Local Colleges Unite to Combat Kansas Teacher Shortage with Affordable Education Pathways

To tackle the teacher shortage in Kansas, five colleges have formed a partnership called 'Educate the State'. This group includes Butler Community College, Cowley College, Friends University, Newman University, and Southwestern College. Their goal is to provide an affordable and efficient route for students who want to become secondary education teachers.

The 'Educate the State' program expands on a 2022 initiative by the Kansas Independent Colleges Association (KICA). This earlier initiative allowed community college graduates with Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.) degrees to transfer to any Kansas private university as juniors. The new partnership offers a further benefit: a reduced tuition rate of $300 per credit hour at the university level, which amounts to a $22,000 scholarship at Friends University.

Students interested in this program must first complete an Associate degree in Secondary Education at Butler or Cowley College, achieving at least a 2.75 GPA. After this, they can transfer to Friends, Newman, or Southwestern, depending on their chosen subject. The partnership ensures the reduced tuition rate for the last two years of the bachelor's program, no matter which university the student attends.

Each college provides specific pathways for different secondary education specialties, such as Math, Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts. This organization helps students follow their chosen subjects smoothly and without unnecessary bureaucracy.

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