Bethany College will celebrate Kansas Private College Week, as proclaimed by Governor Sam Brownback, from Sept. 16 to 22.
Governor Brownback’s proclamation reads in part that the week recognizes the fact that “Kansas private colleges and universities promote the highest virtues and values and place a priority on developing young people of upstanding personal character and ethical behavior.”
Kansas is home to 18 private, accredited non-profit colleges and universities. According to the Kansas Independent College Association, private colleges serve more than 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students each year. Those institutions award 22% of Kansas’ bachelor’s degrees and 25% of the state’s master’s degrees each year.
Bethany College President Edward F. Leonard III says, “Bethany is proud to be a private college in Kansas. Our graduates have the unique opportunity to gain knowledge in their areas of study—plus senses of vocation, understanding of who they are, and skills for the 21st century. Bethany Swedes succeed!”
Kansas’ private colleges and universities award over $154 million in institutional grants and scholarships annually to help students earn an invaluable college degree. As of 2013, there are over 275,000 living alumni of those 18 private institutions – half of whom live and work in Kansas. These include some of the state’s most influential civic, business and cultural leaders as well as a number of the state’s most celebrated citizens in history.
The Kansas Independent College Association, founding in 1976, is a 501(c)4 organization that works to provide support and services to the independent colleges of the state. Members include Bethany College and Baker University, Benedictine College, Bethel College, Central Christian College, Donnelly College, Friends University, Hesston College, Kansas Wesleyan University, McPherson College, Manhattan Christian College, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Newman University, Ottawa University, Southwestern College, Sterling College, Tabor College, and the University of St. Mary.