TEMPERANCE — Monroe County Community College and Spring Arbor University are teaming up to form what both call a “win-win” partnership.
Spring Arbor moved its metro-Toledo location from Lambertville to MCCC’s Whitman Center in Temperance. The Christian liberal arts college will offer degrees at its south county location this academic year.
Officials from both schools joined other community leaders for a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 3.
“We’re always trying to find ways to be innovative and not just invite people to come to our main campus in Spring Arbor, but to go out and meet students where they are,” Spring Arbor President Brent Ellis said.
“This relationship is evidence of our continued commitment to be able to provide bachelor’s and master’s degree-level education to students where they are.”
Students at the Whitman Center can receive a bachelor’s in social work, nursing, and business, as well as a master’s in social work, nursing, and counseling. Degrees in management, family life education, and business administration are also in the works.
Declining enrollment at MCCC has resulted in fewer students using the Whitman Center in the last few years. There’s been talk of possibly closing the facility, but MCCC President Kojo Quartey made it clear that will not happen anytime soon.
“Since I arrived three years ago, I have insisted we keep this place open to better serve south county,” he said. “That’s how important south county is to Monroe County Community College. This place also helps us attract more students from Ohio.”
The Whitman Center, built in 1991, is an upgrade for Spring Arbor. Its former Toledo-area location on Secor Road had leaky windows and bees living in the ceiling tiles.
The partnership will help both colleges keep costs down and allow for lower tuition, officials said.
Josh Wymore, executive director for Spring Arbor’s new location, said the move is about using education to transform lives. He recalled a female student driving past the old location when something told her to stop in.
“That something was thinking, ‘Maybe if I sign up for college classes, my friends and family won’t know I’m addicted to drugs,’” Mr. Wymore said. “‘I can cover it up by making it seem like I’ve got things together.’”
The college was initially unaware of her struggles, but she eventually confessed to her addiction in class. After everyone in the room prayed for her, she went home and threw her drugs away, he said.
“We hope to see many more students go on to have their lives totally changed by the education you get here,” he said.
Spring Arbor’s main campus is located in Spring Arbor, Mich., southwest of Jackson. Economist Magazine rated the school 111th of more than 7,000 schools nationwide in value of an education 10 years after graduation.
Contact Jay Skebba at: jskebba@theblade.com, 419-376-9414, or on Twitter @JaySkebbaBlade.
First Published August 8, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
