Three Rivers College could sever Cape partnership, president says

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- The value of off-campus sites came up during a Three Rivers College board of trustees workshop last week to review a proposed $35.9 million budget for the 2015 fiscal year.

Out-of-district tuition and credit hours have outpaced those of in-district students, according to college leaders, who say they may look to replace an underperforming partnership in Cape Girardeau.

Three Rivers saw 50 percent of its credit hour production in the last fiscal year from out-of-district students, said college president Dr. Devin Stephenson, compared to 47 percent for in-district enrollment. The remainder came from out-of-state students.

Out-of-district tuition also beats combined revenue from in-district tuition and property tax collections, Stephenson reported during the workshop at The Landing in Van Buren.

Three Rivers collects about $6.7 million in out-of-district tuition, compared to combined in-district tuition and taxes of $6.2 million.

"Out-of-district tuition still eclipses the (in-district) revenue we get by $447,565. This is compelling," Stephenson said.

The college's mission is to provide accessible and affordable education, but work in outlying portions of the 15-county service area also just makes good business sense, he explained.

While centers in the Southeast Missouri towns of Kennett, Dexter and Sikeston continue to thrive, Stephenson said enrollment in Cape Girardeau is "anemic."

Kennett and Dexter have about 400 students, and Sikeston has 500. Three Rivers' administration has predicted enrollment at Sikeston will double after the opening of the new eastern campus building, which being constructed now. Cape Girardeau has only about 200 students, Stephenson said.

Personnel at that center do not understand the community college objectives of open access, he said. The Cape Girardeau site is operated as a partnership with Southeast Missouri State University and Mineral Area College, called the Cape Girardeau Higher Education Partnership.

"We want our own footprint," said Stephenson, who also wants to explore providing more bachelor's degree offerings in conjunction with Mineral Area College.

Tuition and fees make up almost $12.3 million, or about 47 percent, of revenue in the proposed fiscal year 2015 budget, according to documents presented to trustees.

The next-largest source of income is state appropriations at about $5.1 million, or 20 percent.

State appropriations are a concern as Missouri faces a possible revenue shortfall of 4 percent to 5 percent, or between $300 million and $400 million, Stephenson said.

"There's no question the state has a cash flow problem," he said.

The impact to Three Rivers would be determined by Gov. Jay Nixon's decisions on whether to veto bills or withhold funds, Stephenson said.

At the time of the meeting, no announcements had been made from the governor's office that would affect higher education. Higher education and secondary education are often targeted for cuts, Stephenson said.

Trustee Ben Ressel said he believes the Poplar Bluff, Missouri, economy is doing well, with construction of new homes and rental property, in addition to new retail stores.

"There are a lot of things going on here that aren't going on in the state," Ressel said.

Priorities for the Student Success, Financial Services and Learning divisions in the next budget year also were explained to trustees.

Student Success will continue to focus on stronger communication with students in an effort to ensure information is released in the correct way, said Dr. Angela Totty, vice president for the division.

It is also important to strengthen the advising system and transition newly enrolled students from the faculty member who first helped them sign up for classes to a new adviser in the subject area they have chosen, Totty said.

This year, Three Rivers began to require all students to sit down with an adviser before signing up for classes, said Dr. Wes Payne, vice president for learning. It took two years to build the processes needed to support that change, he said.

The Learning Division has proposed almost $1.7 million in resources for improvements, including an off campus technology technician and upgrades to the ITV system, which is used to provide classes to other sites through an interactive video system.

About $1.5 million in other requests from the Learning Division are not in this budget, Payne said. Those include a licensed practical nursing/registered nurse bridge program planned for the Kennett campus. The college had hoped to secure grant funding to help with that, but was not able to do so.

Financial Services plans to improve contact with students on issues that come up with financial aid, said chief financial officer Charlotte Eubank. The division also sets a goal to save $1 million per year, which she said was met for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. Approval of the new budget is expected at the next monthly meeting June 25 at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center.