Marian University’ Ancilla College
Marian University’s Ancilla College Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education LaunchMarian University Ancilla College
Marian University’s Ancilla College Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education Launch
Between 2020 and 2023, over 51,000 teachers and educational staff left their jobs in the U.S, translating to over 2,300 unfilled teaching positions in the state of Indiana. The South Bend area was hit particularly hard, experiencing teacher shortages in nearly every subject, including math, science, language arts, world languages, art and music education, special education, and career and technical programs.
Marian University’s Ancilla College (MUAC) moved boldly to help address Indiana’s shortage by launching the nationally recognized Klipsch Educators College (KEC) at Marian. With the launch, students throughout the region wishing to pursue a career in teaching now had another option in MUAC, and could pursue Associate, Bachelor, and Master of Arts in Elementary Education degrees interwoven with the Science of Reading instructional program. To bring their plan full circle, MUAC is working to bolster enrollment in the new school from St. Joseph and Elkhart counties (already 52% of campus), then coordinating with the region’s school systems in a win-win to help place future graduates in open teaching positions in K-12 schools.
MUAC submitted a grant proposal to help fund the development and launch of the new Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education program. The Foundation, longtime supporters of sustainable investment in education, welcomed the opportunity to help address our region’s shortage of educators, and agreed to fund a grant.
