March 13, 2002

LMC and WMU Present Elementary Education Career Information Workshop

BENTON TOWNSHIP - Lake Michigan College and Western Michigan University are presenting a workshop for people interested in learning more about careers in elementary education. The session will be held Wednesday, March 27 from 7 - 9 p.m. at the LMC Mendel Center in Benton Harbor.

Representatives from LMC and WMU will present information about preparing for an elementary education career and discuss the new program partnership between the two schools. WMU representatives will also be on hand to talk about their master's degree program in Education.

Elementary Education is one of the programs on which WMU will be partnering with LMC when the new WMU Southwest Campus opens on LMC's Napier Avenue Campus this coming fall. Through the partnership, students will be able to earn their bachelor degree in elementary education entirely on LMC's Napier Avenue Campus. They will take the first two years of their degree through LMC at LMC tuition rates. Students then will seamlessly complete the third and fourth years of the bachelor degree program at WMU's new campus.

"This partnership between Lake Michigan College and Western Michigan University will open a lot of doors for students in our area," according to LMC's Dean of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Margaret Hale-Smith. "Through this partnership, we are creating a high-quality program that will allow students to take advantage of LMC's small class sizes and low tuition rates for the first two years of the program and complete the final two years of their bachelor degree without ever having to leave the area."

Freshmen entering the Elementary Education program will be dually enrolled in LMC and WMU. Among the benefits for these students is that financial aid eligibility will be based on their status as a WMU student, making them eligible for more aid while still paying LMC tuition rates during the first two year. Students who start at LMC and transfer to WMU's Southwest Campus will also be given preference over students attending other WMU campuses for enrollment in Elementary Education classes offered locally. The new program partnership also gives students another opportunity to gain acceptance into WMU's popular Elementary Education program.

"Western has the third largest elementary education program in the country," according to Leonard Seawood, Director of WMU's Southwest Campus. "As the number of applicants to the program on the main campus continues to grow, students enrolled in the program through this partnership will have priority registration for courses and will not have to travel to Kalamazoo for courses unless they desire. This will enable them to complete the program in a timely manner."

Current and future employment outlooks in the field of elementary education are strong due to a couple of notable trends. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, national elementary school enrollment is expected to increase by 17 percent by 2008. This coupled with a nationwide move toward class size reduction efforts will lead to new teaching positions being created.

Based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2002-2010 employment projections, there will be an estimated 13.2 percent increase in the number of elementary school teaching positions by the year 2010. Additionally, even more new teachers will be needed to replace teachers who retire or leave the field.

For more information about the Elementary Education workshop or to reserve a seat, contact Denise Martin at (269) 927-8100 ext. 2988 or (800) 252-1562 ext. 2988.