WKU Regional Campus News

Western Kentucky University will partner with Somerset Community College to offer a new teaching program in the Somerset area. The announcement came at a press conference Monday morning.

Through the University Center of Southern Kentucky, a consortium of postsecondary educational institutions to bring higher education to the area, WKU will offer a hybrid middle grades math and science teacher education program called SKyTeach.

SKyTeach is an interdisciplinary program offered through WKU’s College of Education and Behavioral Sciences and Ogden College of Science and Engineering. 

Dr. Corinne Murphy, dean of the College of Education & Behavioral Sciences at WKU, spoke at the press conference and highlighted the tremendous need in the region for qualified science and math teachers.

“Education is key to economic viability,” said Murphy. “That is especially evident as we strive to prepare students for their roles in the K-12 classroom to educate those who will be our future.”

WKU’s SKyTeach is a nationally-recognized bachelor completion program which leads to middle grades math and science teacher education.  Students can earn a teaching certificate in middle grades math education, middle grades science education, or be dually certified in both. 

The program will offer a variety of course delivery methods including face-to-face, online, and hybrid formats. Advisors from the WKU in Glasgow campus and the WKU Transfer Center will work with students at the Center and guide them throughout the process, from enrollment to graduation.  

“This partnership will improve access to additional educational offerings,” added Murphy. “By bringing the SKyTeach program to Somerset, WKU will not only impact the lives of the students who seize this opportunity, but also the lives of generations of students to come who will benefit from the education these future teachers will receive.”

Faculty members Dr. Martha Day and Dr. Les Pesterfield are co-directors of the program. The Division of Extended Learning & Outreach at WKU (DELO) will provide student support services, regional campus resources and online course options.

For more information about this program, visit the SKyTeach website.

Under the direction of the Division of Extended Learning and Outreach (DELO), WKU regional campuses bring the academic resources of WKU to citizens throughout the region. WKU’s regional campuses provide in-person, online and hybrid delivery formats and academic programs that meet the unique needs of each community.