Visitors to Allen County Community College can learn Monday how a single parent can “ASPIRE” to get a college education.
President John Masterson told ACCC’s Board of Trustees Thursday about the ASPIRE program (Assisting Singe Parents in Realizing Education).
ASPIRE is a newly developed support program that is looking to expand its reach to community colleges and universities across the country.
The program is modeled after Arkansas’ Single Parent Scholarship Fund, Masterson explained, in which students learn about access to scholarships to help pay for school and living expenses including such things as books, transportation, housing, child care, medical expenses and utilities.
The goal of the program is to qualify more single-parent households for higher-paying jobs with better educations.
Masterson noted that ACCC’s burgeoning on-line program could be a good way for single parents to attend ACCC.
“It seems to me that taking online courses would be a tremendous opportunity,” the president said.
He noted that over the past year, 325 single parents were enrolled at ACCC in some capacity, either in Iola, Burlingame or with online courses.
Christine Zini, executive director of ASPIRE, will be at the ACCC campus in Iola at 5:30 p.m. Monday to discuss whether Allen County could become an affiliate.
Zini will be in Topeka and ACCC’s Burlingame campus on Tuesday as well.
THE COLLEGE looks to be in fine shape regarding its ongoing accreditation process, said Jon Marshall, vice president for academic affairs.
Allen County hosted an inspection visit by a pair of officials from the North Central Association as part of ACCC’s Academic Quality Improvement Program.
The on-site visit the last week of September drew rave reviews from the visiting educators, Marshall said. The visitors — Gwladys Austin, vice president of Mid Michigan Community College in Harrison, Mich., and Renae Fry, paralegal program director from North Hennepin Community College of Brooklyn Park, Minn. — commented on the enthusiasm shown by ACCC staff, students, administrators and trustees.
“They were very impressed,” Marshall said.
Masterson noted that both Fry and Austin encouraged ACCC to seek accreditation for its online program more quickly than originally planned.
Doing so will allow ACCC to advertise the degrees offered through online courses, Marshall said.
MARSHALL ALSO spoke about the college’s degree track listings, which allow prospective students to learn on the college’s website precisely what courses they would need for specific degrees; which careers those degrees would best fit; and how those courses would align with four-year universities.
TRUSTEES agreed to spend $18,076 to have a rebuilt diesel engine installed in its large passenger bus. The bid from Gale Webb Transportation to buy the engine for $13,261 was the lower of two received. The Joplin-based company estimated another $4,800 was needed to install the engine and to replace the vehicle’s water, air and fuel lines and to flush its radiator.
Those tasks are vital to keeping the vehicle in tip-top shape after the engine is replaced, explained Randy Weber, ACCC’s vice president for student affairs.
TRUSTEES WILL continue to look at sites for a potential six-plex housing unit to help alleviate over-crowding in ACCC’s dormitories. The college will focus on a site near ACCC’s duplexes on White Boulevard.
The college also is nearing a 10-year agreement with Burlingame USD 454 to continue leasing a building owned by the school district in Burlingame. The facility serves as ACCC’s outreach campus. Masterson presented the trustees with a draft agreement that stipulates the college would pay an annual fee of $500 to lease the building. Approval is expected in November.
