Three Rivers College Breaks Ground For New Campus

Three Rivers Collegehas begun construction on their new campus in Sikeston. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Eastern Campus was held on Thursday morning.
 
The new campus will be built near the outside edge of Sikeston and will be located in New Madrid County. Clyde Hawes, presiding commissioner of New Madrid County, said the Eastern Campus is in a prime position.
 
“This college will be located at the intersection of 60 and 61 and then the interstate 55 and 57 is just a short jaunt away, less than three miles,” Hawes said. “For students commuting, it couldn't have been better.”
 
Scott Matthews donated the land for the campus to Three Rivers.
 
The college has secured $1.4 million in grants, private donations, and pledges towards the construction of the new campus. The total cost of the project is estimated to be about $7 million.
 
Three Rivers College president Devin Stephenson said the college’s current facility in Sikeston recently reached capacity. This new facility will allow them to serve more students. Stephenson said they will be able to more than triple their enrollment and the new facility will serve up to 1500 students.
 
“This is a very, very, important day for the future,” Stephenson said. “Tripling our enrollment and more adequately meeting the demands of today's workforce. And when I say that I mean providing education and training for the best jobs of the future; not just good jobs, but for the best jobs.”
 
The new campus is expected to be complete in 2014.