Headline: School District Partners With GCU
BOBBY ARDOIN
Editor/Consulting Writer
St. Landry School District officials announced a comprehensive academic partnership with Grand Canyon University Monday night during a celebratory signing ceremony at Prejean’s Restaurant in Carencro.
“This is a rather unique partnering for us with a major university, since it provides educational and degree opportunities that includes students, employees board members and parents who are associated with the District,” said Superintendent Milton Batiste III.
GCU recruiting and development counselor Christie McKinley said the partnership with St. Landry is the first for the university in the 13-parish Southwest Louisiana area.
McKinley said in an interview that GCU, located in Phoenix, Az., has maintained a similar academic arrangement with the East Baton Rouge School District and Charter Schools USA.
So far GCU has received 100 applications for potential enrollment, McKinley noted.
District personnel director Kellie Rabalaiis said she and several other St. Landry administrators visited the GCU campus in November.
It was during the visit Rabalais said, that the arrangement with GCU was a suitable fit for St. Landry.
“The (GCU) campus is just amazing and after spending time there we decided to proceed with the partnership,” Rabalais said on Monday night.
McKinley in a separate interview verified the reaction of the visiting St. Landry contingent.
“I think when they saw the campus and met with us, there was little doubt that (St. Landry) wanted to sign the partnership that we are seeing here (Monday night),” McKinley said.
McKinley said she expect the District-GCU partnership and scholarship benefits are particularly attractive for paraprofessional employees attempting to obtain certification in order to become classroom teachers.
Although the physical campus site is located in Arizona, McKinley added that she is located in Lafayette.
GCU has 24,600 on-campus students and another 98,300 who attend the campus through online learning.
Her proximity to the St. Landry students, employees and family members who enroll on-line at GCU provides a local liaison who is available to handle any inquiries and issues that might arise, McKinley said.
The GCU partnership learning model McKinley said, is scholarship based, meaning that enrollees won’t normally pay in full for the degrees they pursue.
According to information provided by GCU, the scholarship program applies to on-line degree programs, evening cohorts, non-degree single courses and continuing teacher education courses.
Faculty, staff and board members can receive 10 percent GCU scholarships, while paraprofessionals and classified employees entering bachelor’s degree programs through the College of Education, a secondary education emphasis degree program or bachelor of sciences program in applied management, can obtain a 15 percent scholarship.
Parents of student enrolled in qualifying degree programs can experience scholarships as much as 10 percent, information provided by GCU indicates.
Those attending GCU online and in person can receive professional development and one-on-one assistance, said McKinley.
McKinley added that GCU has advanced degree programs, dual enrollment opportunities for high school students and online commencement.
