ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the history and role of the Community College Baccalaureate Association in the context of the community college baccalaureate movement. This movement has guided bold and creative pathways to baccalaureate attainment for those historically disenfranchised from higher education. For a nation emboldened by military success, the practical appeal of the associate in science degree and its promise of prosperity propelled rapid expansion of the community college system. In August of 1998, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Institutions of Higher Education received its first request from a community college to extend its accreditation to a few competency-based programs leading to a bachelor of applied technology. In the coming years, proprietary, charter, and e-colleges will pose fresh challenges to the survival of the public community college as its mission matures to meet the changing dynamics of the communities it serves.
