WKU Elizabethtown – Fort Knox News

Twenty-two military instructors from around the U.S. recently completed the Master Educator Course (MEC) and were honored at a Closing Ceremony at Fort Knox on November 2, 2018.

The MEC program is for active-duty Army leaders who want to learn more effective methods for training others, making the program ideal for ROTC program instructors. 

According to Bea Cobb, WKU military programs manager at Fort Knox, most universities have an ROTC program that is led by military professionals who serve as instructors. This program provides the teaching skills they need to share their knowledge with their students.  

Through a partnership with the US Army Cadet Command and UL, this program is a joint venture between the academic programs in Leadership Studies and the School of Teacher Education. The program uses a hybrid format, combining face-to-face and online instruction. Students spent a month on site at Fort Knox and are now completing the semester online. They will earn 16 credit hours and receive the Organizational Leadership certificate. Students have the opportunity to continue coursework following the program and earn an associate, bachelor’s or graduate degree. 

"Leadership is about the ability to empower and influence others toward a common goal, and no one exudes that definition more so than these soldiers in the Master Educator Course," said Dr. Kristie Guffey, assistant professor of Organizational Leadership in the WKU School of Professional Studies.  

"Their passion to learn more about leadership, earn their Organizational Leadership Certificate and, for many, to complete their bachelor’s degree at WKU is simply contagious! We are proud to work with the best within the United States Army." 

Dr. Wren Mills, the on-site program director, said that faculty "have embraced the opportunity to share their knowledge of pedagogy and the craft of teaching with a new set of learners in a very unique setting. Partnering with the U.S. Army has been a very enriching experience." 

To date, WKU has served three cohorts with a combined enrollment of 93 students. Cadet Command is currently receiving applications for the next MEC cohort that begins January 12, 2019.  

To learn more about the leaders in teh MEC program, watch this video. Additional information is also available at https://www.wku.edu/cohort/mec/index.php.