Wichita State University President John Bardo sat down with the President of Emporia State University Tuesday to sign a dual academic degree agreement.

The agreement allows students to spend three years at ESU and then transfer for two years at WSU’s College of Engineering. The end result would be a bachelor’s degree from ESU in either mathematics or physics and a bachelor’s degree from WSU in one of five engineering disciplines.

Because ESU doesn’t have the curriculum for engineering, Bardo said the partnership should increase the number of engineering students in Kansas.

“There’s a shortage of engineers in Kansas,” he said. “This is very important for all of us.”

It also helps ESU’s graduation rate because students who transfer from ESU and participate in the program will be graduates of ESU and WSU.

Bardo said this partnership will be good for students, the state of Kansas and the United States.

“This is absolutely critical to the future of our state,” he said. “Outside of the United States, they’re educating engineers and scientists, they’re supporting them, they’re developing their economy around [them] and we need to make sure we don’t fall behind.”

ESU President Michael Shonrock agreed.

“The world is changing and we need to do everything we can to best prepare the future generations for the challenges yet to come,” he said.

Although the dual-degree agreement is being implemented now, Bardo thinks it could take time for it to grow.

“These things tend to start off small because the students don’t know that they can do this when they’re [at ESU],” Bardo said. “Now that we can recruit to it, it gives [ESU] a real opportunity to recruit some fine students but it also gives us an opportunity to see a broader base of students than we normally would.”

Chairman and professor of aerospace engineering at WSU Scott Miller said that students going through a program like this are prepared and have a “refreshing drive and hunger.”

“[The agreement] should be beneficial to all involved,” he said.

The dual-degree agreement works with degrees in physics and mathematics at ESU and degrees in aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, industrial and manufacturing engineering, mechanical engineering and engineering technology at WSU.