By TIM UNRUH
Salina Airport Authority
For lots of reasons, Salina Area Technical College is flourishing.
The learning institution made good on its own autonomy in July, by taking ownership of its 24-acre campus in the Salina Airport Industrial Center.
The college became independent from the Salina School District, USD 305, in 2009, but taking ownership was delayed by legalities relating to contamination from the former Schilling Air Force Base that closed in 1965.
Salina Tech is boasting of significant enrollment growth over several years, and has announced plans for major facilities upgrades, among them a $1 million-plus student center, more parking, the removal this past summer of a blighted blue building on campus that had served as the air force base’s motor pool.
The college’s amenities wish-list continues to grow as well.
“We want to make sure we fit into the higher educational systems in Saline County and this region, in the best capacity we can,” said Greg Nichols, Salina Technical College president.
“We are focused entirely on student success,” he added.
The mission is filling holes in the community that are either noticed or brought to the attention of Salina Tech leaders.
“We have a lot of tentacles, if you will,” Nichols said.
Needs find their way to the campus, he said, either through periodic community needs assessments, state labor data, communication from the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce, elected leaders, Salina Economic Development Organization, the Perkins Needs Assessment from the Salina School District, or chance meetings from the public.
“Anybody can bring a programming idea to our administrative council,” Nichols said. “We can’t do everything. We’re not a big college, but we want to strategically meet those needs.”
Among the champions of the college’s growth is the Kansas K through 12 education system that is “really adamant about getting students the ability to access higher education,” the president said. “We’re trying to make sure we provide access through general and technical education courses. We have gone to area high schools and talked to them about program offerings we have — college algebra, college composition — typical courses that every university student would need to take. If their teachers have the right qualifications, they can start working with them through dual credit.”
The State of Kansas pays for technical courses for high school students through the Excel in Career Technical Education program, he said, and Salina Tech maintains relatively low tuition rates for general education rate. Because the college is part of the Kansas Board of Regents system, those classes transfer to all Regents schools, he said, including community colleges.
“One of the metrics for K-12 is post-graduation success, and they make it easier for us to work with those school districts,” Nichols said. “If a students gets a certificate prior to graduation, that meets the post-secondary success for K-12.”
Salina Tech reported earlier this semester another enrollment record, with 852 students, up from 697 the year before, a 22.2 percent increase. Using full-time equivalency (or FTEs), enrollment jumped from 397 to 462, a 16.4-percent increase. Given that the pandemic contributed to a major dip in 2020 numbers, the “headcount at the college” compared to 2019, grew 7.7 percent — 791 to 852 — and credit hours rose 6.5 percent, from 6,541 to 6,970.
“I think we can grow to about 800 FTE in the next few years,” Nichols said, adding that Salina Tech should hit the 500 FTE milestone soon.
“The classrooms in our technical programs are just full,” he said, mentioning the 25 to 30 students in auto collision repair, that was “almost double what we had last year.” Same goes with computer aided drafting and machining programs.
Another factor was lifting enrollment limitations that were in place last year, resulting in gains of up to 10 students. New programs, such as Practical Nursing and Associate Degree Nursing, have also added to enrollment.
Demand for workers is extremely high, Nichols said, and technical education provides a shorter path to the workforce.
“Every place in the country probably has a help wanted sign. I’ve seen more billboards up for Great Plains Manufacturing,” he said, while also touting higher wages, along with Tony’s Pizza.
Certified nurse aides are making 50 percent more than the minimum wage, starting out, Nichols said, and that’s after an eight-week course at Salina Tech.
“That’s a skill set that immediately pays off,” he said. “We’re coming to realize in the education world that the university route isn’t the only route to success. I’m glad our counselors and teachers are aware of that now.”
One program that launches in January could help many more than the graduates in the program.
Salina Tech is rolling out an Early Childhood Education program that’s been approved by the Board of Regents, Kansas Technical Education Authority, and the Chicago-Based Higher Learning Commission.
“Lack of child care has become one of the top five obstacles to growing the workforce,” Eric Brown, president and CEO of the Salina Chamber, was quoted as saying in Salina Tech’s Sept. 16 release.
He also mentioned the importance of early childhood education from the zero to five-time frame.
A return on investment of $11 has been logged for every early childhood education dollar invested in a community, according to Lori Blake, executive director of Child Advocacy and Parenting Services of Salina, in the release.
Salina Tech’s likely “next area of growth,” Nichols said, will be a medical training center for CNAs, certified medical assistants, Emergency Medical Technicians, Licensed Practical Nurses and Registered Nurses.
“Down the road, we are hoping to build a welcome center and the medical training facility,” said Larry Pankratz, development director of the Salina Tech Foundation. The foundation board has expanded from five members to 12.
“We’re trying to increase the fundraising process,” he said. “The college will need more than just funding from the state.”
During a special meeting Oct. 5, the Salina Area Technical College Board of Trustees approved Ponton Construction’s $1,075,000 bid to build the student center, to be completed by late summer 2022.
“One of the big things we lack as a college is a sense of community. We don’t have food service, dorms, athletics,” Nichols said. “This will provide a gathering place, where students, staff and visitors can come in.”
Included will be a small food court, and a storefront where instruction apparel and other school items will be sold, including pens, pencils, calculators and other necessary gear.
“It’s kind of a concept of a student union, with everything at your fingertips,” he said. “It will bring that sense of community.”
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The above story was republished with permission from the Salina Airport Authority.