Jackson offers 15 acres to Three Rivers for community college

EDITOR'S NOTE: The board of aldermen voted on this issue Aug. 17, not Monday, as originally reported.

The city of Jackson is vying for a location in the ongoing community college debate.

On Aug. 17, the Jackson Board of Alderman approved a 15-acre land donation to Three Rivers Community College.

"If Three Rivers has the opportunity to come here, we want to encourage it," said Mayor Barbara Lohr.

The land is on U.S. 61 south of Fruitland, she said. The Poplar Bluff, Mo.-based college would receive the city-owned land if it decides to build a center on it, she said.

"It's a good location because it's right off the Fruitland exit," she said.

She said the city was in communication with Three Rivers about two years ago when it was looking to open a center in Cape Girardeau County. She said they continued the discussion after a needs analysis determined there was a demand for more higher education opportunities in the area.

Eleven business and education leaders, including Three Rivers, funded the $70,000 study, the results of which were released in April. The coalition met Aug. 19 to hear proposals on the issue.

Southeast Missouri State University and Mineral Area College made a joint proposal to open a higher education center. It would be modeled after the Perryville Higher Education Center, where the two institutions have collaborated for 12 years.

It would also incorporate the technical education already available at the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center. University president Dr. Ken Dobbins said he was looking into locations around the mall. He said he would open a center by fall of 2010.

Three Rivers also proposed opening a center to offer degrees in business administration, education, nursing and computer technology. It would also offer general education courses. Three Rivers president Devin Stephenson said the college could open a center by January.

Jackson has pursued discussions with other institutions looking to establish services in the city.

A representative of Drury University in Springfield, Mo., came to Jackson in May to discuss the possibility of offering classes there. Lohr said she has not had additional discussions with that institution since.

A program that Jackson High School has been working to become certified for would also make the community college option an asset to the community, Lohr said.

The A+ program pays for two years at a community college or technical school for qualified students.

"We do have so many students who do pursue higher education," Lohr said. "So we feel if we were fortunate enough to have a community college here, then this is a wonderful option for their parents too."

abusch@semissourian.com

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