College Student Earns Six Degrees

Donald Harter is taking curiosity to the nth degree.

After he retired as a real estate developer in 1980, he started taking courses at Wichita State University just for fun.

Six bachelor’s degrees later - more than any other student on record - Harter, 68, is showing no signs of slowing down.

“There was so much I didn’t know,” he said. “And I can’t stand the thought of never being any smarter.”

His liberal arts education included courses in psychology, anthropology, women’s studies, sociology, gerontology, minority studies, philosophy, computer programming, Greek history, Zen and Taoism - and the list goes on.

He recently transferred to the College of Fine Arts and is taking lithography and painting toward a degree in studio arts.