Nov 22
Aug 20, 2020
LSSU Adds Elementary Education and Secondary Education Programs to Degree Completion Offerings in Petoskey
Sault Ste. Marie, MI — Lake Superior State University is expanding its degree completion offerings in Petoskey by adding baccalaureate programs in elementary education and secondary education.
These opportunities, again offered in partnership with North Central Michigan College, went into effect with the fall 2020 semester and build on the undergraduate options already in place between the two institutions. Students take classes at NCMC—the site for LSSU’s regional center in Petoskey—from both schools and ultimately can earn select bachelor’s degrees from LSSU.
“We’re excited at our latest initiative to help fill the need for teachers in Michigan and to provide students from the Petoskey area the chance to earn an undergraduate degree in their community,” said Dr. Barb Light, dean of the College of Education & Liberal Arts at LSSU.
The new elementary education and secondary education completion programs increase the roster of LSSU majors that also include early childhood education, accounting, business administration, criminal justice, and general studies. All of these undergraduate degrees can be completed at the LSSU regional center in Petoskey on NCMC’s campus without students ever having to come to Sault Ste. Marie. Completion degree programs also benefit students financially; they save on tuition by earning 45-70 credits from NCMC, depending on program selection, and the rest from LSSU.
NCMC President Dr. David Roland Finley said, “We are extremely pleased to partner once more with LSSU to offer these new baccalaureate degrees here in Petoskey. The longstanding partnership of our two institutions has made Northern Michigan a great place to live and learn for generations. It’s now even better!”
LSSU has operated a regional center on NCMC’s campus for more than 25 years, with more than 500 LSSU students earning undergraduate degrees there.
Principals and superintendents often favor homegrown teachers for knowing the lay of the land, observed Dr. Light. “And teachers raised in Northern Michigan may be more inclined to want to give back by educating the next generation in their backyard,” she said. Perhaps most importantly, the School of Education at LSSU prepares teacher candidates for day-one readiness, Dr. Light pointed out, and achieves 100 percent job placement for them.
Elementary education concentrations are offered in early childhood, learning disabilities, language arts, mathematics, or language arts and mathematics. Secondary education concentrations are offered in English language and literature, mathematics, integrated science, or social science.
LSSU President Dr. Rodney S. Hanley said, “We continue to make efforts to address the teacher shortage throughout the state, as these new education completion offerings suggest. And our regional centers serve as prime examples of community partnerships and engagement, which form one of the priorities of our strategic plan.”