It is testimony to Johnson County’s reputation for outstanding education that so many four-year colleges and universities with main campuses elsewhere want to have a presence here. Baker University, Benedictine College, Friends University, Ottawa University, Pittsburg State University, Saint Mary College, National American University and the University of Kansas all have reached out to educate Johnson County residents. One other four-year institution—Mid-America Nazarene—is native to the area.

Of these institutions of higher learning, MidAmerica Nazarene University is the only one to target the traditional liberal arts student straight out of high school who is looking for the on-campus living experience. Many of the other schools offer what they call “completion” programs—essentially the second two years of a four-year degree. The students accepted into these programs typically come from a community college with an associate’s degree.

Names like Baker University’s School of Professional and Graduate Studies, Ottawa University’s Kansas City Adult Center, and Saint Mary College’s Center for Graduate and Continuing Studies are the best indicator of the schools’ target markets, however. As the names imply, these institutions set their sights on the adult student looking to complete post-graduate work or to gain additional career training. For the most part, classes are scheduled outside of business hours to accommodate the working student.

Johnson Countians take these institutions seriously. The Edwards Campus of the University of Kansas, for example, has experienced 23-percent growth in its enrollment by credit hours since 1997, and for programs offered at both the Edwards and Lawrence campuses, the Edwards Campus accounts for 56 percent of KU graduate credit hours.

Brown Mackie College and Johnson County Community College provide a crucial bridge to the four-year colleges with their associate’s degree programs. JCCC in particular, with its brick buildings, miles of green space and 1,250-seat Yardley Hall, rivals the learning environment of any four-year institution. Indeed, JCCC is the state’s third-largest institution of higher education and the largest of its 19 community colleges.

With over 40,000 new graduates annually, the region’s institutions of higher learning provide Johnson County residents with ample opportunities for life-long learning.