By Ephriam Carr
Staff Writer

Students in Scott’s classroom. Photo by Carlos Rodriguez-Picazo

Clackamas Community College students can now graduate with a four-year degree — if they are majoring in elementary education.

CCC has accepted a partnership from Eastern Oregon University to start a bachelor of the arts degree on CCC campus starting in winter, 2026.

“With the growing need for professionally trained teachers, we saw an ideal opportunity to partner with a college that was ready to support a university-level completion program on campus,” said Angela Vossenkuhl, the director of the EOU Elementary ED bachelor’s degree.

Transferring colleges is expensive. However, by allowing students at CCC to take EOU’s elementary education bachelor’s program, students would be saving thousands upon thousands of dollars instead of transferring into a four-year college. 

“Up until a couple of years ago, community colleges were not allowed to offer bachelor’s degrees. But legislation changed that,” said Laurette Scott, who teaches elementary education at Clackamas Community College. “This is really the low-hanging fruit. It’s opening up the field.”

The program will also be more cost effective for students. “The first thing you have to keep in mind is you are not going to have to pay room and board—because it’s local,” said Scott. “Combine that with Clackamas’ tuition, which is about half of what it is at a university.” 

Laurette Scott teaching students taking elementary education. Photo by Carlos Rodriguez-Picazo

Beyond cost, the program removes other barriers that may prevent students from pursuing a four-year degree, such as distance. By keeping students local, it allows them to stay grounded in their community while preparing to become teachers.

“It’s really geared towards working professionals,” said Dawn Hendricks, the department chair of elementary education at Clackamas Community College. “Folks can, you know, be at their regular job or do their student teaching during the day, and then come to the Family Resource Center and then take the in-person classes in the late afternoon and early evenings.”

Scott explains that if students want to get involved in the program themselves, they should speak to the CCC academic advisor Stefanie Diaz-Zavala. “She will help you set up an Ed plan to make sure you finish elementary ed as efficiently as possible on your timeline,” Scott said.

Because the program is set to launch in winter of 2026, elementary education students who want to get involved still have the rest of the year to complete any prerequisites they may need. 

“You have time to make up any coursework that you haven’t done yet, even through summer and fall,” Scott said.

For Scott, the deeper mission behind teaching is what makes this new opportunity so impactful.

“Teaching is an act of social justice. We change the world, and I do not mean that as hyperbole either. I really believe that.”