DODGE CITY, Kan. — Community colleges in southwest Kansas are discussing ways to work together to lobby state lawmakers and deal with staffing shortages.
Trustees and administrators of the Garden City, Dodge City and Seward County community colleges met Monday for their annual dinner.
“I think this is a great time for us to start thinking regionally,” Dodge City Community College President Richard Burke said.
The community colleges face critical staffing shortages in certain areas. As a large percentage of current faculty approaches retirement age, the situation is expected to get worse.
The three schools must figure out how to share resources, whether that means broadcasting classes to another community or requiring students to travel for clinical instruction, officials said.
The initiative also could create new opportunities for schools that have not set up some expensive programs.
