The John Wood Community College Board of Trustees meeting in Quincy Wednesday evening May15, heard reports on two of the College’s strategic initiatives implemented in the last 18 months to respond to community needs and increase enrollment.
Feedback from community forums and business and industry advisory councils spurred JWCC to invest in initiatives to expand athletic opportunities and recruit Missouri high school students interested in career and technical programs to help fill the needs of the Tri-State area workforce.
JWCC Athletic Director Brad Hoyt provided a report about the fall 2018 athletic program expansion that included the addition of men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball. The new programs attracted 46 more student-athletes and the College’s existing athletic programs – men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and softball – also added 16 more student-athletes than the previous year.
Kristen Ritterbusch, JWCC director of admissions, shared that the College’s increased efforts in high schools within the nine Missouri counties bordering JWCC’s district (Clark, Lewis, Marion, Ralls, Pike, Monroe, Shelby, Knox and Scotland) have increased the College’s Missouri high school market share from 2 to 4 percent and attracted 11 new students to JWCC in the last year.
“Our career and technical recruitment initiative with the Missouri Plus scholarship and the athletic expansion are just two of many strategic initiatives faculty and staff are working on to be responsive to the communities we serve,” JWCC President Michael Elbe said. “We have also moved the needle by offering new academic programs such as Medical Assistant and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning. Our employers and residents have told us we need more students to come to the district, and we especially need more students pursuing career and technical training to help meet the needs of our workforce.”
During the meeting Trustees also approved the renewal of a consortium agreement between Blessing-Rieman College of Nursing and Health Sciences (BRCN) to provide an Associate in Applied Science degree in surgical technology. JWCC will continue to teach the first year of courses and all core, support and elective courses, and BRCN will teach all clinical courses in the second year of the degree. Surgical technology students will receive their degree from John Wood.
In other business, the Board:
The next regular meeting of the Board will be held Wednesday, June 12, at 7 p.m. at the JWCC campus in Quincy.
