College launches Kansas Studies Institute

For nearly five years, the state travel and tourism division has proclaimed Kansas is “As Big as You Think.”

Even so, many in Johnson County have yet to learn about the diversity and complexity of the state. Johnson County Community College launched the Kansas Studies Institute this fall to give interested individuals the opportunity to learn and discover more about the Sunflower State, said director of the institute and associate professor of history James Leiker.

The creation of the institute is a “natural outgrowth” of Kansas-related learning opportunities that have been offered at the college for years, he said.

“Out of that came the awareness that there was an interest among our students, faculty and in the community about creating a better knowledge in Johnson County and JCCC in particular about Kansas,” he said.

“I think there is a certain provincialism here. We forget we are part of a much larger state.”

A large portion of what is available through the institute so far is Kansas-related continuing education courses. This spring, courses related to Kansas history and image, water issues, ecology and weather will be offered.

The first KSI courses offered in the fall sold out.

Eventually the college will consider expanding to other curriculum areas, possibly offering Kansas-related economics and art classes, Leiker said. There are also plans to develop a student internship or faculty exchange program to help build relationships with other community colleges and universities around the state, he said.

“The institute is starting on a small basis,” Leiker said. “I hope to do a few things very well rather than do too much, but it is something I hope will grow over the next few years and eventually I’d like to see it play a role in establishing JCCC as a leader in the state as far as drawing bridges to schools and other constituencies around the state and increase our presence statewide.”

The KSI also includes a lecture series, which began with a presentation by Wes Jackson, president of The Land Institute. A yet-to-be named speaker is planned for spring.

The college is also producing an internal film about folk artist M.T. Liggett that will be presented on April 7 in the Hudson Auditorium on the JCCC Campus, College Boulevard and Quivira Road.

“We’ve struck up quite a relationship with him and are putting together a documentary that tries to establish him as someone whose ideas flow out of the Kansas experience,” Leiker said.

There is only one other community college in the country that offers a regional studies program, Leiker said. Sinclair Community College in Ohio offers a program about Appalachian studies. The program was created there to help faculty and students learn more about a growing number of students who came to the college from Appalachia.

“They needed to be brought up to speed about how to relate to that demographic,” he said.

JCCC has seen a similar situation in that more students are coming to the college from small and rural areas, Leiker said.

“As more people are moving to places like Overland Park and Olathe I think they want to know more about the place they just came from,” Leiker said. “Being the largest community college in the state I think we have an obligation to provide that for them.”

The reaction from native Johnson Countians has been positive, he said.

“I think when people live where they do they tend to live their lives within a 10- to 20-mile radius,” Leiker said. “I think as we’re going through all of these different programs and classes they are discovering there is a whole lot more complexity and diversity within a few hours drive than they ever truly realized.”

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