College takes on SEMO in Scott City

Cape Girardeau doesn't have a community college, but starting this summer community college classes will be held only a short drive away in Scott City.

The board of trustees at Three Rivers Community College has voted to lower out-of-district tuition and offer summer and fall classes in area high schools throughout the district as it continues what it considers a battle with Southeast Missouri State University for Bootheel students.

The action to hold classes in public buildings follows a decision by Southeast Feb. 25 to terminate its partnership with the Poplar Bluff, Mo.-based community college and take over teaching of all classes at three Bootheel higher education centers beginning this summer.

Although Three Rivers is branching out, no classes will be taught in Cape Girardeau County because of a state Coordinating Board for Higher Education policy that bars schools other than Southeast from offering community college courses in the county, said Randall Lee, vice president for student affairs at Three Rivers.

John Stanard, chairman of the Three Rivers board of trustees, said officials would like to see that policy changed so the school could offer classes in Cape Girardeau County.

Stanard said Three Rivers officials consider Southeast's action a breach of contract and are considering filing a lawsuit.

"A lawsuit is a last resort," he said.

Southeast officials said the university had been losing about $800,000 annually in operating the centers in Sikeston, Malden and Kennett. Teaching all the courses at the centers would boost revenue for Southeast and allow the four-year school to cover the operating costs, school officials said.

Prodded by Missouri's higher education commissioner, the presidents of Southeast and Three Rivers have discussed a possible cost-sharing agreement on operation of the Bootheel education centers.

But Southeast's regents have said they won't consider finalizing a possible agreement until early April. Three Rivers officials say they can't wait that long to begin registering students for summer and fall classes.

Stanard said Southeast continues to try to steal away students for freshman and sophomore summer classes, ignoring Three River's request to stop.

The end result could be the loss of 28 percent of its enrollment, Stanard said.

As a result, Stanard said Three Rivers had no choice but to plan to teach classes elsewhere so it could start enrolling students for summer classes.

But Southeast president Dr. Ken Dobbins said Three Rivers would be able to teach 60 percent of the lower-division classes this fall at the higher education centers under the tentative cost-sharing agreement in which the two schools would split the cost of operating the centers.

Dobbins said the university also would allow Three Rivers to teach 30 classes this summer at the centers.

"We are trying to take the high road," Dobbins said.

But Stanard said he believes Southeast ultimately wants the community college out of the three centers regardless of talk about a possible agreement.

Students can register for both summer and fall Three Rivers classes at Scott City High School and Scott County Central High School from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on March 28 at Morley. Registration will occur at other sites on March 29 and 30.

"We have found sites where we hope to continue our more than 20-year tradition of providing quality education at an affordable price throughout Southeast Missouri," said Dr. John Cooper, Three Rivers president.

The trustees on Sunday voted to offer classes this summer at the Scott City High School, Scott County Central High School, the community center in Bernie, the Delta Center in Portageville, and high schools in Portageville, Dexter, New Madrid, Richland, the Senath-Hornersville area, and Caruthersville. Three Rivers will operate from the facilities rent-free or at a cost below what was paid to Southeast for the higher education centers, Stanard said.

The board voted to lower per-credit-hour tuition for summer and fall and spring 2006 from $98 to $89 for students taking classes in Scott City and the other cities outside Three River's district.

Tuition in the district's counties -- Butler, Carter, Ripley and Wayne -- was lowered, from $61 per credit hour to $59 per credit hour. The community college is supported by a property tax in those four counties, which is the reason why tuition is lower, college officials said.

The lower tuition means it will still be noticeably cheaper to take freshman and sophomore level courses from Three Rivers than from Southeast, Lee said.

"For a full-time student taking a minimum of 12 hours, you are talking about a $252 difference," he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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