Bethany Lutheran College is pleased to announce the formal approval from the Minnesota Professional Educator and Standards Licensing Board (PESLB) for two new programs at the College. Education professors, Drs. Carrie Pfeifer and Alanna Lienig, developed a new special education major, and the Education Department jointly created an endorsement program for pre-primary grades.

In a recent press release regarding these programs Pfeifer explained, “There is a teacher shortage in the United States and in Minnesota and a critical shortage in special education. In conducting a feasibility study for the major, there was a consistent request for a degree in special education. Bethany has a history of training highly qualified and competent educators that are greatly sought after for their professional excellence and Christian compassion. In a field such as special education these qualities are even more important.”

The new pre-primary endorsement is an add-on to K-6 licensure, giving teachers the training and required permission to teach ages three through sixth grade. With the advent of funded, voluntary pre-kindergarten in Minnesota public schools, the need for trained and licensed teachers is essential.

The Bethany Lutheran College Board of Regents approved both the special education major and the pre-primary endorsement at their November 2017 Quarterly Meeting, and these new ventures are now fully operational with the PESLB approval.

For more information about these education programs and Bethany’s other excellent academic offerings, please contact our admissions office at 800-944-3066.