For the second time this fall, the Enid campuses for Northwestern Oklahoma State University and Northern Oklahoma College are partnering to provide relief for the education crisis in Oklahoma.
NWOSU and NOC are offering a Para to Degree program where students can finish their associates and/or bachelor degree.
A meeting with additional information will be held Monday, Nov. 7 at NWOSU Enid, 2929 E. Randolph at 6 p.m.
This meeting will have more information regarding all options to complete a degree – fast track, full-time, part-time with a mix of traditional, hybrid, or online course options. Advisors will work to create individual plans for students. Financial aid and scholarship information, including the Inspired to Teach initiative, will also be discussed.
“Northwest Oklahoma is in dire need of well-trained educators,” said Dr. Jen Oswald, Chair of Education at NWOSU. “Together with NOC, NWOSU is committed to being part of the solution. This university has a long history of quality teacher preparation. We are proud to be continuing that tradition today, especially with this crippling teacher shortage. Our candidates are the best of the best. My hope is that more will continue to teach in northwest Oklahoma. Our children deserve the best of the best.”
NOC Social Science Instructor Tiffany Meacham added, “The partnership we have developed will allow us to work closely together to create an individualized plan that will best fit each paraprofessional’s needs to complete their degree.”
Earlier this fall, NWOSU and NOC announced a fast-track course of study for completion of the elementary education degree has been developed for the students at these two institutions of higher learning to meet the specific needs of our Enid area community.
This program will allow Enid campus students to earn an associate degree and a bachelor degree in three and a half years, enabling them to be in the classroom and teaching more quickly than they could through traditional programs.
“We are excited to work with NOC to find creative ways to prepare educators for Oklahoma classrooms,” Oswald said. “The fast-track program is designed for students beginning college and will create a plan of study through their student teaching internship.”
“As Oklahoma is facing a teacher shortage, this program allows students to obtain their degrees faster while still receiving the same great quality education for which Northern and Northwestern are known,” said Tiffany Meacham, Enid academic adviser for elementary education at NOC.
The fast-track program will meet current standards for educator preparation so that completers have the knowledge and skills necessary to become highly effective educators who are ready to support the learning needs of Oklahoma’s students.
To learn more about this program, contact Dr. Jen Oswald, Chair of Education at NWOSU, at 580.327.8451; jdoswald@nwosu.edu; Tiffany Meacham, Social Science Instructor at NOC Enid at 580.547.2228; tiffany.meacham@noc.edu; or Jeremy Hise, Vice President for NOC Enid, at 580.548.2393; jeremy.hise@noc.edu.
Northern Oklahoma College, the state’s first public two-year community college, is a multi-campus, land-grant institution that provides high quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities and services.
NOC serves nearly 4,000 students through the home campus in Tonkawa, branch in Enid, and NOC/OSU Gateway Program in Stillwater. Of these students about 80% receive financial aid and/or scholarships. 75% of NOC students complete their degree with zero debt.
The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers associate degrees in three general areas: Arts, Science and Applied Science; the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs; and the Accreditation Commission for Education and Nursing.
For more information about Northern Oklahoma College please call (580) 628-6208 or visit the NOC website at www.noc.edu.
-30-