{"id":177000,"date":"2026-02-13T21:02:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T21:02:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/177000\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T21:02:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T21:02:07","slug":"new-bill-would-establish-program-to-give-associate-degrees-to-some-former-csulb-students-press-telegram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/177000\/","title":{"rendered":"New bill would establish program to give associate degrees to some former CSULB students \u2013 Press Telegram"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some Cal State Long Beach students who attended college but weren\u2019t able to finish their bachelor\u2019s degrees may be getting some help from the state with the introduction of a new bill.<\/p>\n

The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, hopes to address certain gaps in the higher education system impacting millions of students across California, according to a Thursday, Feb. 12, news release from the assemblymember\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

Lowenthal represents California\u2019s 69th Assembly District, which includes Long Beach, Carson, Signal Hill, Catalina Island and Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Assembly Bill 1858, if enacted, would allow CSULB and Long Beach City College to create a new pilot program that would retroactively award joint associate degrees to former CSULB students who finished some college, but weren\u2019t able to complete their bachelor\u2019s programs.<\/p>\n

Across the U.S., according to the news release from Lowenthal\u2019s office, more than 37 million people have completed some college without earning a degree or credential.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn California alone, that figure approaches 6 million. Many of these students withdrew due to circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic, family caregiving obligations, or personal and financial challenges,\u201d Lowenthal\u2019s office said. \u201cAs a result, they face an increasingly competitive labor market without a credential that reflects their academic progress or investment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pilot program that would be established under AB 1858 would apply to former CSULB students who completed at least 60 units and general education requirements but didn\u2019t finish their bachelor\u2019s degrees. It would only apply to students who stopped their schooling in the past decade, the news release said.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo many Californians have completed significant college coursework but left without a degree to show for it,\u201d Lowenthal said in the release. \u201cAB 1858 recognizes that progress and turns it into opportunity. This pilot will help former students earn a meaningful degree that supports better jobs, higher wages and economic mobility, while showing how institutions can work together to close California\u2019s \u2018some college, no degree\u2019 gap.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bill is sponsored by the CSU Chancellor\u2019s Office, according to the news release, and local officials, including Mayor Rex Richardson and LBCC Superintendent-President Mike Mu\u00f1oz, say the pilot program would build on the Long Beach College Promise<\/a> \u2014 an ongoing collaboration between the city and its local educational institutions aimed at bettering opportunities for residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuilding on the Long Beach College Promise and our partnership with Long Beach State, we are addressing a long-standing challenge in higher education through a practical, student-centered approach,\u201d Mu\u00f1oz said. \u201cAt LBCC, we understand that unfinished degrees often reflect life circumstances, not ability. By intentionally reengaging students and honoring the work they have already completed, we can help more learners return, finish strong, and reconnect with their goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bill will be heard later this year after it is referred to relevant policy committees, Lowenthal\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some Cal State Long Beach students who attended college but weren\u2019t able to finish their bachelor\u2019s degrees may…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":169255,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[7,23,131,133,132,137],"class_list":{"0":"post-177000","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-long-beach","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-local-news","10":"tag-long-beach","11":"tag-long-beach-headlines","12":"tag-long-beach-news","13":"tag-los-angeles-county"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177000"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177000\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}