MAC, CMU Sign 5-Year agreement
Park Hills – It was the first partnership of its kind in Missouri when Central Methodist University and Mineral Area College joined in 1989 to offer the “2+2” program to community college students who wanted to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
The Mineral Area College Board of Trustees unanimously voted to approve a five-year renewal of the 24-year agreement between the two postsecondary institutions during the board’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting April 11.
MAC President Dr. Steve Kurtz said he looks forward to the continued partnership with CMU. “It’s been a good fit,” he said. “Re-examining the agreement has proven to be beneficial to both parties, and will ultimately improve the delivery of education to our students. We’re pleased to be working with them.”
“We are pleased to remain in this close partnership with Mineral Area College,” CMU President Marianne Inman noted. “Our relationship was truly a pioneering one for Missouri, and holds a very special place for us at Central Methodist University. Most importantly, it works well for MAC students. Our thanks to the MAC Board, President Kurtz and his administration for this continuing opportunity.”
CMU has offered courses of instruction and degree programs, including the Master of Education degree program, on the campus of Mineral Area College in Park Hills since 1989. CMU degree programs offered at MAC are fully accredited.
CMU Executive Director of Marketing Communications Kent Propst said that while CMU has partnerships with every Missouri community and technical college, “we still offer more degree programs, and have more full-time staff, in Park Hills than at any other site.”
The degree programs offered at MAC include Accounting, Applied Science in Management, Business, Business Education, Child Development, Computer Science, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Interdisciplinary Studies, Mathematics, Mathematics Education, Registered Nurse-to-Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Middle School Education, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology, Special Education, Sports Management, Master of Education, Master of Science in Clinical Counseling, and Master of Science in Nursing.
Generally, CMU classes are taught in the late afternoon and early evening to accommodate the work and personal schedules of students. Staff of Central Methodist University, including CMU Site Coordinator Jeff Williams, are available on-site at MAC to help students enroll in Central Methodist University classes and to provide information about courses and degree programs. Online studies are also available for all CMU students.
CMU classes at MAC are primarily designed for students who have already completed a two-year college degree, or degree at the associate’s level, and who wish to complete requirements for a baccalaureate, or four-year, college degree. The classes are also appropriate for students who are interested in personal or professional enrichment or growth, but not necessarily interested in attaining a four-year degree.
Since the CMU-MAC inception, other community colleges have formed partnerships with private and public, four-year colleges and universities, but Mineral Area College’s partnership with CMU was a first. It was spearheaded at the time by MAC President Dr. Dixie A. Kohn and Central Methodist College (now Central Methodist University) President Dr. Joe A. Howell.
