Lawmaker: Roadblocks gone on Harper-NIU 4-year degree plan

Past negotiations between Harper College and Northern Illinois University over the community college's five-year-long effort to bring a bachelor's degree program to the Palatine campus never advanced beyond a few letters between the institutions' respective presidents.

That's not likely to be the case this time around now that State Sen. President John Cullerton has "agreed to lead negotiations between all parties over the summer," his spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon said.

Further, should negotiations stall, Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat, would flex his political muscle and take over as chief co-sponsor of the bill to allow Harper to offer four-year degrees in two areas of study, according to state senators and current sponsors Michael Noland and Dan Kotowski, a Park Ridge Democrat.

"I can almost assure you that if things don't work out over the summer, come fall, action will be swift," said Noland, an Elgin Democrat.

The Senate was expected to vote two weeks ago on a proposal authorizing Harper to award four-year degrees of its own in public safety administration/homeland security and technology management.

Noland theorized officials at the DeKalb-based university came forward because they knew Harper had the votes to get the bill passed. Cullerton also may have pressured NIU to get a deal done. NIU's associate director of external affairs, Ken Zehnder, said Cullerton "encouraged us to meet the needs of the Harper district."

Universities have "right of first refusal," meaning Harper would defer to an institution willing to offer the degrees on its campus.

However, Harper has no intention of easing what it's seeking for the pilot programs' requirements as previously outlined by former President Robert Breuder, the most contentious being that 90 percent of classes be held face-to-face. NIU's earlier proposal to offer a general studies degree with a homeland security certificate also isn't going to fly with Harper.

"We're absolutely committed to following those parameters because that's what the police and fire chiefs say they want," Harper spokesman Phil Burdick said, adding that offering the programs at NIU's Hoffman Estates campus is possible. "We've had a clear disagreement on the type of program NIU wants to offer."

NIU's Zehnder said other formats such as video conferencing and online teaching can prove just as effective and less costly. He said enrollment in NIU's off-campus bachelor's degree programs is up to 2,500 students.

"If we weren't efficient at it, we wouldn't be able to offer programs at a multitude of community colleges like we do," he said.

NIU President John Peters has reached out to incoming Harper President Kenneth Ender, who takes over July 1, and Zehnder said work is underway to develop an accredited public safety program.

How much leverage Cullerton's involvement gives Harper remains to be seen. The Senate has until May 2010 to vote on the bill, which was previously approved by the House.