber are testifying before the Ohio Senate Workforce and Higher Education Committee seeking support of Senate Bill 135.
Senate Bill 135 will provide community colleges the opportunity to address the statewide nursing shortage, by expanding their degree-granting authority to allow them to offer bachelor’s degree programs. Currently, the Chancellor of Higher Education is only permitted to authorize applied bachelor’s degrees at community colleges, and the bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) is not an applied bachelor’s degree. Under the bill, the arbitrary term “applied” is removed and community colleges throughout the state are given the ability to offer a BSN.
