Dr. Rachel Bates

With more than 20 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Rache Bates serves as the Chief Academic Officer and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Cowley College. In this role, she provides strategic leadership for all academic programs and initiatives that support student learning, credential attainment, and career readiness.

The Vice President of Academic Affairs is the chief academic officer of the college and is responsible for the quality and administration of all certificate and degree instructional programs at all college locations. This position reports to the president and serves as a member of the president’s leadership cabinet.

Dr. Bates oversees academic planning, curriculum development, assessment, and faculty support, ensuring that all instructional offerings meet the highest standards of excellence while aligning with workforce needs and student goals. She has led initiatives to enhance program relevance, improve retention and completion rates, and support continuous improvement across instructional divisions.

Known for a collaborative and solution-focused leadership style, Dr. Bates is committed to fostering an academic environment that promotes instructional quality, operational effectiveness, and innovation. Through strategic leadership and a focus on student success, she works to advance the mission of higher education as a pathway to opportunity, economic mobility, and lifelong achievement.

• PhD – Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum, Mathematics Education – University of Oklahoma
• MEd – Curriculum and Instruction, Wichita State University
• BS – Mathematics, Wichita State University

Current Initiatives:

Kansas Math Pathways

As a member of the Kansas Math Pathways Taskforce, I will use my expertise and experiences with math pathways, corequisite courses, multiple measures and general education mathematics course development to assist with this statewide initiative. The focus of this key initiative is to reduce mathematics remediation and implement system-wide meta-majors. The Kansas Board of Regents seeks to implement proven practices that remove obstacles and advance access, affordability, success, and completion for all students.

Concurrent Enrollment

Cowley College provides opportunities for eligible high school students to start earning college credit prior to graduating from high school. As a member of National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP), Cowley College implements best practices to ensure program quality and improve program access and student engagement.