Success Center still learning
BUCYRUS - So far, so good.
In the weeks before Crawford County's first institution of higher learning, the Crawford Success Center, opened last August, nobody associated with the branch campus of Shelby's North Central State College knew quite what to expect.
The center anticipated about 50 students signing up to take classes. Instead, it got about 100, but faculty and staff weren't overwhelmed. They were pleasantly surprised, but not overwhelmed.
"There was no adjustment. We were ready for whatever number came through the door. We were just thrilled with how many students we got," Erin Stine, the Success Center's operations manager, said.
"When we first got off the ground the building was still a little bit unfinished and our students really stuck in there with us. I think it's caused them to take even more ownership of the center, the students who started with us and watched the progression of the building and the classes."
Tweaking curriculum
This semester the center — on North Walnut Street across from the Crawford County Courthouse — is educating 90 students, a slight drop-off from the fall, but according to Stine a healthy number nonetheless since spring semesters generally attract fewer students than in the fall. And with one full semester now under its belt, the center has taken what it learned starting up and has begun making some changes.
In many ways, however, the center is still just plugging ahead, sticking with what it's already learned as the branch campus has attempted to attract the notice of a community that doesn't have a strong tradition of sending its residents to college.
"Last summer we talked about understanding curriculum needs for the community, because this had never been done before. We were kind of just shooting in the dark to see what classes people might be interested in. That's been one of the biggest learning experiences for us moving forward, just figuring out what people want, what people need, and when to offer it," Stine said.
"Now that we've kind of gotten our feet wet and know who we are and what we want to do, we can start to expand our course offerings."
This semester the center has nine classes running, six in the evening. About half of its students are what Stine calls non-traditional, who work during the day and so need the option of taking classes at night. These are students like Crystal Dean of Bucyrus, who is working toward an associate's degree in information technology, and then working as a computer analyst while she pursues her bachelor's degree.
Fits into schedule
The Crawford Success Center represents a start down that path for Dean, who has a job and an 8-year-old son.
"Coming here makes it easier. You can take as many classes as you want, you don't have to take a full load. And normally the classes are one day a week," she said.
"I really enjoy coming here to take classes versus main campus because it's smaller and you have fewer people. You're able to have more one-on-one with the professors."
General education courses are a big part of what the Success Center does for local students, who can get started here before gravitating to the main NCSC campus for courses pegged to their major course of study. Looking ahead, Stine said, the center wants to expand its offerings in health care and cyber-security.
The Success Center does placement testing for incoming students, and found during its inaugural semester that developmental courses in basic subjects such as math are going to be a must. To that end, it began offering a new introductory math course this semester.
"We offered the basic math, but there were a few maths before that that we didn't realize there would be such a need for, but there is," Stine said.
"A lot of the non-traditional students who come in maybe haven't been in school in 20 years. That's the reason we placement test, because we want to get them in the right class to start so that they're successful moving forward."
Stine is most excited about Tuition Freedom scholarships that are being offered at the Success Center through NCSC. To qualify, high school students take a handful of College Credit Plus courses, thereby receiving 64 credit hours tuition-free.
"If you take two college classes at Bucyrus High School, one your junior year and one your senior year, you can get an associate's degree for free, and you can come right here, in town, get a job and take your classes at night. That's a big deal. It is financially possible for you to get a college degree. We can help you do that," she said.
Getting the word out in the community about the Crawford Success Center still takes a grassroots effort, mostly on the part of Stine. That's not just marketing; that also involves trying to instill the value of a higher education in the minds of people who aren't used to making that a priority.
"Nobody in my family has gotten a degree. My sister and I are the first to attend college. I've always wanted to go to college, I never really had the means. I had to work, I had a son. When this place opened it made me able to go after my dreams. As soon as I heard about it I came straight here," Dean said.
"If you can make that time and set that example, you can be a better role model for your children. And eventually you'll make more money and be able to provide for your family more. If you make that one sacrifice it's going to be better in the end."
Stine said she understands why college may not be first on the list for many people in this county, but she wants to change that, and she thinks the Success Center can be a vehicle for making that change.
"A lot of people who come in the door aren't content. They're working, they live paycheck to paycheck and they're getting it done, but they are searching for something more and that's where we get to come in," she said.
"You could be making $40,000 a year as opposed to $20,000 if you put the time commitment in to do this. Education may be third or fourth on your list, but if you allow me to show you what would happen if you move it up a little bit, especially on the higher education level, it can change your life. It can change your family's life as well."
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Twitter: @ToddHillMNJ