Three Rivers College meets all the Higher Learning Commission’s criteria for accreditation in old and new programs, according to a proud report by Chief Institutional Effectiveness Officer Dr. Maribeth Payne.
The college submitted a virtual Year-4 Assurance Review to the commission, she told the board during its August meeting, but the initial report wound up becoming the base of a new “narrative” of programs added since 2018.
“Fortunately, for Three Rivers College this is not a question of our party’s compliance with the Higher Learning Commission because these standards are so comprehensively embedded into our college operation, that really it becomes part of our culture,” said Maribeth Payne.
The new initiatives and strategic plan were partly due to “the massive changes we underwent since the 2020 global pandemic to fully support our students,” she said. The number of online programs and online students has doubled since TRC’s 2018 evaluation.
“Three Rivers College, once again, met all the criteria for accreditation with no concerns,” she reported.
“What this shows is that while many other institutions sat back and went ‘oh, we can’t get anything done because of this,’ we looked at it as an opportunity and came together to decide how are we going to move forward strategically to best place ourselves on the other side of this,” TRC President Dr. Wesley Payne responded. “And we came out on the other side of the crisis, stronger and better prepared for the future than we were going in.”
Among the new programs at TRC is DRIVE (Direct Rural Initiative Vying for Employment). Director of Enrollment and Students Development Brandi Brooks said the grant-funded initiative is mainly for rural students and those who need an extra push to achieve higher education.
“We are hoping to really target those students that we would probably call gap students. They’re the ones that we know are probably college ready, but for some reason, they’re just not making that leap,” she said.
DRIVE’s grant covers five short-term certificate programs and three counselors who will act as recruiters. Two provide certificates: Early Childhood Development graduates earn a Child Development Associate certificate, and Commercial Driving students can pass the Commercial Driving License exam. The Industrial Production Technician, Heavy Highway Construction Vertical/Horizontal and Welding programs all prepare students for careers in those fields.
The grant will also foot the cost of the Commercial Driving course, which is one of the more expensive programs at $5,700.
“The whole point of the program is to get students out, employed or into another program so they can graduate,” said Brooks. “So we’re looking at internships, apprenticeships, anything that we can do to build those relationships to get them out working in the community and furthering their education. We’re hoping at the end of the day to serve roughly 1500 students over the next three years, that will in turn hopefully increase our enrollment.”
The Behavioral Health Support Program received certification from the Missouri Department of Health’s Division of Behavioral Health.
Corey Reynolds, Behavioral Health Support Program Coordinator, said it is one of four starting programs in Missouri to receive a full designation.
“This type of designation also further solidifies the qualifications of the graduates in the BHS program, making them more attractive candidates for the positions that they’re qualified for,” he explained.
The Children’s Theatre Drama Camp directed by Jo Nell Seifert hosted 45 children and made almost $3,375 from admissions alone.
“I had two objectives: that students would learn and have fun, and they did, and that the financial aspect of this would be beneficial for the college, and it was,” Seifert said.
Campers came from Poplar Bluff, Greenville, Dexter and Neelyville for July’s multi-day camp — there was even a student from Kansas who arrived with a cousin. Seifert received multiple comments about how much fun students had, and she is already planning next year’s camp.
“My favorite comment was a little girl who said to another girl and didn’t know I heard, ‘I didn’t know I was a theater person but I am,’” she recalled.
Students wrapped up the camp by performing skits and a dance number from the musical “Grease.”