MEETING A NEED.

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1 Page 1 of 7 Record: 1 Title: Authors: Source: Document Type: Subject Terms: Geographic Terms: Meeting A Need. Lane, Kristina Community College Week; 12/10/2001, Vol. 14 Issue 9, p7, 2p Article *SCHOOL enrollment *COMMUNITY colleges OZARKS Technical Community College (Springfield, Mo.) MISSOURI SPRINGFIELD (Mo.) UNITED States NAICS/Industry Codes Junior Colleges Abstract: Full Text Word Count: ISSN: Accession Number: Database: Deals with the growth of the student population in Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, Missouri from 1994 to Causes of the upsurge in enrollment; Mission of the school in creating its curriculum; Information on organizations at the school Academic Search Elite Notes: See Librarian for journals at local libraries Ozarks Technical Community College MEETING A NEED Top 50 Fastest Growing Public Two-Year Colleges: 5,000 to 9,000 Students In the early 1990s, it seemed that the community college movement sweeping much of the United States had brushed past Springfield, Mo., according to Dr. Norman K. Myers, president of Ozarks Technical Community College. So when OTCC was finally established in 1991, demand for the community college was high, peaking between 1994 and The enrollment jump over that five-year span percent -- made it the fastest-growing midsized college in the country. Myers said one of the most significant factors of the college's surging population was that it was in the right place at the right time. Because Springfield is the third largest city in the state, there was a large population from which to draw a student base. Combining this with the high demand for a two-year college led to an enrollment explosion by 1999, he said.

2 Page 2 of 7 From the beginning, Myers said, the college worked with the community, establishing a curriculum that closely matched its needs. "We established a mission that we were going to be primarily an applied-science and jobtraining institution, followed closely by the transfer function," Myers said. That transfer function also fueled enrollment growth, according to Ty Patterson, the college's vice president of student development. Patterson said OTCC has articulation agreements with most of the state's four-year institutions. This was critical during , when many high school students seeking bachelor's degrees enrolled at OTCC. Between those years, the average age of a student decreased from 35 to 24, Patterson said. "We were around long enough that younger students discovered us and their parents discovered our low tuition," Patterson said. Patterson also attributes the growth to the college's commitment to maintaining small class sizes and offering students individualized attention. "The rubber hits the road in the classroom," Patterson said. "You can talk all you want about service outside class -- but 500 students in a class is not a very personal education." Myers said it is important to note that OTCC does not have any extracurricular activities or clubs in the performing arts or sports -- groups that often generate interest and boost enrollment. "We are plain vanilla in terms of [those] activities," Myers said. But other things draw students, he said, including a very large chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and clubs based on student interest in technical fields such as automobiles, construction and electronics. Top 50 Fastest Growing Public Two-Year Colleges: 2,500 to 4,999 students[*] Ranked by percent growth in headcount (full- and part-time enrollment in courses that lead to a formal award, certificate or degree) Legend for Chart: A - Rank B - Institution C - State D - Fall 1994 Enrollment E - Fall 1999 Enrollment

3 Page 3 of 7 F - Absolute Growth G - Percent Growth A B C D E F G 1 OZARKS TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE Mo % 2 NAPA VALLEY COLLEGE Calif % 3 CHANDLER-GILBERT COMMUNITY COLLEGE Ariz % 4 WESTERN IOWA TECH COMMUNITY COLLEGE Iowa % 5 GERMANNA COMMUNITY COLLEGE Va % 6 ROGUE COMMUNITY COLLEGE Ore % 7 CUYAMACA COLLEGE Calif % 7 CAPE FEAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE N.C % 9 HEARTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE Ill % 10 YAVAPAI COLLEGE Ariz % 11 SAINT JOHNS RIVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE Fla % 12 DIXIE COLLEGE Utah %

4 Page 4 of 7 12 MINNEAPOLIS COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE Minn % 12 HOUSATONIC COMMUNITY COLLEGE Conn % 15 CHIPPEWA VALLEY TECHNICAL COLLEGE Wis % 16 WHARTON COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE Texas % 17 CENTRAL OREGON COMMUNITY COLLEGE Ore % 18 NORTHEAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE Neb % 18 ROWAN-CABARRUS COMMUNITY COLLEGE N.C % 20 VANCE-GRANVILLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE N.C % 20 HAWSE COMMUNITY COLLEGE Iowa % 20 HORRY-GEORGETOWN TECHNICAL COLLEGE S.C % 23 LORD FAIRFAX COMMUNITY COLLEGE Va % 24 COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN IDAHO Idaho % 24 ST PAUL TECHNICAL COLLEGE Minn % 26 ANOKA-RAMSEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

5 Page 5 of 7 Minn % 26 IOWA WESTERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE Iowa % 28 VISTA COLLEGE Calif % 28 QUINSIGAMOND COMMUNITY COLLEGE Mass % 30 CERRO COSO COMMUNITY COLLEGE Calif % 30 DEKALB TECHNICAL INSTITUTE Ga % 30 SOUTHWESTERN MICHIGAN COLLEGE Mich % 30 NORTHEAST IOWA COMMUNITY COLLEGE-CALMAR CAMPUS Iowa % 34 PORTERVILLE COLLEGE Calif % 34 MIDLAND COLLEGE Texas % 36 ST CHARLES COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE Mo % 36 COLUMBIA STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE Tenn % 36 PUEBLO COMMUNITY COLLEGE Colo % 36 JACKSON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE Tenn %

6 Page 6 of 7 36 CLOUD COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE Kan % 41 FLORENCE DARLINGTON TECHNICAL COLLEGE S.C % 41 SAN JACINTO COLLEGE-NORTH CAMPUS Texas % 43 NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE Miss % 43 BRAZOSPORT COLLEGE Texas % 43 LAKE LAND COLLEGE Ill % 43 NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY-DONA ANA BRANCH CC N.M % 47 ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY-BEEBE BRANCH Ark % 47 COWLEY COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE Kan % 47 COASTAL BEND COLLEGE Texas % 48 WESTERN WISCONSIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE Wis % 48 PIEDMONT VIRGINIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE Va % [*] In out of 1,024 total institutions fell into this category. ~~~~~~~~ By Kristina Lane

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