Cape community college center will fill quickly, officials say

Cape Girardeau County's first community college center will start with four classrooms and an office at the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center.

A wall will come down to create the office for admissions and financial aid. Other classes will shift around to create space for the four classrooms that will be designated for general education classes.

State education officials gave the go-ahead Thursday for plans to establish a community college center in Cape Girardeau County. At a meeting at Lake Ozark, the Coordinating Board for Higher Education approved the agreement drafted by a local coalition of business and education leaders. The agreement will also have to be approved by the governing board of the involved institutions.

Officials at Three Rivers Community College and Mineral Area College point to their enrollment numbers as evidence of what they expect to happen in Cape Girardeau next fall. Both institutions experienced a 13 percent increase in enrollment for fall classes.

"You do it barrier-free and people are going to come," said Three Rivers president Dr. Devin Stephenson.

High school students attend a certified nursing assistant class Thursday, December 10, 2009, at the Career and Technology Center in Cape Girardeau. The classroom is one of four that will be designated for general education classes at the new community college center in Cape Girardeau County housed at the Career and Technology Center in Cape Girardeau. (Kit Doyle)

The Career and Technology Center does not have an open admissions policy, but the new community college center will.

"We don't foresee these four classrooms lasting long," said Libby Guilliams, director of student services at the center.

The center primarily serves three groups -- students who applied to Southeast but did not meet its moderately selective admissions standards, students who completed the technical portion of their studies during high school and adult students in structured programs like respiratory therapy.

Southeast teaches general education courses, and Mineral Area handles technical training. The arrangement created student confusion that officials hope to eliminate.

"The idea is that if there's four institutions behind the scenes, the students won't know that," Guilliams said.

At the community college center, students will be jointly admitted to Southeast and Three Rivers. Both institutions will share the costs and revenue of the college, and Mineral Area will continue to offer the technical component.

Career and Technology Center director Rich Payne said "explode" is a good term for what he expects to happen.

"The demand will override the capacity in short order," he said.

Aside from the four classrooms, there is no more space to expand the community college program within the Career and Technology Center, Payne said. It is already experiencing increased demand for its services. Next semester will be the first time two sections of intermediate algebra will be offered because more students enrolled in general education classes, he said.

Officials at Southeast have expressed concern about the financial commitment of the new center. Its projected revenue will not be enough to account for the university's possible losses in enrollment and tuition. The university projects it will lose 350 students. During the first year, the center will cost the university $1 million at a time when declining state revenue may result in budget cuts.

Southeast president Dr. Ken Dobbins and members of the board of regents said they wanted to be part of the project to continue providing access for the students they serve through regional centers at Sikeston, Kennett and Malden.

Community college officials said students flooded to their institutions this year and wonder what the effect would have been on a center in Cape Girardeau.

Three Rivers' enrollment increased by 414 students while Mineral Area increased enrollment by 432. Statewide, there was a 11.6 percent increase this fall in community college enrollment.

In general, Stephenson said, community colleges do better when the economy is down, but the higher numbers also reflect a changing trend in higher education.

The growth also increases strain on the colleges' infrastructure, including parking and energy consumption. Stephenson said he is looking at ways to deconcentrate the campus.

He is establishing a center 30 miles east in Dexter to serve students in Stoddard County. The college applied for a $2.75 million grant from the Department of Labor to secure funds for the project.

This fall, Mineral Area experienced a sudden and unexpected surge in enrollment, said president Dr. Steven Kurtz. About 100 students enrolled right before classes started.

"Our staff has never experienced anything like it," he said.

Most of the students had intended to enroll in a four-year university but changed their minds for financial reasons, Kurtz said. As a result, the college added 20 sections of general education courses.

"You have to wonder, if there was a community college in Cape Girardeau, if that institution would have had similar increases," he said.

abusch@semissourian.com

388-3627

Fall enrollment numbers

Three Rivers Mineral Area Missouri

2009 3,534 3,711 103,100

2008 3,120 3,279 92,391

2007 3,190 3,129 89,207

2006 3,002 2,989 86,063

2005 2,939 2,980 86,652

2004 3,277 2,865 83,728

SOURCE: community colleges, Department of Higher Education

Pertinent address:

1080 S. Silver Springs Rd. Cape Girardeau MO

2080 Three Rivers Boulevard Poplar Bluff, MO

5270 Flat River Road Park Hills, MO