By: Melissa Caceres/News Director
A new pilot program will give college dropouts a second chance.
Through a re-entry degree completion initiative called the Complete College Florida Pilot, the program “will help adults finish the associate’s and bachelor’s degrees that they began but never completed,” said Irma Becerra-Fernandez, vice provost of academic affairs.
“The program is aimed at adult learners with 60 to 90 credits who have some distance, time-wise, from completing their degree program,” said Becerra-Fernandez. “There are 2 million such individuals in the [entire] state.”
Becerra-Fernandez announced the start of the program along with other department initiatives in her report at the Feb. 21 meeting of the Faculty Senate.
The pilot program will run from fall 2012 through spring 2014.
All deans at the University submitted requests for “workforce-relevant” concentrations to the Board of Governors. They were asked for those concentrations that had demonstrated high-demand and had no pre-requisites required.
Of the seven suggested, three were selected. Currently, the program will be concentrating in the areas of business, entrepreneurship and communications.
The state has approved $2.5 million in funding for the program.
“If the pilot is successful, the program will be expanded,” said Becerra-Fernandez.
With plans to reach out to individuals through a statewide advertising campaign, the University will provide concierge advising and get students “back into the system to complete a fully online bachelor’s degree.”
Institutions involved include University of West Florida, University of South Florida, Florida State College in Jacksonville, and St. Petersburg College. FIU, along with Florida Atlantic University and University of Florida, are considered the “partner” insitutions.
Becerra-Fernandez also went on to address Florida House and Senate bills that the department of the provost is monitoring regarding post-secondary education funding. One bill, if passed in the House, would assist the pilot program.
“We’re watching the progress of one proposed committee bill [which] establishes the Florida Virtual Campus as a means to manage a library portal and a catalog of online courses, online application and advising,” said Beccera-Fernandez.
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