Three Rivers to close Bernie center for lack of students

~ An official says it will be more economical to consolidate classes at Three Rivers' Malden center.

BERNIE, Mo. -- Three Rivers Community College will close its education center in Bernie because the center, housed in the town's community center, doesn't draw enough students to justify the expense, school officials said.

"They told me they couldn't afford to keep doing it," Bernie Mayor James Tilmon said.

The center will close on July 31. The building itself, which is owned by the city, will continue to operate as a community center.

The Poplar Bluff, Mo.-based community college began teaching classes at Bernie last August, setting up shop in a former armory that now serves as the city's community center.

But only 29 students were enrolled in classes at the center in the fall 2005 semester and the same number again this past spring.

Many times, only four or five students were enrolled in a single class at the Bernie center. "We had six classes, six instructors," said Dr. Larry Kimbrow, executive vice president and vice president of academic affairs at Three Rivers.

Three Rivers paid the city of Bernie about $1,200 a semester to hold classes in the community center. Technically, Kimbrow said, it wasn't rent but money paid by the college to help offset added utility costs.

Including the cost of instructors and supplies, Three Rivers spent about $22,000 per semester to hold classes at Bernie, he said.

That figure didn't include the approximately $20,000 the community college spent last summer for interactive television equipment, student desks and other items to outfit the building for classes, Kimbrow said.

Students paid $89 a credit hour in tuition. Kimbrow said that barely covered regular operating costs and didn't cover the costs of outfitting the building.

Classes were held in what once were National Guard offices.

The rooms were small but suited the small class sizes, Kimbrow said.

Still, he said, it will be more economical for Three Rivers to consolidate classes at the community college's nearby Malden center and pay fewer instructors to teach larger classes.

"It's an economy of scale," said Kimbrow, adding that Three Rivers would consider reopening the Bernie center in the event of an increased demand for classes.

The towns of Bernie and Malden are eight miles apart. As a result, Kimbrow believes Bernie area residents still have access to community college classes.

Three Rivers opened six Bootheel centers last fall to compete for students with Southeast Missouri State University.

In addition to Bernie and Malden, Three Rivers opened centers in Sikeston, Kennett, Campbell and Portageville. The latter was housed in the University of Missouri's Delta Center.

In addition to closing the Bernie center, classes will be reorganized at the Campbell center, Kimbrow said.

Starting this fall, the Campbell center will offer a full slate of night classes instead of day classes in an effort to serve students' needs, he said.

Three Rivers opened its own centers after Southeast decided in February 2005 to evict the community college from the three university-owned centers in Malden, Sikeston and Kennett.

Southeast claimed Three Rivers wasn't paying enough of the costs of operating the three centers. Three Rivers sued the university, claiming it breached a rental agreement. The lawsuit is pending.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123