CLAREMORE, Okla. (OBV) – Rogers State University (RSU) in Claremore will launch a Bachelor of Science degree program in elementary education to help remedy Oklahoma’s critical elementary school teacher shortage.
The new program will launch this upcoming fall semester, according to Rogers State University officials.
The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education approved the program in June. The Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability granted its approval on July 16.
Rose State University President Don Raleigh was a public school teacher and administrator in Oklahoma and a former dean for the College of Education at Liberty University. He said the program will provide Oklahoma’s elementary schools critically-needed, college-trained teacher.
“This is truly an historic event for Rogers State, and it will be an impactful one for schools in northeast Oklahoma as they will have greater opportunities to employ well-educated and professionally trained teachers,” Ralegh said. “Establishing a teacher education program continues a commitment from RSU to develop and grow academic programs that address workforce challenges in critical occupational areas.”
Officials with Oklahoma State School Boards Association said Oklahoma has had to heavily rely on alternative emergency certified teachers to fill gaps created by severe teacher shortages.
Oklahoma schools had 1,019 teaching vacancies at the start of the 2022-2023 school year and were on pace to hire record numbers of emergency certified teachers, according to the Oklahoma State School Board Association’s annual teacher staffing survey.
RSU, which is the only public four-year residential university in the Tulsa metro, previously worked with Cameron University to offer an elementary education program on the campus in Claremore. Cameron will finish teaching the program’s seniors before closing its operations at RSU.
It has been decades since an Oklahoma public university pursued approval for a new teacher education program, according to RSU officials.
RSU officials plan to add secondary education and other specialties to the education degree program in the future.
Admission into the program is required. Current RSU students who wish to enroll in the program are asked to contact Skylar Crisenbery, academic advisor for education, at scrisenbery@rsu.edu. New students to RSU should apply to RSU the normal admissions process.
