Education
Kansas public university, college enrollment grows despite 12.5% plunge at Emporia State
Enrollment at Kansas public universities and colleges increased this fall by 2%, while Emporia State University endured a 12.5% enrollment collapse.
Emporia State University defends changes ahead of declining enrollment report
EMPORIA — Emporia State University president Ken Hush downplayed the significance of the university’s declining enrollment in an open letter Tuesday preempting the official release of fall enrollment figures across state universities. The Kansas Board of Regents plans to release enrollment figures Wednesday, and the numbers will show a decline at ESU. The extent isn’t […]
Labor study: Kansas faces shortfall of 34,000 college-educated workers through 2030
A new University of Kansas economic study indicated Kansas was on pace to fall 34,000 short in terms of college-educated workers through 2030.
Kansas Board of Regents sculpt $300 million plan for boosting state aid to public higher education
The Kansas Board of Regents is working to pare down more than $500 million in budget requests by the state's 32 public colleges and universities.
School board changes can destroy students’ educational opportunities. We’re paying attention.
As a student who attended the Gardner-Edgerton School District from middle school through high school, graduating only four years ago, it breaks my heart to know my 17-year-old sister has not been enjoying the same quality of education that I did. When I first came to Gardner in the 5th grade, my family worried about […]
‘I admit that I masturbate’: Kansas State Board of Education member laments ‘smut’ in libraries
TOPEKA — Kansas State Board of Education member Danny Zeck quoted from the much-debated teen book “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” as he turned a state meeting on book removal practices into a ideological discussion of why “smut,” as he calls these books, is allowed in local schools. “I admit that I masturbate,” […]
When a high school student and coach collide, Kansas officials’ sympathy doesn’t flow equally
Possibly the best definition of modern racism came from journalist and author Ta-Nehisi Coates, who described it as “broad sympathy for some, broad skepticism of others.” This axiom came to mind recently during an email exchange with a private school administrator who seemed unbothered by secretly recorded comments his basketball coach, Mitch Fiegel, made about […]
U.S. Senate hearing on book bans probes censorship attempts in local libraries
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators at a committee hearing Tuesday discussed the consequences of book bans and parents’ desire to control what their kids read — though they also acknowledged it’s not an issue for Congress to settle. The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony about book bans, focusing on how censorship limits liberty and literature. The […]
Emporia State University forges new identity with $9M earmark from Kansas Legislature
TOPEKA — Emporia State University’s new structure, underwritten by a $9 million earmark in the state budget, comes with a new marketing slogan and a new explanation for last year’s dramatic upheaval. Legislative leaders and university administrators describe the so-called “ESU model,” which involved the firing of tenured faculty members under the guise of a […]
New student loan repayment program benefits far fewer Kansans than original debt plan
TOPEKA — For thousands of Kansans knee-deep in student debt, relief will come soon — just not as much relief as initially promised. The Biden administration announced Tuesday that more than 4 million federal student loan borrowers have been enrolled in the Saving on A Valuable Education, or SAVE, program. In Kansas, 35,000 borrowers are […]
U.S. education secretary touts Kansas school initiatives, national debt forgiveness
TOPEKA —Education will combat ignorance, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said, stressing diversity and debt forgiveness on the first leg of a Midwest bus tour meant to promote the Biden administration’s education initiatives. The inaugural event was held at the Topeka Center for Advanced Learning and Careers, where students partner with businesses for learning initiatives. […]
Anonymous benefactor donates $50 million to University of Kansas’ business school
Anonymous donor commits $50 million to business school at University of Kansas in Lawrence — the largest gift to the school in KU history.