Governor Brown’s State Budget plan also proposes launching a new community college completely online in the fall of 2019. It would target working adults without a higher education degree. It would offer short courses and certificate programs based on skills that employers are looking for, and students’ needs for career advancement. The Executive Dean of the Sierra College Nevada County campus, Stephanie Ortiz, says they’ve always embraced online curriculums, but there are concerns…

click to listen to Stephanie Ortiz

Ortiz also wonders about courses requiring lab work…

click to listen to Stephanie Ortiz

Early online offerings may focus on advanced manufacturing, health care services, and childhood development. Ortiz says she also appreciates the Statewide Academic Senate’s concerns about the lack of high-speed internet, especially in rural areas like Nevada County. The Brown administration believes that there are 2 and a half million Californians, between 25 and 34 years old, with no college degree.