SPRINGFIELD, MO — Graduates of the Honors Program at Ozarks Technical Community College who transfer to the University of Missouri-Kansas City will automatically be eligible for scholarships and admission to the UMKC Honors College thanks to an articulation agreement signed today, April 21, between the two colleges.

“Many outstanding students are thinking about OTC first before pursuing a bachelor’s degree, and our Honors Program provides them a challenging curriculum in an atmosphere of scholarship,” said Todd Yerby, director of the OTC Honors Program. “UMKC is embracing our students by offering them financial and academic incentives to transfer.”

Honors students from OTC will be automatically considered for UMKC merit scholarships including the Chancellor’s Transfer Award worth $2,000 each academic year. OTC Honors students with a 3.7 grade point average or better will be automatically admitted into UMKC’s Honors College. Those with a GPA below 3.7 are still admissible to the UMKC Honors College if a letter accompanies their application from the OTC Honors program director stating that the student is in good standing with the OTC Honors program. “The UMKC Honors College is a liberal arts college within a larger research university,” said James McKusick, dean of the UMKC Honors College. “We eagerly await the arrival of OTC alumni. They will enter a close-knit community of highly motivated students working together as they prepare for a lifetime of leadership.”

The OTC Honors Program has around 50 students enrolled each academic year and it is open to current college students or incoming freshmen. Besides academic standards, students must complete an essay and provide three academic references.

This is the second articulation agreement that OTC’s Honors Program has signed with a Missouri four-year university that provides scholarship opportunities for transfers. In the fall of 2015, OTC signed an agreement with Missouri Southern State University in Joplin that provided scholarship opportunities for OTC transfer students.

Written by Laura French, OTC Coordinator of Public Information

Above: Steffanie Long, left, and Rachel Mills are among the UMKC students and alumni working at the Kauffman School. Photo by Janet Rogers, Division of Strategic Marketing and Communication

A student and graduate share their perspectives from working at the Kauffman School

At any other school, University of Missouri-Kansas City graduate Steffanie Long might hold the title of an English Language Arts Teacher. At the Ewing Marion Kauffman School, Long is a Sixth Grade Textual Analysis Teacher.

“Just like everything else, [the title] goes back to the mission we have here at Kauffman: to create college graduates,” Long said. “We know that the type of material that students are going to see in college will be very rigorous and challenging. We also want them to be able to think critically. I know this class is preparing them for that later on in life.”

Last November, the Kauffman School was named Missouri Charter School of the Year by the Missouri Charter Public School Association. Several UMKC students and graduates are playing an ongoing role in the school’s success.

In 2014, not only did Long graduate with a B.A. in Elementary Education, but also with a year of teaching experience from teaching internships she completed through her classes at UMKC.

“That hands-on experience was very valuable,” Long said. “Not many schools prepare teachers like that. From my freshman year to my senior year, we were always interacting with the community. We were able to build relationships with students and learn things about ourselves as teachers, about education, about students, that you won’t necessarily learn from the book.”

The UMKC School of Education enables its students to gain classroom experiences through student teaching opportunities and internships in partnership with metro schools.

“I am extremely pleased that Ms. Long feels well-equipped to teach in ways that are responsive to diverse learners and has credited her success to the UMKC School of Education’s focus on authentic classroom experiences,” said Chris Brown, interim dean of the School of Education. “These field-based experiences are designed to prepare teacher candidates to advance learning in urban environments.”

Through its after-school club program, the Kauffman School encourages hands-on learning for students as well. For eight weeks, each student learns extracurricular skills like photography, cooking and gardening from a community volunteer. It’s up to UMKC senior Rachel Mills, also the Kauffman School’s Operations Coordinator, to find the volunteers and supervise the programs.

“I’m passionate about allowing students to have opportunities outside of the classroom,” Mills said. “Not only are students interacting with different adults, but the adults also figure out how to break the students out of their shell. They do a really good job at challenging the students and teaching them those skills.”

This May, Mills will graduate with a B.A. in Urban Planning from the Department of Architecture, Urban Planning + Design, but that didn’t stop her from starting a full-time job at the Kauffman School in July of 2015. Her passion for the after-school club program stemmed from her involvement with the UMKC Honors College.

“We have a very strong partnership with the Kauffman School,” Mills said. “A couple of people from Kauffman came and spoke at the Honors College, and I grew really passionate and interested in the school. I was going to be involved in the after-school programs, but I wasn’t able to because of scheduling.”

However, after receiving a recommendation from Dr. Gayle Levy, director of the Honors College, Mills still was able to get involved in the school through a summer internship at the Kauffman operations department.

