Partnership for Higher Education discusses student tracking, increase in A+ students, marketing

Southeast Missouri's big three of higher education discussed Wednesday the effects that better tracking of students, efforts to step up marketing and an increase in A+ scholarship students might have on the growth and viability of their community college partnership.

The advisory council for the Cape Girardeau Partnership for Higher Education meets twice yearly and consists of the members of the colleges' administration, local public school superintendents, elected officials and other regional business and educational representatives. Meetings are attended by the presidents of Southeast Missouri State University, Three Rivers College and Mineral Area College.

The Partnership began offering courses at the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center in 2010.

Leaders of the partnering schools have voiced concerns during the past year about the viability of the Partnership past the end of a three-year agreement due to lower-than-expected enrollment numbers.

But Partnership staff told the council Wednesday that numbers of students enrolling for fall are close to numbers from the same period last year and that new data tracking methods showing enrollment trends and retention rates will soon be available.

A goal of enrolling 350 students in fall 2012 was set when talks of the Partnership began, staff members have said.

Southeast president Dr. Ken Dobbins said a concern of the university is the retention rate for students from fall 2010 to fall 2011, shown in current enrollment data at 36 percent.

"Overall, we believe the partnership is doing what it was designed to do," Dobbins said. "But I think it's needed for us to look at why this is 36 percent."

The retention rate for students from fall 2010 to spring 2011 was 61 percent. From fall 2011 to spring 2012 it was 68 percent.

Mineral Area president Steve Kurtz said that school's retention rates were normally a little higher.

Eighty percent of the Partnership's students come from Cape Girardeau County. Spring 2012 had an enrollment of 227 students. Fifty-two percent were full-time students.

Tinea Ortega, academic adviser for the Partnership and an advisory council member, said the percentages for student retention include students seeking associates degrees who are taking prerequisites and transfer for several semesters to Mineral Area or other community colleges and then return to the Partnership. She said that better ways recently used to track students show the percentages are off for that reason.

Ortega told the committee that 113 students are so far enrolled for the fall semester and that more often don't enroll until after July 4, when staff see a large pickup in the numbers of students signing up for courses. Several council members, including Ortega and Jackson Mayor Barbara Lohr, said they expect to see a higher number of students who want to use A+ scholarships enroll this fall. Already more A+ students than last year have enrolled, Ortega said.

Jackson High School just graduated a senior class for the second year containing students who qualify for the scholarships. Cape Girardeau Central High School's number of graduates who can use the scholarships also rose from 10 in 2011 to 30 this year, according to the district's A+ program coordinator.

An increased effort to market the Partnership via television spots was discussed by the council as well. Mike Smythe, general manager of Sinclair Broadcast Group's FOX 23 KBSI, offered to produce a video on the Partnership that could be distributed to high school counselors and suggested the use of statewide public service announcements.

Ortega currently markets the Partnership to high school students with school visits, where she outlines the programs and financial aid process and hands out brochures. She previously said she believes the visits, improvement in the brochure quality and more radio and television ads during the spring semester are getting the word out and will help increase enrollment this fall.

"More people are hearing about it for the first time," she said Thursday. "But I think the word about who we are and what we do needs to be out there a little more."

Council member Al Spradling cautioned about the effort to market the Partnership extensively outside the immediate area.

"We don't want to step on other schools' toes," he said.

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