St. Charles Community College announced the addition of Warren County to its extended service area at a signing ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 28, at Elks Lodge in Warrenton, Mo.
According to college officials, SCC will now serve students in the Warren County R-III and Wright City R-II school districts' boundaries as well as the local business and industry.
“We are thrilled to expand access of higher education to our neighboring county,” said Barbara Kavalier, Ph.D., SCC president.
Seated (left to right): Gregg Klinginsmith, Ph.D., Warren County R-III superintendent; Barbara Kavalier, Ph.D., St. Charles Community College president; and David Buck, Ed.D., Wright City R-II superintendent. Standing: Rose Mack, SCC Board of Trustees treasurer; Pamela Cilek, SCC Board of Trustees president; Bart Korman, Missouri state representative; Jeanie Riddle, Missouri state senator; and Jean Ehlmann, SCC Board of Trustees member.
The new alignment comes at the request of the two public school boards based on the recommendation of a Warren County workgroup established last fall to evaluate current postsecondary education opportunities, determine technical education interest and assess business and industry employee needs. The goal was to develop and present a collaborative technical institute plan to the boards of education. The group was led by the Greater Warren County Economic Council and had members from local governments, school districts and the business community.
“Addressing the technical skill needs of our workforce is critical to the future success of our community,” said Peggy Rodgers, president of the Greater Warren County Economic Development Council. “Working with SCC to create technical skills-based training programs will ensure that our community, region and state remain an attractive location for business.”
Warren County R-III and Wright City R-II school boards voted in late March and early April to request that the Missouri Community College Associate (MCCA) re-evaluate the current service areas to allow SCC to serve the area.
The service area boundaries were initially established by MCCA in the 1990s as a mutual agreement between the state's 12 community college systems, and since then, the boundaries remained unchanged.
Warren County was a part of East Central College's extended service area, but the workgroup determined its geographical location was a barrier for students.
At the request of Warren County school boards, MCCA established a subcommittee of several Missouri community college presidents and chancellors to determine the best approach for re-evaluating the state's service areas, and ultimately determined that the realignment of SCC with Warren County will be beneficial to the economic growth of state of Missouri.
“Missouri's community colleges work together to ensure access to quality, public higher education that Missourians can be proud of,” said Brian Millner, president/CEO of the Missouri Community College Association. “Working with industry and educational partners, community colleges create opportunities for education and training to grow the state's economy.”
In addition to St. Charles and Warren counties, SCC serves Callaway, Lincoln, Montgomery and Pike counties.
St. Charles Community College is a public, comprehensive two-year community college with associate degrees and certificate programs in the arts, business, sciences and career-technical fields. SCC provides workforce training and community-based personal and professional development as well as cultural, recreational and entertainment opportunities. For more information, visit www.stchas.edu.