By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) approved the Kansas Systemwide General
Education Program this past June with hopes to eventually create a common general education
package of courses that facilitates easily-approved credit transfers from
colleges to universities. For years, there have been complications of certain
general education courses taken at a community college not being acknowledged
when students transfer to a four-year university.
Barton Community College Vice President of Instruction Elaine Simmons said a
new package of courses will be established that should transfer over to almost
any college in the state.
"This is a general education package," said Simmons. "If students are guided to complete that package, when they transfer, they are in good shape. We've heard over the years of how hard transfer is and we lose things. However, if the student does not complete the package, and they transfer, they will potentially face some challenges."
The program will include six state universities and community colleges but exclude
technical colleges. Seven areas in the transfer package will include English
Comp I and Comp II, college algebra, stats, quantitative reasoning, natural and
physical sciences discipline and social and behavioral sciences.
"The universities will have their charts all lined out...if the student doesn't do this, then the university can do this," said Simmons. "There are opportunities for universities to work in the same way they are now if a student doesn't complete the package."
Simmons said KBOR is expecting the transfer program to be implemented across
the state by the Fall 2024 semester.