Overview
Begun in January 2001 with the hiring of a lead faculty member, the Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) is the second baccalaureate program developed at GBC. The BAS program was designed specifically for students who have earned an associate of applied science degree from an accredited college. The program builds on the two-year technical studies in professional/technical fields such as business administration, criminal justice, computer science, diesel, electrical, industrial plant technology, and welding. Students who have completed other Associate degrees, i.e., AA, AS, or AGS, and desire to enter the BAS program have been admitted upon successful documentation of three years of work experience and after a case-by-case review of their application credentials by the BAS Faculty Committee. The degree offered at the completion of this program is the Bachelor of Applied Science. There is only one major within this degree, but currently there are two areas of specialization: Instrumentation and Management in Technology. Graduates of the programs are prepared to competently and efficiently work as either highly trained technicians or effective managers.

The department assumes academic oversight and responsibility for all aspects of the program, including the approval and mentoring of adjunct faculty, the housing of student advising records, scheduling of courses, staffing of courses, curriculum oversight and articulation arrangements. The BAS degree program also receives guidance and recommendations from the BAS Community Advisory Board, composed of representatives from a variety of community constituencies, and the BAS Faculty Advisory Committee, composed of representatives from the various disciplines of the College community. These committees provide useful feedback and help establish policies/procedures for processing applications and making program adjustments.

On April 12, 2001, the Prospectus for a Substantive Change for a Bachelor of Applied Science was submitted to Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges for accreditation review. GBC received approval for the inclusion of the Bachelor of Applied Science degree program with options in Instrumentation and Management in Technology under the existing accreditation of the College on July 19, 2001. Notification was given that a focused interim report and evaluation visit would take place in Spring 2002. Accordingly, a Focused Self-study on Upper-division Coursework for the Bachelor of Applied Science was submitted on March 4, 2002. An evaluation was conducted by representatives from the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges on April 11-12, 2002. The College received a copy of the final report for the focused interim evaluation visit on May 24, 2002, and then on June 28, 2002, Great Basin College received notification that the accreditation for the upper-division components of the Bachelor of Applied Science program was formally reaffirmed. With the approval of this major substantive change, the College was now granted informal candidacy at the baccalaureate degree level.

See GBC Catalog 2002-2003 (pp. 58-61) for full discussion of this new baccalaureate program. Also see Focused Self-study on Upper-division Coursework: Bachelor of Applied Science, March 4, 2002. (Exhibit 2.26)

Faculty. Dr. Jay Larson is the Lead Faculty for the BAS program. The additional faculty listed below currently teach courses in the program.

FACULTY

Students. Currently, there are 67 active students in the program. Their entering degrees, age ranges, and gender are given in the following table:

There have been two BAS graduates. Thirteen students are now on target to graduate by December 2003, and another 10 in Spring 2004.

Two students are currently on academic probation, and 36 are classified as inactive status. (The latter are students who have “resigned” or who have not enrolled in any classes for the past two semesters.) Forty-one additional applicants are now in various stages of processing for full acceptance into the program; 18 of these will probably be accepted into the program at the next meeting of the BAS committee. Currently, the program receives 15-20 applications each semester and has a contact list of over 200 persons.

Resources. A formal Student Handbook, pre-assessment packets, and simulation booklets for both the Marketing Game and the Capstone Simulation were developed and are now readily available to faculty and students for advising, assessment, and/or class activity.

Analysis
The BAS degree program has been welcomed enthusiastically by the campus community, potential students, and the general public. Enrolled students have continually expressed satisfaction with both the curriculum and the scheduling of classes. Faculty delivering the courses have received a wide range of evaluations from students and, for the most part, comments have been helpful and positive. Students are excited about the possibility of “finally” finishing their four-year degree. The average age of students indicates that many may have spent years working toward this goal. Simply the “availability” of this degree, especially with its management emphasis option, has attracted students back to the classroom who would not otherwise be enrolled in any classes at Great Basin College. Students have demonstrated a level of commitment and dedication that is encouraging and supportive to both their peers and faculty. Faculty have expressed pleasure of teaching such a highly motivated student body. Work schedule changes and emergencies are the main reason for withdrawals or absenteeism from classes. Development of a four-year delivery schedule for classes has proven to be the most useful tool for assisting students.

The absence of classes during the summer session has been the most commonly mentioned omission by the students. Students are often limited to enrolling in two or three classes per semester due to work and family commitments and see the summer as just another enrollment period. Most faculty at GBC, on the other hand, see the summer months as vacation time, partly because scheduling classes in the summer is seen as taking students away from potential fall or spring enrollments, which generate FTE for the college. Summer classes are self-supporting and do not generate FTE. When there becomes a larger cadre of students, this fear will be resolved, and adjunct faculty could be used to deliver courses during the summer months. Enrollments currently have surpassed our best estimates, and the College continues to attract students to this degree program at rates we had only “hoped for” previous to this inaugural year.

Although the program is anticipated to be relatively small initially, the College is aware of the need to continuously assess the needs and progress of the program and the organizational arrangements. One of the remaining challenges is to continue to recruit competent adjunct faculty to be available if there is a need for additional sections of classes. There may be a significant increase in enrollments in the general education courses due to student interest in the baccalaureate programs, and thus it is difficult to accurately predict whether the currently scheduled classes will be adequate. Institutional research data reflect that the College is attracting traditional, full-time students. This change in the demographics may be a direct result of the availability of baccalaureate degrees.

Technical Arts graduates (e.g., Diesel Technology), who were the original target population for the BAS, tend to work shifts in the mining industry. Thus, they have been unable to enroll in the program which has been designed for persons working a traditional 8 a.m.-5 p.m. workday.

The institutional recruitment has only had resources to focus on high schools, not on other two-year institutions. Such an effort could spark further enrollment the BAS.

STRENGTHS
• Class sizes and student enthusiasm.
• Advising and student planning greatly facilitated by availability of a four-year course schedule.
• Wide acceptance of the program by staff, faculty and potential applicants.
• Students able to complete the program during their projected time-line.
• Library resources and equipment adequate for the program. CHALLENGES
• Accommodating each student’s work and life schedule to fit the four-year plan.
• Possible staffing problems as enrollments increase.
• Recruiting of potential students from other two-year institutions. RECOMMENDATIONS/ACTION ITEMS
• Change processing deadlines for student applications.
• Develop and implement College program for recruitment of associate degree graduates from other institutions.
• Investigate possible new areas of specialization: Land Surveying, Fire Science and Aerospace Technology.