 Many of the innovative
technical programs in the
Wichita area are based out of Butler’s Advanced Technology Center in
Andover. What is the purpose of a college education? The answer to this question is the source of a great deal of debate in the blogosphere and among educational theorists in the academic community. There are those who believe that a traditional liberal arts education is what students need. They believe that unless students understand the cultural and intellectual history of Western civilization, they will not be able to think critically about future problems. Liberal arts proponents contend that universities are meant to produce leaders, not churn out graduates with degrees designed purely to facilitate a vocation. At the other end of the spectrum is the view that what young people need most of all when they finish college are marketable skills that will allow them to become productive, working members of society. Some proponents of vocational degrees might contend that a liberal arts education may be a noble goal, but in an era of bad economic times a graduate’s first task is not to better understand the philosophical underpinnings of Western civilization, but to find gainful employment in a growing industry with good earning potential. Luckily for local students, this debate is not an either/or proposition, according to Jackie Vietti, president of Butler County Community College. Vietti believes that local universities like Butler can provide both a traditional liberal arts education and also train students in areas of study that will lead them to practical careers. “Employers want people who can communicate effectively and problem-solve, skills that are taught in the general education courses at Butler. They also want employees who can apply technical skills. Between 60% and 80% of jobs require some sort of specific technical skill. Butler can also meet that need,” says Vietti.
 Butler has built multiple learning labs at its Andover campus that allow
students to practice their skills. Many of the innovative technical programs in the Wichita area are based out of Butler’s Advanced Technology Center in Andover. Pedro Leite, dean of technical education and the Advanced Technology Center for Butler, oversees a number of programs designed to meet the needs of students who want to work with advanced technology. “Recently, a number of students in our engineering technology program designed the renovation of a bathroom and kitchen for a young woman who, due to a tragic accident, became wheelchair bound,” says Leite. The students worked with a local construction firm, which chose several of the students’ designs to use in the actual construction of the bathroom and kitchen. This gave the students valuable experience in both design and seeing the design come to life in an actual construction project. The added benefit of helping a family in need was also a big part of what made this a tremendous learning experience, according to Vietti. Butler has built multiple learning labs at its Andover campus that allow students to practice their skills. The 3-D design lab allows students to create designs of objects, like an ergonomically pleasing hand drill, and then “print” that design using a 3-D prototype printer. The 3-D prototype printer takes the computer design and then “prints” it by laying down successive layers of material. All of a sudden, what had been a design on a computer screen becomes an actual hand drill prototype you can hold in your hand. “I recently gave a tour of our facilities to an employee of a large university. He was very impressed with the quality of the high-tech equipment he found here, and compared it favorably with what many four-year universities have,” says Leite. “Why make it an either/or proposition for liberal arts and technical education, when there is a need for both?” asks President Vietti. The cyber security lab, composites lab, closed captioning lab and manufacturing lab/machine shop all provide unique opportunities for students at Butler to practice their skills. Whether its creating objects with composite materials, practicing real-time stenography and voice reporting or learning the ins and outs of protecting networks from hackers, these labs allow students access to advanced technology which they can use to practice the skills they learn in the classroom. “Both the artistically-inclined and the technically-inclined students can find a program that suits them in the Advanced Technology Center,” says Leite. Elsewhere at Butler, Tiffani Price is working to mold the hospitality management program into a regional dynamo. Currently, the program works to educate students in the art of managing hotels and restaurants, and planning small and large events for conventions. “The Hyatt in downtown Wichita has hired several of our graduates. We’ve also worked with Go Wichita,” says Price. “Apprenticeship is a huge part of what we do. We expose students to outside events, tours and internships that provide actual experience in the field.” Eventually, Price’s goal is to start a student-run hotel that will operate as a learning center for the program’s students, while also providing a valuable service to the local community. Price also is in the early stages of developing a program in the culinary arts. She envisions a program that will eventually be able to graduate well-trained chefs who can staff restaurants throughout south-central Kansas. Butler County Community College is one of several local universities that provides both a quality liberal arts and technical education. Newman University has been providing quality education in vocational fields for a number of years. The MBA, nursing and allied health programs are very popular with students looking to enter into growing career fields or take their current careers to the next level. According to Ken Arnold, director of editorial services, one of the most exciting developments at Newman is in the liberal arts. The Newman Studies Program (NSP) is now required for all students who complete a degree at Newman University. It is a unique approach to the “core curriculum” that many universities put at the center of their educational philosophies. Based on the writings of Cardinal John Newman, the university’s namesake, the NSP has a three-tiered approach. The first tier focuses on learning skills like writing, communication, math and technology that provide students with useful knowledge. The second tier provides students with general knowledge of history, science and philosophy, which have intrinsic value to a well-rounded citizen. The third and final tier synthesizes the skills and knowledge students have learned in the first two tiers and allows them to apply this knowledge to more complex issues and problems. Students in the third tier will conduct a research project that will do just that. “We are making a conscious effort to educate Newman’s students mentally, socially and spiritually. The Newman Studies Program is designed to be more than memorization of facts. It’s something you use for life. It’s about forging connections between different ideas and disciplines,” says Arnold. The debate over the proper role of the university will likely continue ad nauseam. However, as long as local universities continue to provide students quality technical educations backed up by solid liberal arts curricula, students in the Wichita metro area will continue to get the best of both worlds. “Why make it an either/or proposition for liberal arts and technical education, when there is a need for both?” asks President Vietti.
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