dean’s message

College of Education

K-State has played an important role in the preparation of teachers and other school personnel for more than a century. Nearly 50 years ago the university created the College of Education, which has become the largest professional education program in the state.
Within the last two decades the college nurtured the development of the largest minor in the university, Leadership Studies and Programs, crafted a statewide professional development program to respond to the significant need for teachers of second language learners and joined with school districts to initiate academies to prepare the next generation of school leaders.

The college is recognized as an initiator and national model for the use of professional development schools to simultaneously renew teaching and teacher preparation. Faculty members have successfully competed for nearly $9 million in annual research, development and technical assistance grants. They have initiated an evaluation center to lead the assessment of educational programs across the university, state and nation.

Our programs outside public school education have been acknowledged as outstanding in fields as diverse as academic advising and military education. All the while our students have played major roles as leaders and scholars both within and beyond the university.

Most importantly, the college has fulfilled the expectations of the majority of our alumni and supporters to prepare qualified beginning teachers and other school personnel by maintaining high expectations for students and exceeding all state and national quality standards.

Our hopes

Teacher shortages are a present and growing reality. The profession needs to attract and retain more school personnel, but the key to success is recruiting quality, committed individuals.

As college costs continue their inflation-exceeding growth, students find attending the university more difficult and are faced with career choices that balance initial cost, debt acquisition and economic return.

As state resources to the university fall short of meeting the increasing costs of providing a quality education and enhancing our programs, other sources for resource acquisition become ever more crucial.

We are increasingly dependent on the generosity of our alumni and friends to make a high-quality education attractive, and perhaps even possible, for many students whose real passion is teaching.