Three Rivers offers funding plan

Three Rivers Community College proposes to take over operation of three Bootheel education centers in an effort to resolve a dispute with Southeast Missouri State University. The Poplar Bluff, Mo., community college says its plan would save Southeast money.

But Southeast president Dr. Ken Dobbins said Thursday that the university rejected a similar proposal from Three Rivers in a meeting with the Missouri commissioner of higher education in March.

"We told them it wasn't acceptable," Dobbins said. "This is just a PR deal. It is not a good-faith effort."

The Three Rivers board of trustees approved the plan Wednesday night through which the community college would pay the operating costs, including maintenance of the buildings, supplies and utilities.

Three Rivers board member John Stanard said his college's plan would save Southeast money and ease the financial concerns that prompted the dispute.

Southeast has said it is losing $800,000 annually in operating the higher education centers at Sikeston, Malden and Kennett.

Three Rivers can operate the centers without that deficit, said Dr. John Cooper, president of the community college.

But Dobbins said Southeast spends $1.1 million annually on operations at the three centers. He said Three Rivers would have similar costs. Three Rivers officials say they can do it cheaper.

Dobbins said the university owns all three centers and has agreements with the communities where the centers are located.

"Quite frankly, we have done all the fund raising for scholarships and expansion of the facilities," he said.

Under Three Rivers' plan, the community college would teach all the freshman and sophomore classes. Southeast would teach all the upper-division classes and graduate courses.

Through the end of the spring semester, Three Rivers was providing all the freshman and sophomore courses at the Kennett and Malden centers and half of the lower-division courses at the Sikeston center.

Southeast's regents proposed that the two schools equally split the cost of operating the three centers and that Southeast teach 40 percent of the lower-division courses at all three centers and all of the upper-division and graduate classes.

Southeast has said the proposal would allow the university to cover its costs in operating the centers.

Three Rivers objected to the Southeast plan. Stanard said Three Rivers would have had no control over how money was spent in operating the three centers.

Three Rivers officials also charged that the Southeast proposal violates state guidelines. Three Rivers maintains that lower-division courses should be taught by the junior colleges.

But Dobbins said Southeast hasn't violated any state education guideline.

Stanard said the Three Rivers proposal won't prevent the community college from continuing with its lawsuit against Southeast. The suit alleges the Cape Girardeau school breached an agreement in which Three Rivers paid rent for the use of the higher education centers.

"What they are basically saying is they are going to sue us anyhow," Dobbins said.

Three Rivers has proposed its plan take effect Aug. 1 and last for five years ending on July 31, 2010, unless terminated earlier. But Dobbins said the timetable is unrealistic since Southeast already has scheduled to teach all of the classes in the education centers through December.

The proposal will be submitted to higher education commissioner Dr. Gregory Fitch, who last month urged Three Rivers to present its own plan in response to an earlier plan approved by Southeast's board of regents.

Reached at his Jefferson City office on Thursday, Fitch welcomed Three River's counter-proposal and said he hopes it will help resolve the dispute.

Fitch said he's uncertain if he will be ready to propose any solution to the dispute by the June 9 scheduled meeting of the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education in St. Joseph, Mo.

With scheduling of classes and hiring of staff, Southeast and Three Rivers already have decided to offer their own classes in separate facilities during summer and fall semesters.

Fitch said he hopes Southeast and Three Rivers will renew their educational partnership by the start of spring semester classes in January.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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