When former California Gov. Jerry Brown envisioned Calbright College barely five years ago, he saw California leading the country in virtual education by building an online-only community college that would target working adults seeking to improve their skills and move into better-paying jobs.
Today, just a year and a half since the embattled college opened its doors to students, Brown remains one of its chief defenders. He still sees the college as the public solution to predatory for-profit institutions that targeted adult and low-income workers in the state to pursue degrees and credentials, sometimes at the cost of excessive student loans.