K-State News & Communications Services
DODGE CITY and MANHATTAN. — Thanks to a new collaboration between two leaders in Kansas higher education, students in Dodge City and Southwest Kansas will have expanded access to the transformative power of a bachelor’s degree — all from the comfort and support of their hometown region.
Combining the breadth and depth of a traditional four-year university with the homegrown reach and accessibility of a two-year community college, DCCC and Kansas State University are teaming up to expand access to bachelor’s degree programs in agriculture and education.
“At Dodge City Community College, we are always looking for ways to better serve our students, and this program is a great example,” DCCC President Harold Nolte said. “By allowing our transfer students to stay in the community while completing their four-year degrees, we’re helping them save both time and money. And in many cases, they’ll also be able to continue working in our local economy as they finish their studies.”
Students in the collaboration will enroll and take the first 60 to 75 credit hours of their four-year degrees through DCCC.
After that, they can remain at home and complete their bachelor’s degrees with K-State courses using a combination of remote instruction and on-site lab experiences in Dodge City, which will offer students better flexibility and alignment with local workforce demands in fields such as agriculture, education, and health and human sciences.
K-State President Richard Linton said K-State has a responsibility to meet the needs of communities across all 105 Kansas counties, and this new collaboration with Dodge City Community College is a strong example of fulfilling that mission.
“Both Dodge City Community College and Kansas State University share the same values and purpose: to provide opportunities for people in Kansas and beyond,” Linton said. “Through this collaboration between two-year and four-year degree programs, we’re creating multiple pathways and options for any Kansas student who wants to pursue higher education.”
At a memorandum-of-understanding signing ceremony, K-State Provost Jesse Perez Mendez said the new collaboration will also help transfer students close the “access gap” between two- and four-year institutions.
“As we grow the next generation of changemakers for the world, we have to meet Kansans where they’re at and with what they need,” Perez Mendez said. “Community colleges like Dodge City Community College open doors, and land-grant universities like K-State help expand those opportunities. Together, we’re building brighter pathways for Kansas students.”
Through the course of the collaboration, the colleges will explore interests in additional program offerings, based on community surveys and regional industry needs. And K-State representatives, serving as transfer navigators, will also regularly work with Dodge City Community College students to explore transfer opportunities and support resources after they’ve completed their community college programs.
The collaboration uses the same model as another initiative K-State is developing with Garden City Community College. Both aim to bring access to the benefits of bachelor's degree to a Kansas region that has historically lacked four-year degree opportunities.
