Three Rivers, Missouri State sign agreement for campus in Willow Springs

WILLOW SPRINGS, Mo. -- Three Rivers College made official Tuesday an agreement that will allow it to open the institution's sixth full-service off-campus location.

The college will partner with Missouri State University to provide college-level courses in Willow Springs. The pair signed an agreement during a ceremony at Willow Springs High School to form the South Central Education Consortium.

Between 25 and 50 students are expected to sign up for classes, which will begin in January. MSU-West Plains will provide general education classes, while Three Rivers will offer technical and remedial courses.

Three Rivers last opened an off-campus site in 2011 in Dexter, Mo. Enrollment has grown from fewer than 100 students the first spring semester to approximately 500 students.

"Important to Three Rivers' success is our ability to build partnerships with communities, employers and other educational institutions across the state to bring affordable, high-quality education to our service area," Three Rivers president Dr. Devin Stephenson said in a news release.

Willow Spring city leaders see this as an opportunity to improve the lives of residents.

"We do an excellent job of providing a high school education here, but then young people leave the community to further their education and career … and never come back. We want to provide that education here," Mayor Jay Waggoner said Wednesday.

Classes will be offered at a former Missouri Department of Transportation building and are a component in the city's 22-acre business and education park. City leaders have said they committed $500,000, about 10 percent of Willow Springs' annual operating budget, to the purchase of additional real estate for the enterprise.

"We want to create an incubator opportunity for business in that area," Waggoner said. "Usually, companies looking for office help want to be in a college town."

The general education courses offered at the new campus are eligible for transfer to a four-year college or university, while articulation agreements with four-year institutions across Missouri and Arkansas allow for the transfer of credits earned through Three Rivers' programs, according to a news release. The Willow Springs location will offer multiple certificate and degree options, including certified nursing assistant, emergency medical technician, fire science and general studies programs.

Three Rivers and MSU-West Plains said they will co-administer the project through the newly created consortium, with each institution receiving the proceeds from the programs and classes it provides. By the terms of the agreement, classes will be provided at Three Rivers' tuition and fee schedule, though each institution is allowed to levy course-specific fees. The agreement will continue through 2016, with the option to renew the contract for one-year periods from that point forward.

Three Rivers was active in the Willow Springs community before signing this agreement. In 2012, Willow Springs High School became one of 44 high schools where Three Rivers provides dual credit classes.

Three Rivers also has full-service centers in Sikeston, Mo., Kennett, Mo., Malden, Mo., Dexter and Cape Girardeau.

Pertinent address:

Willow Springs, Mo.