WSU / WATC affiliation proposal to be presented to Kansas Legislature
Under the proposal, which was approved Monday by Wichita Area Technical College's board, WATC would become the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology. WATC employees would become WSU employees and the operations of the new campus would be governed by WSU, with the Regents remaining as the final authority.
If the Kansas Legislature approves the affiliation plan this year, it will next be considered by the organization that accredits both institutions. The affiliation would be completed in 2018 or 2019.
WSU and WATC have a long partnership through transfer agreements known as Shocker Pathways and through their joint operations of the National Center for Aviation Training.
Presidents John Bardo of WSU and Sheree Utash of WATC said an affiliation is a less costly and time-consuming step than the originally planned full merger of the institutions. They said in a joint statement:
"About 18 months ago we began discussing how we could combine the strengths of our institutions to better serve our students and state. Through an extensive exploratory process, we learned that the full merger would have entailed significant expenses and would have required changes to state funding statutes and common practices within the two-year college system.
"WATC and WSU believe this affiliation achieves the major goal we sought, allowing more Kansans access to the GED to Ph.D. continuum, ultimately growing the Kansas economy and improving the earnings potential and quality of life for thousands of Kansans. It also allows WSU to further its vision and mission of becoming an international model of applied learning and research.
"Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology students could also share in other benefits. These students would have access to Wichita State University student housing, could participate in WSU student affairs programs and attend athletic events through a student fee."
The formal affiliation being proposed will be similar to the one in Topeka between Washburn University and Washburn Tech. WATC would remain a separate legal entity, a technical college that provides two-year associate's degrees and have a separate Higher Learning Commission accreditation process. It could continue to apply for federal grants as a technical college and could receive state funds that are available to technical colleges.
According to an analysis presented to the Board of Regents, the impact of this proposal would mean that WSU could assist WATC in developing new programs designed to meet the workforce needs of industry through certificates and associate's degrees. Any new four-year degrees and advanced degrees would be housed within WSU.
The technical campus would not change current admissions requirements, and students on the technical campus wishing to take classes offered outside the approved technical curriculum would have to meet WSU's admissions requirements.
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Contact: Joe Kleinsasser, director of news and media relations at WSU, 316-978-3013 or cell 316-204-8266 or joe.kleinsasser@wichita.edu, or Andy McFayden, director, Marketing and Community Outreach, Wichita Area Technical College, 316-677-1006, or amcfayden@watc.edu.