McCoskey Earns KBOR Sunflower Award for Corequisite Innovation

Butler Community College professor Kathy McCoskey has been recognized by the Kansas Board of Regents with the 2026 Sunflower Award for Corequisite Innovation, honoring her leadership in advancing student success through innovative English instruction. 

McCoskey has been instrumental in developing Butler’s Accelerated Learning Program (ALP), a teaching model that pairs developmental coursework with the college-level gateway course English Composition I. Since helping launch the program in 2013, she has contributed to improved outcomes for Butler students and helped shape broader adoption of corequisite models across Kansas. 

“Receiving this award is significant to me because I have worked in the developmental English area for many years and have a heart for our developmental students,” McCoskey said. “It is meaningful and important work.” 

McCoskey has served Butler for 34 years, first as an advisor, then as director of the McConnell Academic Center, and as a full-time professor since 2000. 

“I am grateful for the support and encouragement of Butler administrators over the years to not only grow our ALP program but to develop and lead workshops and trainings for other English educators in the state,” she said. “This has opened doors for me to serve on several KBOR committees with many dedicated and talented educators. To be recognized as a Corequisite Innovator by KBOR is an unexpected honor and encouragement.” 

Jim Buchhorn, chair of Butler’s English Department, said McCoskey’s leadership has had a lasting impact on students and educators alike. 

“Kathy has been an inspirational leader both in the English department here at Butler and in the state of Kansas,” Buchhorn said. “She has helped countless students succeed through her dedication, and all of us in the English department are proud to have her as a colleague and a role model.”