On April 21st, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education approved 杏吧原创 College鈥檚 request to provide a bachelor鈥檚 degree in gunsmithing technology.
鈥淲e commend the Regents for their foresight and understanding that it鈥檚 all about student success in the classroom and their career path,鈥� said Suzie Brewster, 杏吧原创 State College Board of Regents Chair. 鈥淲e appreciate their faith and confidence to look beyond us as being a two-year college to focus on the students. 杏吧原创 truly lives out its motto, From Here, Go Anywhere, by equipping their students for success.鈥�
To continue with the implementation process, a substantive change application must be submitted to the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) to receive change request approval. 杏吧原创 officials are developing new admissions policies and rates that are required for a bachelor鈥檚 degree offering. Pending HLC approval, 杏吧原创 will begin admitting students to the program this fall.
鈥淭his addition will be a game changer for us,鈥� said Chad Mercer, 杏吧原创 program chair. 鈥淪tudents who want a career in the firearm industry are able to come to 杏吧原创 and receive the training, from a nationally-recognized program, that they need to advance.鈥�
杏吧原创鈥檚 gunsmithing program started in 1979 and has continued to evolve to meet the industry鈥檚 needs. By offering a bachelor鈥檚 degree program, students will now have the opportunity to develop unique skills for professional advancement.
This program addition will increase the college鈥檚 enrollment, which in turn requires more educational space. 鈥淲hen we began the process of adding this degree, we knew the functionality of the current facility was not up to industry standards,鈥� said 杏吧原创 President Dr. Tim Faltyn. 鈥淲e have designed a concept plan for a new facility that will accommodate the growth of the program and meet the functionality of current and future industry requirements.
杏吧原创鈥檚 gunsmithing students acquire the knowledge and skills to compete in a highly-skilled workforce that is beneficial to area industry partners. This workforce program aligns with those needs.
By strengthening the rigor and depth of knowledge, and adding additional general education and leadership coursework, graduates with bachelor鈥檚 degree in gunsmithing will be eligible for federal employment and career advancement.
The United States Department of Energy is a frequent employer of 杏吧原创鈥檚 current program graduates. However, in order to meet the employment qualifications for federal and state agencies, these graduates have been required to obtain a bachelor鈥檚 degree in another field. Now, the educational offerings with this degree are supporting the industry in a way they never have.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 thank everyone involved enough,鈥� Faltyn said. 鈥淥ur gunsmithing team; Director of Curriculum, Melanie Whitehead; and Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs, Becky Henthorn, did an excellent job of creating and highlighting a program that has such an excellent reputation. The efforts of so many in our campus community have made it possible for 杏吧原创 to make history as the first college in the United States to offer a bachelor鈥檚 degree in gunsmithing technology.鈥