Poll results

Some local business leaders say there is a "huge demand" for a community college in Cape Girardeau. Opponents say they don't see the need for a new school or the taxes to pay for it. Do you think a community college would benefit the Cape Girardeau area? Due to rounding, percentages may not add up to 100. (738 votes)

• 46 percent: Yes
• 46 percent: No
• 5 percent: Other
• 3 percent: No opinion

Comments:

• "Maybe SEMO will get its act together when there is an alternative education source in the area."
• "How about the price benefit? Of course there is a need for it."
• "SEMO is nothing but a glorified 4-year community college. Want to do something? Get rid of Dobbins."
• "We already have a college in our community -- Southeast Missouri State University. This idea of a new community college is absurd. SEMO will accept almost anyone who has a pulse. There's no need to have the expense of another college in our area. There's always the Vo-Tech school that people can attend, or Metro Business College."
• "We already have SEMO and Metro Business College."
• "We need a community college in this area so students with subpar ACT scores don't have to drive to attend. These students also can benefit from the much lower tuition rates of a junior college. Get rid of the overpriced SEMO monopoly that's been run by part-time high school teachers and impossible-to-understand foreigners!"
• "Thanks to a community college in Champaign, Ill., I was able to get a basic higher education and better job in my 40s."
• "An affordable community college would be great for Cape Girardeau. It would help those who want to go to college but can't afford a four-year college like SEMO. I think everyone in the area would appreciate and benefit from a community college in Cape."
• "Not everyone can afford SEMO, especially when they raise tuition every year."
• "Get your head out of the river muck and look around the country. Areas with community colleges have better jobs. It's really simple. Offer education to everyone, and we all benefit."
• "My wife was a graduate of SEMO 1993. Fourteen years later she still can't find a job in her field, and she's stopped looking. I went to Flo Valley Community College in St. Louis. The day after I graduated I found a job in my field and make more money than my wife. I paid off my loan in three years. The loan from SEMO was paid off in 10."
• "As four-year degrees become increasingly more expensive even at local state universities, a community college to allow students to complete at least some of their credit hours would be helpful and allow college to be more accessible to more people. Also, a four-year degree is not necessary for all careers."
• "My daughter doesn't want to go to SEMO, but she isn't interested in any classes at the Vo-Tech school. A community college would be nice."
• "There's plenty in the surrounding area. The focus should be on SEMO, since its numbers are declining."
• "Yes, we have a great university (I have three degrees from it myself), but not everyone is bound for a four-year university in this town. The CTC has been developing superbly, and this seems a natural way to help cater to the variety of post-secondary needs. Yes, Dr. Dobbins would like to see people attend the satellite campuses, but those serve their purposes for those areas. Why not have another choice for people in the immediate area? If we're going to have people choosing Shawnee, Three Rivers, etc., why not go ahead and work for a non-four-year choice right here?"
• "Absolutely. Community college is an excellent bridge between high school and college, or directly into a trade."
• "We have Metro Business College and Vo-Tech school for adults, too. We have enough educational opportunities."
• "This could be a way to help lower tuition costs for general courses that would transfer to a four-year college. Hopefully a community college would not be passing on costs for fountains and unnecessary campus additions."
• "If it isn't a glorified high school like SEMO, bring it."
• "I would love to have a community college in Cape! I think it should be in Old Town where it would draw traffic to downtown businesses. Instead of new taxes we should just issue municipal bonds to pay for it. Also, tuition could pay back the muni bonds. I would love to take some horticulture classes at a community college as a hobby, not for a degree."
• "Taxes should not be raised to pay for a community college."
• "It would be nice if there were better opportunities for education in the area. However, this education should be privately funded and operated in order to meet area business needs. Government simply fails to deliver that required education."
• "One of the area's obviously huge needs is in nursing and health-related careers. Advanced degrees in nursing cost applicants $350 per hour. A community collge could offer this at a rate of about $150 per credit hour, thus allowing more people access to training and fill gaps in qualified worker support."
• "Community college will allow students to use their A+ program benefits."
• "I think we need a community college. I know I'd go to it."
• "A new center needs to be built outside the hubs of Sikeston, Poplar Bluff, Cape Girardeau and Perryville. Schools with offerings similar to Linn Tech and Job Corps need to be built in a rural area where transportation is a problem. Classes are needed for diesel repair, electricians to work for Black River Electric and for operators of heavy equipment."