Cape College Center reopens for fall with Mineral Area in lead

With classes set to begin next week, Cape College Center reopened Monday with Mineral Area College leading the way.

The MAC-branded center, located next door to Cape Girardeau Central High School, serves as a conduit for secondary and post-secondary students to receive general education courses and technical training, though at this time the center will only offer academic courses. The courses, coupled with technical training at the center and/or the public school district's Career and Technology Center, lead to job training certificates, associate degrees and/or further education.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Joseph Gilgour, MAC president, touted the entity as a local economy driver.

"We're honored to be chosen to provide ... quality, affordable education, and in addition to general education we are offering, we will soon be expanding into more technical programs to help do training for workforce development, help students in this region get certificates, get hired. They can stay local and not go to tech colleges outside of this region," he said.

Neil Glass, Cape Girardeau School District's superintendent, contended the center will serve a wide audience of students from varying socioeconomic situations.

"Today marks the addition of another great educational institution, as a valuable resource that can lead students of all walks to a brighter tomorrow," he said, pointing to affordability as a key element to any higher education in the area.

Scott Smith, superintendent of Jackson School District, echoed the workforce development potential of the center and said Jackson students will benefit from its programs.

University participation

Previously, the center had operated with several entities — Southeast Missouri State University, Three Rivers College and MAC — offering training and academic programs under the umbrella of the Cape Girardeau School district. MAC purchased rights to offer academic courses in this area from Three Rivers, setting up a dispute earlier this year between MAC and SEMO over which entity would ultimately provide those courses. The state Coordinating Board for Higher Education in June approved about four dozen of MAC's academic course offerings for a five-year period.

While SEMO will not offer courses or concurrent credit at the center, the university will have an office there to assist students who wish to enroll. Carlos Vargas, SEMO president, said the university's presence at the center will ease transfers from MAC to the university and provide more "opportunities" for students.

Monday, Gilgour noted existing agreements with Central Methodist University, a private school in Fayette, Missouri, will allow that school to offer a number of academic programs through the college center.

Jeff Williams, Central Methodist regional site coordinator, said the university has partnered with MAC since 1989 and will offer about 30 undergraduate and a "handful" of graduate degrees through the center, with those courses being provided online. Degree programs include accounting, criminal justice and business.

"We really appeal to that student who, sometimes is the non-traditional student ... they are already out there working. The opportunity for online education is what they really need," Williams said.