Kansas State University joins Cowley County Community College to offer 2-year milling science degree

Kansas State University and Cowley County Community College will partner on an associate degree in milling science that could make use of grain stored in this Mullinville elevator on U.S. Highway 54. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA — The Kansas Board of Regents approved a proposal from Kansas State University to work with Cowley County Community College to offer an associate degree in milling science after opposition from community and technical colleges threatened to derail the initiative.

Kansas State administrators sought permission to make use of its extensive milling science infrastructure and faculty to develop their own 60 credit-hour degree in the subject. The idea of an online alternative to K-State’s 120-credit program — the only bachelor’s degree in milling science in the United States — was endorsed by Cargill, Seaboard Foods, Hill’s Pet Nutrition and several trade associations.

“The proposal reflects our land-grant mission,” said Jesse Perez Mendez, the provost at K-State. “The demand for skilled professionals in supervisory, operational and technical roles in milling, baking, feed and pet food is significant.”

However, Kansas’ two-year community and technical colleges raised objections to the original proposal by K-State to invade their academic domain by single-handedly launching an associate degree.

“The community and technical college’s mission is squarely in the area that K-State is trying to stray,” said Heather Morgan, executive director of the Kansas Association of Community Colleges. “This situation will impact the trust between the colleges and K-State in future potential partnerships.”

Ray Frederick, chair of the Kansas Postsecondary Technical Education Authority, likewise challenged K-State’s proposal for its associate degree in milling. He pointed to Board of Regents policy discouraging state universities from offering associate degrees in academic or technical programs where a baccalaureate existed. K-State offers four bachelor’s degrees in grain science and industry, he said.

Subsequently, K-State put together a cooperative agreement with Cowley County Community College to jointly offer the associate degree. Under the arrangement, Cowley County students would be able to apply certificate credits toward the associate degree at K-State.

It was enough to convince the Board of Regents last week to endorse the academic program.

“I think the collaboration is very important,” said Alysia Johnston, a member of the Board of Regents. “It strengthens your program and certainly strengthens the ability of students to be able to have a seamless path, and also helps business and industry.”

The curriculum would accommodate industry professionals seeking to earn a degree online while maintaining their job and would serve traditional students aiming to complete a two-year technical degree before entering the food manufacturing or grain processing workforce.

A collection of agriculture companies and lobbying organizations offered support for K-State’s campaign to create the associate degree in Kansas.

“By offering this targeted training, current and future employees will be able to bring expertise to mills throughout Kansas, reflective of the state’s position as a grain production leader,” said Nicholas Rozzi, vice president of product development at Hill’s Pet Nutrition in Topeka.

Not every supervisory or management position at food and feed production facilities required the traditional four-year college degree, said Scott Eilert, a vice president at Cargill Protein and Salt.

He said an online associate degree would better fit the life circumstance of milling employees unable to devote themselves to a degree program that could take four years or more to finish.

Jane DeMarchi, president of the North American Millers’ Association, said the organization supported the existing four-year milling degree at K-State but was convinced the secondary credential would add to the employee pipeline for companies processing wheat, corn, oats or rye into flour.

“Our hope is that current working employees will be able to advance their careers by earning an AAS degree while working full-time,” she said.