Students attend community colleges for various reasons: the cost, a good stepping stone from high school into a four-year institution, to strengthen their educational background.

Whatever the reason, there are drawbacks to the community college course and degree offerings. Often, they don’t cover the range of student interests, and that means no school for some.

In an attempt to expand their academic opportunities, Riverland Community College is working on a plan to offer an associate’s degree in fine arts.

&uot;It will consist of degrees in theatre, music or visual arts,&uot; explained Jerry Girton, director of theatre for Riverland. &uot;It will allow a students to focus in and to give them some in depth experience in those areas.&uot;

Before the curriculum can be implemented, the school must get permission from the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board, which grants permission for degree programs at institutions statewide.

Along with Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Riverland is applying to get this fine arts degree passed. The programs will be the first of their kind in Minnesota for community colleges.

Jan Waller, a dean of academic affairs at the college, is hoping that the new program will help to draw in a different kind of student to Riverland.

&uot;We are going to get students who ordinarily feel they have to start out at a four-year university,&uot; she said. &uot;In order to do that it is our goal to offer a more fine-art course work during the freshman and sophomore years.&uot;

While Riverland offers some elective coursework in the fine arts, students who want to pursue degrees in fine arts are behind when they enter into a four-year university program in fine arts.

The new program, according to Girton, will give students a much more in-depth coursework in fine arts.

Girton gave an example for theater students.

&uot;Right now we just offer a few intro the theater courses,&uot; he said. &uot;A lot of the new curriculum will be more advanced acting classes. It will give the students some time to get into the technical aspects of theater, such as stage craft, movement, makeup, and some more advanced acting classes.&uot;

The fuller depth will be offered in the music and visual arts programs as well.

The curriculum for each course is still in the making, but Girton expects the program to work so that students can make a smooth transition to their junior year at a four-year college after spending their first two years at Riverland.

Girton also hopes it attracts a different kind of student to Riverland.

&uot;It will help the college by giving a broader base of classes,&uot; he said. &uot;That should bring in more people and a wider variety of people.&uot;