“I’m very committed to student initiative,” Levy said. “When students come in with an idea, I do what I can to help them, which normally isn’t that much. They’ve got the idea, they’ve got the energy, they have friends that they can rely on to help get it done. With Rachel, she’s organized, she’s hardworking and she comes with all the information. It was a no-brainer. I have faith in my students and they always come through.”

Long and Mills are not the only staff with a UMKC connection. The Kauffman School was founded in 2011 by alumna Hannah Lofthus (’08, Political Science and Philosophy). While at UMKC, she had interned at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and was later asked to help design the Kauffman School.

“While (Lofthus) was still a student, she worked with me and one other Honors student to create a community service partner for the Honors Program with University Academy,” Levy said. “That experience changed her life. She was Pre-Law, and the only reason she decided to pursue education policy was because of her philosophy classes and her work through University Academy.”

Levy saw the same change of heart in Mills.

“I took a couple of classes on Urban Education and that’s where I grew really passionate about urban education,” Mills said. “I started learning more about the charter systems and the public school systems. I saw the need that Kansas City has for it and wanted to be a part of that.”

The partnership between the UMKC Honors College and the Kauffman School continues today; Honors students are often club leaders, interns and teacher assistants at the school.

“I think that the Kauffman School has clearly allowed some students to realize that education is really where they want to be,” Levy said. “It’s incredibly important to have these bright, motivated recent graduates going back into the urban public education system. They’re doing important work that makes me feel like I’m doing something for our community.”

Written by Deena Essa, Honors College Student

KANSAS CITY, MO – The Honors College at the University of Missouri-Kansas City will celebrate a year of student accomplishments at a banquet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 13 in Pierson Auditorium in the Atterbury Student Success Center.

The university created the Honors College last July, and 29 seniors graduate with University Honors in May. Their families, professors and friends will congratulate them at the banquet. All students will be recognized for their achievements. “The students challenged themselves with additional research projects, papers and learning experiences,” said Jim McKusick, Ph.D., dean of the Honors College. “Our graduating seniors are prepared to lead in a variety of fields, from marketing to medical research.”

The Honors College grew out of the Honors Program, which offered highly motivated students classes tailored to their needs. Many Honors College students live together in a residence hall, supporting one another in their advanced studies. The students also build bonds through social activities and community service. Many take part in study abroad experiences led by Honors College faculty. “The UMKC Honors College gives our highly motivated and talented students an opportunity to deeply immerse themselves in all that our public research university has to provide,” said Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer. “This first graduating class certainly demonstrated the power of honors education.”

The banquet follows a winning weekend for UMKC at the Great Plains Honors Council Conference at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Ark. Honors student Elizabeth Porto won the prize for best poster in STEM research for student presenters with more than 60 credits completed.  “This is truly an impressive accomplishment, since hers was judged the best STEM poster, and one of just eight total poster awards, out of 52 college and university honors programs represented at the conference,” McKusick said.

Other student presenters at the conference to be recognized at the banquet include LeAnna Cates, Maria Gentry, Eliana Hudson and Zak Roberts. Cates and Gentry presented scientific research in the poster contest. Hudson and Roberts made oral presentations about Kansas City history. Hudson’s was entitled “A Legacy Lives on in Kansas City’s 18th and Vine Jazz District.” Roberts presented research titled “Cookingham Cleans Up Kansas City: 1939-1940.”

Honors Program alumnus Justin Smith, a Kansas City attorney, will deliver the keynote address at the banquet. Smith, who earned his bachelor’s degree in 2007, was recognized as one of Ingram’s “20 in Their Twenties.” Several graduating seniors plan to follow in Smith’s footsteps by attending law school. Others will continue their education working toward master’s and doctoral degrees. One will intern in PriceWaterhouseCoopers New York City office this fall.

Derick Letman, who enrolled at UMKC at age 47, will attend graduate school working toward a master’s in social work. Letman is the father of four children. One just graduated as a nurse and two are in college. When his youngest child left home, he decided it was time to go back to college. His enrollment in the Honors College happened serendipitously. Letman was working as an office assistant for Gayle Levy, Ph.D., director of the Honors College. Levy recruited Letman for the challenging course of study. “I did it and I’m really glad,” Letman said. “I had a lot of support while I was going through it. The students were very supportive. So were the faculty and staff.”

Letman’s memorable experiences in the Honors College include serving as a student faculty member for 18 months and being the editor of the honors newsletter. He also was a staff member of the Honors College journal, Lucerna. After receiving his master’s degree, Letman plans to attend law school. He wants to practice family and healthcare law. His ultimate goal is to build a long-term addiction treatment center in Kansas City.

Kansas City benefited from the community service component of the Honors College experience. Students volunteered at the Ewing Kauffman School, Kansas City Hospice, the HALO Learning Center and other nonprofit organizations.

Written by Beth Hammock, UMKC Honors College Outreach Consultant