in the program. Many suggested that the program will attract more interest if it offers teachers an opportunity to complete a professional rank change. Some teachers also noted that a lack of science-related degree opportunities in the KSU region compels teachers seeking advancement to pursue graduate degrees in administration or counseling. Comments made by the teachers are included in appendix B1.
Based on the overwhelmingly positive response to the two limited surveys, it is believed that there will be a strong demand for the proposed KSU MES program. It is also anticipated that the program will have wide appeal among recent college graduates, including KSU graduates.
Recent Environmental Education Initiatives at KSU:
Since 2002, KSU has been building experience in the area of environmental education teacher preparation. KSU is a member of the Kentucky University Partnership for Environmental Education (KUPEE), which serves as the “umbrella” organization for environmental education in higher education in Kentucky. As a result of a legislative mandate to establish a center for environmental education at each of the eight state universities in Kentucky, a center for the KSU service region in the state was initiated in 2002. The mission of the Center is to facilitate both in-service and pre-service teacher training in environmental education in KSU’s service area, to incorporate environmental topics into new and existing courses in departments across the campus, and to serve as an information clearing house.
Since 2002, KSU has offered eight teacher workshops in the areas of water quality, watershed modeling, and biodiversity. Some of these workshops were offered in partnership with Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), one of the eight KUPEE universities. Other partners in planning and delivering workshops have included the Land Grant research and agricultural extension side of KSU, the Kentucky Department of Education, and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Resource materials were purchased for the teachers to take back to their classrooms, and other materials were provided by the Kentucky Division of Water, the Kentucky Department of Forestry, the Nature Preserves Commission, the local Conservation District, the Kentucky Environmental Education Council, and the Environmental Quality
48