AROUND HIGHER EDUCATION: Area colleges promise students quality education

Satisfaction guaranteed -- or you can try again -- is the newly espoused educational philosophy of two community colleges on opposite sides of Pennsylvania. An academic guarantee policy is currently in place at the Community College of Allegheny County, near Pittsburgh. And Lehigh Carbon Community College, located in the Philadelphia suburb of Schnecksville, plans to implement such a policy this summer. At both schools, the policies have two components, applying to job-seeking graduates and to employers looking to hire competent workers. Allegheny Community College spokesperson David Egan said the guarantee allows graduates of the school's career or technical programs who cannot find jobs within six months of graduation to enroll in up to 15 more credits of major-related coursework without cost. In addition, all students are encouraged to use Allegheny's Career Planning and Placement Service , before and after graduation, to develop a resume, receive interviewing tips and uncover the "hidden job market," he said. The second part of Allegheny Community College's guarantee aims to please employers, providing graduates with up to 15 credits of skill training if they are judged to have insufficient job preparation, according to Egan. Although the guarantee has been in existence for just over one year, only about five students have taken advantage of its provisions, while employers have not utilized the policy at all, he added. "The bottom line is that students come to college because a college education will make them more employable," Egan said. "This program demonstrates that [Allegheny] is on the cutting edge, and that students do not have trouble finding employment after graduation. "I'm sure that year after year, we'll get people taking us up on it, though," he added. "This backs up our teaching and learning process." Lehigh Community College spokesperson Laura Eppler characterized the school's academic guarantee policy, which differs slightly from Allegheny's, as a "new, significant educational development." Under the guarantee's terms, students receiving associate's degrees in the arts or sciences from Lehigh Community College after July 1, 1995 will be permitted to enroll in up to 16 hours of additional coursework if their "skills or competencies do not meet stated expectations of employers or transfer baccalaureate institutions." And students who obtain associate's degrees in applied science will be permitted to take up to 16 credit hours of "retraining courses" for free if their skills do not meet employer-established proficiency levels. The Lehigh Community College guarantee covers tuition only. Students or their employers must pay for books, supplies, transportation or other incidental expenses. Without diminishing the importance of Lehigh Community College's new guarantee, Eppler said she is confident that no more than "a few, if any" individuals will take advantage of it. But the guarantee of graduate preparedness may also make four-year and competitive colleges more willing to accept community college credit. "We see it as enhancing the transferability of our courses," Eppler said. Egan agreed, adding that the Allegheny Community College program shows promise for the future. "Short of unemployment going up 10 percent, I don't foresee a big problem with this program," he said.