The state Higher Learning Commission has invited Three Rivers College into a new improvement program. According to Dr. Maribeth Payne, chief institutional effectiveness officer and accreditation liaison officer, the initiative is designed especially for accredited schools.
HLC has designated TRC an Open Pathway institution. To maintain this accreditation, TRC must demonstrate one major improvement, known as a quality initiative, every 10 years.
“The Higher Learning Commission recently offered Open Pathway institutions in good standing, like we are, this unique opportunity to participate in the Student Success Academy so that we can develop that quality initiative project with the aid of their expert mentors, scholars and facilitators at the academy,” Maribeth Payne said during the Nov. 15 Board of Trustees meeting.
Year one will be devoted to data and investigation, year two will be the planning stage, and in year three TRC will implement its findings.
Quality initiative team members are Dr. Ryan Bixby, director of online learning; Kelly Hastings, life science instructor and coordinator of testing services; Brandi Brooks, director of enrollment services and student development; Heather Cornman, assistant professor of early childhood education; Frank Ludwig, director of academic assessment; Ashley Vernon, accreditation coordinator; and Jason Cowen, assistant professor of English.
Cowen addressed the board as the team spokesperson.
“As we looked at the stuff about student success, we realized that our team of eight has a limited perspective, and the first thing we’re going to do is basically double that number by bringing in some people who have a perspective and expertise that was not present in our group,” he said. “So, people from Disability Services, coaches, things along that line — and the idea is we’re going to get these people to help us.”
In other news, TRC and Central Methodist University’s ongoing partnership has yielded a new rodeo team and expanded pathways into agriculture.
As CMU and TRC’s cooperative ag program grew, “There was a gap in opportunity for our students that participated in the ag and in rodeo to have a place to continue,” said President Dr. Wes Payne.
The solution was to bring CMU into the rodeo world by sharing TRC’s rodeo facilities.
“We each have a rodeo team, and we share the space for the rodeo team, and so that’s been exciting,” explained CMU Provost Dr. Rita Gulstad.
In other news, Charlotte Eubank, chief financial officer, reported that TRC transferred the last of its certificates of deposit to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.
“You can see that we actually have eliminated all of our certificates of deposits ... this month is somewhat in a transition period where the adapted CDs have been liquidated, and they’re ready to transition to move into the new Community Foundation of the Ozarks account,” she said.
Eubank stated in a previous meeting the board is investing in the CFO endowment to get a better return on investments.