Midland College set a new enrollment record for the 2011 spring semester, but its capacity to serve more students at an affordable cost will be severely tested over the next two years, and probably beyond. Enrollment has grown from 688 students in 1969 to 7,429 in 2011; however, state support has declined from 65 percent to 25 percent during that same time. Local taxpayers are shouldering 35 percent of the operating budget. The other major revenue stream for Midland College is student tuition and fees, which have grown steadily over the years in response to declining state support.
MC plays a key role in positively impacting Midland’s economy.
• An economic impact study was previously done by a local economist who found that every dollar which came to and through Midland College turned over at least 4 times in our local economy. This means that with an average 40 million dollar MC annual budget, at least 160 million dollars is circulated through the local economy each year.
• MC is training individuals through certificate and associate degrees to directly enter the workforce. With 31 individual career and technical programs, MC has been meeting local workforce needs for over 35 years. Advisory committees representing area businesses support each of our career and technical programs and provide feedback and continuous improvement.
• The Bachelor of Applied Technology Degree was developed to enhance the skill level of area employees.
• The MC Petroleum Professional Development Center located in downtown Midland provides specific oil and gas related training.
• The MC Business and Economic Development Center, in partnership with the City of Midland, is located in a minority neighborhood and provides small business counseling, home purchasing assistance, improvement of personal credit rating, help with small business/higher education IDEA savings accounts, and small business/minority owned businesses networking breakfasts and informational sessions.
• Midland College has a partnership with Chevron USA to provide highly customized technology training for new processes and technologies in the petroleum industry. The expected result is standardized education for employees, lower attrition among newly-hired employees, higher retention among incumbent workers, reduced turnover and improved work quality. Target job titles are field specialists, mechanics instrumentation specialists and plant specialists.
• The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provided funding to Midland College to establish and expand medical health informatics education programs. This six-month on-line training is provided to enhance professionals with skills and competencies. As the state moves forward with the Health Information Exchange project (HIE), graduates will find positions in hospitals, physician practices, regional extension centers and state/city public health agencies.
• MC’s nursing program has received various grants to expand MC’s training capacity due to the great need in the Permian Basin for registered nurses. So far, this money has allowed 20 additional nursing students to complete degrees.
Since 1972, more than 200,000 people have taken classes at Midland College. The college offers more than fifty associate degree and certificate options, and is a Level II (four-year) institution, accredited to offer a Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT) degree.
The college also invests in the quality of life in Midland. The Phyllis & Bob Cowan Performing Arts Series and the Davidson Distinguished Lecture Series recruit renowned performers and speakers to the campus for free community concerts and lectures. The campus is home to the McCormick Art Gallery and co-produces theatre presentations with Midland Community Theatre. MC’s newly renovated Al G. Langford Chaparral Center is the largest public facility in town and hosts concerts, trade shows, and sporting events.
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