Jun. 10—Barton Community College is set to participate in the Kansas Promise Scholarship program but there are issues that must be resolved first, Barton President Dr. Carl Heilman told the Board of Trustees at the June study session on Tuesday. It goes into effect July 1, 2021. "And what's not clear are the final development of the applications, or the criteria of the methods of payment, .
Stephan Bisaha / Kansas News Service/File photo
A small but growing number of colleges are requiring students to get a COVID-19 vaccine before returning to campus, but Kansas universities so far say they won’t require the shot.
Rick Muma, interim president at Wichita State University, said during a virtual town hall earlier this month that the COVID shot is authorized for emergency use, which makes it different from other vaccines the university requires.
“It becomes difficult to require something that hasn’t received full approval by the FDA,” Muma said. Rutgers in New Jersey was the first major university to make the COVID vaccine a requirement to enroll for the fall semester.
Legislators are once again looking to establish the Kansas Promise Scholarship.Â
The House Commerce, Labor and Economic Development Committee held a hearing Feb. 17 on Bill 2287, which would establish a scholarship funding two years of postsecondary education for students entering in high-demand technical fields. An identical bill was passed in the House and Senate last year. It was vetoed due to lack of funds.Â
According to the Kansas Department of Labor, 2019 was the second year in a row that there were more job vacancies than unemployed people in the state. The Kansas Promise Scholarship is determined to combat that problem.Â
âThis is an economic development tool,â said Heather Morgan, the executive director of the Kansas Association of Community Colleges.
KU Faculty Senate discussed potentially moving forward with a no-confidence vote in the university s chancellor and provost, citing a need for transparency in Thursday s meeting.