MARCH 17, 2025— During a joint press conference with Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong, Allan Hancock College (AHC) President/Superintendent Kevin Walthers announced that AHC students will have access to four Cal Poly bachelor’s degree programs in Northern Santa Barbara County.

These new degree offerings at Hancock are an expansion of Cal Poly’s commitment to northern Santa Barbara County. Piloted in 2024, the university launched a 25-student cohort for a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at Hancock.

This will be the first degree available at Allan Hancock College’s Santa Maria campus. Local students will have access to this high-quality and affordable bachelor’s degree, with a degree in Business Administration to follow in 2026. Cal Poly is also committing to launching two additional local yet-to-be-named bachelor’s degrees over the next five years.

During his announcement, Dr. Walthers credited EconAlliance for their pivotal role in recognizing the need for and advocating for the availability of local bachelor’s degree programs. (Pictured L to R: Dr Kevin Walthers, Dr Ken Parker, Victoria Conner, Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong)

“Twelve years ago, upon my arrival at AHC,” Dr. Walthers recounted, “my first meeting was with Vicki Conner and Dr. Ken Parker of EconAlliance. They immediately impressed upon me the critical need for local access to university bachelor’s degree programs.” He expressed his sincere thanks for their initial prompting and unwavering support, which helped make the March 17th announcement possible.

Building on EconAlliance industry research, Conner and Dr. Parker, through EconAlliance, collaborated with the College to survey AHC student interest in bachelor’s degrees and coordinated private sector university visits.

Also acknowledged at the event were the many Northern Santa Barbara County cities and Chambers of Commerce which supported degree-seeking efforts. Elected officials were recognized for their support as well.

Special recognition was accorded Assembly Member Gregg Hart for his role in supporting the joint Allan Hancock College and Cal Poly partnership to support access to in-person baccalaureate degrees in northern Santa Barbara County.