Affordable Academic Excellence in the Wired, Wired West

Over 100 years ago, cowboys roamed the plains in the old wild, wild west. Today, the plains of Kansas are 'wired', with the latest fiber optics networks creating a fast paced learning environment for international students. Kansas is located in the heart of the United States, with neighboring states of Colorado to the west and Missouri to the east. The state has easy access by air and highway to both coasts.

International students come from all over the world to study in Kansas. The state offers a friendly Midwestern hospitality, where higher education is economically priced within high tech campus environments rich in research and internship opportunities .

Living in Kansas is also fairly inexpensive. Kansans enjoy a high quality of life, and has one of the lowest cost of living indexes in the U.S. According to the Kansas Department of Commerce & Housing 1999 statistics, Kansas has a 93 cost of living index, compared to the national average of 100.

Kansas offers a research and teaching environment that supports and cultivates new technologies. Coordinator of International Affairs at Fort Hays State University Noppadon Moapichai believes that Kansas is an ideal location for international study. "Kansas colleges and universities are a very safe and affordable place to study. I have recruited students from all over the world and they enjoy the small class sizes, quality instruction, friendly atmosphere and high tech environment."

Kansas offers international students a variety of choices, with six public institutions along with Kansas's nineteen community colleges, eleven technical schools, and one municipal university. Kansas ranks third in the U.S. for percent of population enrolled in public higher education. Many of the Kansas community colleges and Universities have fully wired residence halls, allowing students to complete their school assignments by computers connected to the internet without ever leaving their housing facility.

The University of Kansas is located in Lawrence, and enrolls students from more than 100 countries. Kansas State University is a major research university with a total student body of over 18,000, with its main campus in Manhattan. Fort Hays State University offers over 200 courses to international students on-line through their virtual college, and has one of the best on-campus graphic design programs in the United States. Wichita State University is a comprehensive metropolitan university, which houses the National Institute for Avionics Research. The Center for Design, Development & Production at Pittsburg State University is known world-wide; and Emporia, State University houses the nation's only Community Analysis Research Institute.

But there is more to do than just study in Kansas! Kansas is home to many museums and attractions. The Hutchinson's Cosmophere has one of the world's largest collections of USA space program artifacts, and gives a spectacular look at space with the IMAX dome theater. The air capital of the world is located in Wichita, and visitors travel from all over the world to see the Kansas Aviation Museum. The Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays house three million specimens, along with animated large scale dinosaurs that bring the past back to life. From sporting events, theatre, blues to ballet you'll find a rich cultural experience in Kansas.

With the growth of online and distance learning, Kansas universities and community colleges also offer educational opportunities to international students at a distance. Edukan.org is an alliance of six community colleges in western Kansas. Edukan Director Matt Gotchall said the alliance is a great way for international students to take courses economically and conveniently to create general studies requirements.

The Heartland Alliance is an alliance of over 17 institutions in Kansas that offer courses on-line. Dean of the Virtual College Cindy Elliott at Fort Hays State University said that distance learning courses offered through the Heartland Alliance are very affordable for international students. "Our University offers undergraduate credit for around $80 per credit hour and $108 per hour for graduate credit. It's not all that uncommon for students to take some classes on-line and some course on campus". Many degree programs are available completely on-line from several Kansas Universities.

Whether students study on-line or on-campus, they are sure to find academic excellence with Kansas higher education offerings.

Discover the advantages of higher education in Kansas. Quality programs at two and four-year institutions of higher education are located across the state.

On-line information
For information on the heartland alliance, which offers on-line courses from several Kansas colleges and Universities visit the website at: http://web.jccc.net/edtech/heartland

On-campus information
The Kansas Board of Regents is a nine-member body that governs the six public universities, supervises and coordinates nineteen community colleges, eleven technical schools and colleges, and one municipal university. To view the homepages of all of these institutions visit www.kansasregents.org and click on the university or community college link.

Author
Tonja Vallin
Marketing Director
Fort Hayes State University, Kansas