OTC leads way in community college growth

Ten of the 12 community college systems in Missouri are growing, and Ozarks Technical Community College is leading the pack, according to the Missouri Community College Association.

OTC has shown the most dramatic enrollment increase for the fall 2008 semester, with 8.5 percent more students, according to a news release from the association. OTC is at or near capacity at several of its five locations, and expansion is planned at both its Technical Education Center and Branson Education Center to accommodate the growth.

Of the 12 community college systems in the state, six show at least 5 percent growth. Enrollment in community colleges across Missouri totals 90,390.

In 2007, half of Missouri residents attending college were enrolled at a community college, the release said.

"In our current economy, getting a degree is becoming both more necessary and less affordable," Neil Nuttall, president of the Presidents and Chancellors Council of the MCCA, said in the release. "Community colleges allow students to get their education at a significantly lower cost, and on a more flexible schedule - allowing them to continue working while going to school."[[In-content Ad]]