Lebanon Education Center grows despite tough times

By Steve Koehler

 The Lebanon Education Center of Ozarks Technical Community College continues to grow during the region’s tight-economic times.

 Enrollment this fall is up nearly 15 percent with 462 students taking classes at the center, located at 533 W. Bland.

 “Everyone is looking for a good value.  OTC provides a good educational value.  With very competitive tuition coupled with high quality education, OTC is poised to attract students,” said John Greer, coordinator of the Lebanon center.

 “Traditional students are more concerned about staying close to home in order to save money.”

Economic conditions in Laclede County have brought displaced workers to the Lebanon center to look for new career and retraining opportunities.

 “Many employers in Lebanon have laid workers off and that gives them an excellent opportunity to use this time to expand skills or retrain for new skills,” Greer said.

 Dr. Sue Moore, OTC’s dean of Extended Campuses and College Outreach, said unemployed workers want more training.

 “There is an increasing demand for education and workforce training due to the dire economic situation in some of the communities.  More people are seeing the need to further their education due to the knowledge and skills required to use the latest technologies in their jobs.” she said.

 “If residents can attend college locally, limit spending on transportation, and still have the time to work and care for their families, they are more likely to seek and accomplish their educational goals.”

 Overall, enrollment at OTC’s two campuses and three education centers is up nearly 16 percent.

“As we have continued to grow as an institution, our student population has also grown, and we are working hard to meet the needs of each student,” said Dr. Hal Higdon, president of the College.

 “However, with state funding continuing to diminish, there is little we can do to alleviate our physical capacity issues, particularly at the Springfield campus.”

 Steve Koehler is coordinator of publications for Ozarks Technical Community College.