April 12, 2007

The Wildcats meet the Tigers; Cowley signs transfer agreement with K-State at Salina

Pictured are, back row from left, Bruce Crouse, Dixie Schierlman, John E. DeLeon, and Raju Dandu. Front row, from left, Sheree Utash and Dennis Kuhlman.

Looking for a way to provide its technical students with additional opportunities to use their knowledge for further education, the Career and Technical Education Department at Cowley College signed a transfer agreement with Kansas State University at Salina Wednesday at the school’s Southside Education Center in Wichita.

Cowley technical students will have the opportunity to capitalize on these agreements by using the skills they have attained at Cowley to move on for a four-year degree through KSU.

“It’s an absolutely great partnership for students, so they know when they begin with us where they can end,” Cowley College vice president for academic and student affairs Sheree Utash said. “I am a huge believer in letting students know what it will take to meet their goals on day one.”

Bruce Crouse, Cowley’s Department Chair for the Career and Technical Education Department, along with Sandy Randel, coordinator for the Career and Technical Education Department, made contact with Kansas State University at Salina through an open house of their programs in October 2006.

Discussion began regarding the integration of how Cowley’s technical areas could compliment and integrate into their technology management, electronic and computer engineering management, and mechanical engineering technology programs. The addition of Cowley’s mechatronics program also precipitated additional conversation on collaboration between the two schools.

“My hats off to Bruce and Sandy for their leg work and vision of getting this put together for the institution,” Utash said.

This will be the first agreements made with the Engineering Technology Management Departments at K-State at Salina.

“From a department head’s point of view I think it is an excellent opportunity, not just for Cowley students, but for Kansas State University as a whole,” K-State at Salina head of the department of engineering technology John E. DeLeon said. “I believe we are providing a pathway that is very much needed in this state and in the nation.”

Dixie Schierlman, associate dean of student life/director of college advancement at Kansas State at Salina, said it is part of the Board of Regents initiative to work with other colleges in the state to make opportunities available for college students to obtain bachelors degrees.

“We are really looking forward to working with Cowley because they have so many programs and associate degrees that will fit right into our engineering technology programs and technology management degree,” Schierlman said.

According to K-State at Salina’s Raju Dandu, who serves as an associate professor in the Mechanical Engineering Technology Department, student’s that graduated from Kansas State’s technology programs over the past few years had a 100 percent employment rate.

“This is a great opportunity for students of Cowley who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree,” Dandu said. “This will provide a quality of life for the students and the community.”

Members of Kansas State at Salina are working in conjunction with Cowley to make this a smooth transition for the student.

“We are hoping when they step in the doors of Cowley College as freshmen their end goal will be to transfer into our program and get a bachelor degree at K-State,” Schierlman said.

Crouse sees this as a wonderful opportunity for Cowley’s applied science students. He also believes the partnership will greatly benefit both Cowley and K-State.

“We share kind of the same mission with K-State at Salina as they look at putting their students to work in business and industry,” Crouse said. “This is a two-way street, where we can end up recruiting for K-State, and they will also help us by encouraging students to come through the Career and Tech Ed and to follow this four-year path.”

Dennis Kuhlman, dean of technology and aviation at K-State at Salina, believes the long-term impact of the partnership will be significant, as it will provide Kansas with a higher skill level base for technical careers of the future.

“When we can partner and leverage our strengths from both sides to enhance opportunities for students the long term impact is a stronger economy for the state of Kansas,” Kuhlman said. “It’s a win-win all the way around.”

Along with the partnership with K-State, Cowley is also planning a partnership with Southwestern College with its new Leadership Degree, along with the EMS emphasis in that degree.

“This is the future of education for us, for universities, and for our students,” Utash said.