Three Rivers assessment begins soon

A study to determine higher education needs in Cape Girardeau County will be conducted soon, according to officials at Three Rivers Community College.

In August, Three Rivers officials announced their plans to establish an education center here, saying a proposal could come before the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education as soon as October. A proposal has not been written yet, delayed by negotiations with Three Rivers' partners in the needs assessment -- Mineral Area College, Southeast Missouri State University, the Career and Technology Center and various businesses.

Originally, Three Rivers had planned to conduct an assessment on its own, but the college was strongly encouraged by the coordinating board to work with other entities in the area.

"The first step is preparing a needs analysis that would determine the work force needs, interests of citizens and the level to which programs are provided already," said Missouri Department of Higher Education deputy commissioner Paul Wagner.

Commitments from the partners to fund the assessment are due by the end of the week, and then those involved will select a company to conduct interviews or analyze surveys of the public. Wagner said the company would ideally come from outside Missouri to eliminate potential conflicts of interest.

Dr. Larry Kimbrow, Three Rivers' executive vice president, said he hopes the assessment is completed before the end of the year.

"In the meantime, we're looking at locations downtown" in Cape Girardeau, Kimbrow said, as well as locations at William Street and Interstate 55, and in the Jackson area.

Administrators are shooting for an enrollment of 200 students during the first two years, opening by fall 2008. The college projects 1,00 students within the first five years.

Funds to renovate a 25,000-square-foot existing building would come from the college's general revenue, and tuition would cover costs thereafter. Taxpayers will not foot the bill, Kimbrow said.

In 2005, Three Rivers, based in Poplar Bluff, opened six Bootheel centers in Bernie, Malden, Sikeston, Kennett, Campbell and Portageville. The site in Bernie was closed in 2006 because it wasn't financially viable, officials said at the time.

Three Rivers established these centers after Southeast Missouri State University evicted Three Rivers from university-operated centers in Malden, Sikeston and Kennett in 2005, saying Three Rivers wasn't paying enough of the operating costs.

Three Rivers filed a lawsuit, claiming a breach of contract. That lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial Feb. 25 to 29 in Franklin County Circuit Court in Union, Mo. Negotiations to settle the lawsuit have failed.

Despite the lawsuit, Kimbrow said Three Rivers would like to work with Southeast if an education center is approved in Cape Girardeau County. The two are currently working together in Poplar Bluff, Kimbrow said.

The last time Three Rivers partnered with Southeast in Cape Girardeau was in 2005, when Three Rivers offered developmental courses at the Career and Technology Center through a consortium.

Southeast president Dr. Ken Dobbins said the university has an obligation under coordinating board policy to work with other higher education entities but cautioned a needs analysis must be completed before moving forward.

"It's really important to find out what needs are not being met before we jump to the conclusion we definitely need to have a stand-alone community college," Dobbins said.

Mineral Area College of Park Hills, Mo., already offers 11 associate degrees through the Career and Technology Center, Dobbins said.

The coordinating board policy, in the simplest terms, says entities should work together, said Kathy Swan, a Cape Girardeau businesswoman who chairs the coordinating board.

"We don't want someone barging into someone else's area. ... But we also don't want an existing entity to constantly bar someone from coming in," she said.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123