Three Rivers College announces partnership for satellite campus

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Three Rivers College has been selected to coordinate educational services at a new off-campus location in Willow Springs, Mo., where city leaders say this partnership will transform their entire region.

Classes for 200-250 students are expected to begin in the summer or fall, college president Dr. Devin Stephenson said Wednesday following the announcement at a board of trustees meeting.

"This places us pretty thoroughly across our service area, stretching all the way to the western border," Stephenson said.

Training, educational classes, business incubation and professional development are expected to take place at the site.

"(The city) needs job creation opportunities to jump start their economy," Stephenson said.

Three Rivers brings something to Willow Springs the town has never had, even at its most prosperous, city administrator Bob Pollard said Thursday.

"We chose them because of what they provide. They can tailor-make programs for specific needs and jobs," Pollard said, adding prospective new businesses often ask how close the city is to a college. "It's an opportunity we've never had. It's an opportunity that's a game changer for our town."

Companies will feed off the labor force trained at the new off-campus site, said Pollard, who is also excited about the expanded dual credit opportunities which will be available to high school students.

Three Rivers will lease a 30,000 square foot building from the city of Willow Springs for $1 per year.

The building will be given to the city by the Missouri Department of Transportation as it restructures under budget cuts. It has recently undergone a $2.8 million renovation.

The college will partner with other institutions of higher learning at the site, including Missouri State University, which had also sought control of the facility.

"We will be providing the majority of the classes," Stephenson said. "We plan to work with Missouri State University … but we are going to create a true college environment there, not a hybrid."

This effort will be different from the Cape Girardeau Partnership of Higher Education, according to Stephenson. At that site, Three Rivers partners with Mineral Area College and Southeast Missouri State University to provide classes at the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center.

"This is different in that we are going into a facility where there are no educational opportunities now," Stephenson said. "We are actually creating educational opportunities."

Pertinent address:

2080 Three River Blvd., Poplar Bluff, MO

Willow Springs, MO