College of Ozarks may replace aviation with nursing school

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. -- Officials at the College of the Ozarks are considering replacing the school's struggling aviation maintenance degree program -- scheduled to be phased out -- with a nursing program.

The nursing school might attract a greater number of students, college spokeswoman Camille Howell said Friday.

In the past, Howell said, "There was a lot of interest in aviation, and it was an exciting and growing field. Now the college has to look forward to how it can best serve students, and not look back."

The decision comes as another Missouri school plans to expand its nursing program in response to a nationwide nursing shortage. Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph announced plans to add another 10 slots to its five-semester nursing program in January.

On Friday, College of the Ozarks president Jerry Davis announced the decision to wind down the aviation maintenance program and said the school might also close its airport.

Davis said the M. Graham Clark Airport has become a drain on funds. The money spent on the airport, he said, could be used to support program that would benefit more of the school's 1,350 students.

The aviation program will end after everyone now enrolled has been trained. The school will continue a minor program for students who want to get their pilot's licenses.

The mechanics program now enrolls 64 students. The Federal Aviation Administration permits up to 100 students to enroll, but that limit has not been met for the past four years.

The program has a capacity of 200 students, but a recent spike in the amount of applications prompted Western officials to consider hiring more nursing faculty and enrolling more students.

Eventually, the program will allow for 250 students a year to earn a nursing degree.

Kathleen Andrews, Western's nursing school chairwoman, said she received 120 applications for the January expansion and could admit only 50 of them -- including the 10 included in the expansion.

The Missouri State Board of Nursing approved the expansion of the program, which includes hiring five extra faculty members on a gradual basis.