Kirtland Community College

Kirtland Community College
Established	1966
Type	Community college
President	Dr. Thomas Quinn
Location	Roscommon County, Michigan, USA
Campus	Rural
Nickname	Firebirds
Mascot	Sparky
Website	Kirtland.edu

Online & Campus Courses

Kirtland Community College offers traditional and online college courses. It is one of the few colleges in the nation with entirely online science classes. Kirtland has created a college without borders while continuing to cater to local students wanting hands-on training and internship experiences. In addition to the central campus near Roscommon, Kirtland also has extension sites in West Branch and Grayling. Kirtland’s off-campus centers include M-TEC in Gaylord, Michigan.

Kirtland offers 80 degree and certificate programs including seven transfer associate degree programs (allowing students to complete up to half of a bachelor's degree prior to enrollment at a four-year university) in arts, business, computers, criminal justice, fine arts, science and teaching.

Nine degrees and certificates currently are offered entirely online including Associate in Arts; Associate in Computers: Computer Science; Associate in Computers: Computer Information Systems; Associate in Business Administration; Associate in Business Management; and certificates in Bookkeeping, Computer Technician, General Business and Small Business Management & Entrepreneurship. Kirtland operates on a semester calendar. There are two 15-week semesters, starting in late August and mid-January. A shorter session is offered during the summer and begins in May.

Institutional Background: Kirtland Community College (KCC) is a public community college located in Roscommon, Michigan. The main campus is situated on approximately 220 acres of beautifully wooded, rolling hills in, according to the college's 2007 Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) Systems Portfolio, 170 miles north of Detroit in the central part of the lower peninsula of the State. The average round-trip commute for students to campus is 56 miles. KCC is the largest community college district in Michigan totaling 2,500 square miles with an approximate population of 72,000 people. The college serves all of five counties and parts of four other counties, (a geographic area about half the size of the state of Vermont). KCC also has an off-campus site, M-TEC (Michigan Technical Education Center), in the city of Gaylord, approximately 55 miles north of the central campus. KCC's M-TEC is in Otsego County, which is outside of the main district. In 2004, KCC became an AQIP institution, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission — North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. KCC serves a district that is economically disadvantaged and underserved with a large number of residents who are deficient in basic academic skills. Kirtland Community College is located in Roscommon County, but it services 5 major counties, those being Roscommon, Crawford, Ogemaw, Otsego and Oscoda. The combined population of these 5 major counties as of the 2010 census results is 93,026: Roscommon with the largest population count at 24,449 and Oscoda with the lowest at 8,640.As of 2009 the free and reduced lunch numbers range from Oscoda the highest at 65.1% to Otsego the lowest at 48.8%. Of the population in these counties as of 2009, Roscommon has the highest number of people living below poverty level at 22.6 percent and Otsego the lowest at 12.5 percent. KCC offers 178 associate degrees; 91 certificates; five special certificates.

On Campus services: Kirtland Community College (KCC) offers an Early Childhood Learning Center called The Warbler's Nest that is state-licensed. The care-givers are licensed professionals that are assisted by KCC students in the nursing and education programs. The center cares for infants and pre-school age children with a program that includes education in Science, Music, Physical activity and Arts and Crafts. The Warbler's Nest has made family life easier and less stressful for students by being customized to fit each student’s schedule. Parents can visit the center between classes, at lunch or snack time. Having the on campus Childhood Learning Center has made it possible for some students to attend college.

Job Placement

Kirtland Community College (KCC) can impact personal or professional growth. With KCC offering over 80 degree and certificate courses it makes it possible to choose a degree that has outstanding job placement. Job placement in the Law Enforcement program is at 95% within the first year of graduation. The first Surgical Technology program placed all graduates upon graduation. The Nursing students at KCC surpass Michigan and the National average of the National Council Licensure Examination test scores: KCC averaged 93.4%, Michigan averaged 91% and the National average is 88%. The average Cosmetology State Board exam has an 85% pass rate at which KCC Cosmetology students have had a 100% pass rate for the last five years. Art students that transfer to a Bachelor of Art College in Michigan average more than $15,000 each in scholarships. Kirtland Community College students are among the best.

M-TEC & Off-Site Courses

Kirtland created the Michigan Technical Education Center (M-TEC) site in Gaylord, Michigan, where instructors and experts in their fields deliver a technical education in a state-of-the-art facility. Students pursuing a career in electrical technology, heating/ventilation/AC/refrigeration, industrial maintenance, welding and fabricating, cardiac sonography, certified nursing assistant, or practical nursing (LPN) will be located at Kirtland’s M-TEC. A wide variety of general education classes also are available at the M-TEC in Gaylord, including mathematics, English, language arts and science courses.

History

Kirtland Community College is a taxpayer-funded, two-year community college located in Roscommon County, Michigan. Founded in 1966 under the provisions of Michigan's Public Act 188 of 1955, it is the state's largest community college district geographically, totaling 2,500 square miles (6,500 km2) and consisting of all or part of nine counties. Approximately 65,000 people reside within the district.

Kirtland's Insutructional Building, whose campus is beautiful all year round!

March 7, 1966 marked the birth of Kirtland Community College, but the first students were still a long way off. When Kirtland opened the doors of its five portable classrooms in 1968, the student count was a mere one hundred sixty. There was no tutoring center, no dining room and no comfortable common area surrounding a cozy fireplace as there is now. Funding for the original land purchase came from local residents in the form of bond incentives.

Kirtland Community College is accredited by the Michigan Commission on College Accreditation and the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The college also holds membership in the Michigan Community College Association and the American Association of Community Colleges.

The Higher Learning Commission, a commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools granted Kirtland Community College status as a candidate for accreditation in 1972, and the college has been accredited as an associate degree-granting institution since 1975. The college is named after the Kirtland's Warbler.

Along a campus nature tour, you will find the Kirtland House, a colonial-style home that is used for meetings and conferences. The Kirtland House also is a gallery that showcases the artwork of students, community members and professional artists. Operating hours are Monday thru Friday.

Recent Developments

In the fall of 2010, Kirtland Community College was notified of a five-year, $2 million dollar federal grant award to expand online learning and outreach programs and services. The Title III grant is a highly competitive U.S. Department of Education grant program. The purpose of Title III is to improve and strengthen the academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability of Kirtland Community College.

The grant identified Kirtland’s need to expand online learning and outreach programs and services. Kirtland’s Title III project will expand online courses, certificates and degrees; increase opportunities for faculty professional development; upgrade classroom technology to support effective pedagogy; develop comprehensive online services and information to support all learners; and increase resource development capacity.

• Funding Source: U.S. Dept of Education
• Award Amount: $2,000,000
• Start Date: October 1, 2010
• End Date: September 30, 2015

The grant will allow Kirtland to expand online courses, certificates and degrees. It will increase the annual number of full-time students from fully online courses to 600 from the 2009-2010 baseline of 210.9 full-time students.200 courses (new courses or revision to existing traditional courses) will be created/revised to be delivered fully online or hybrid (may include some face-to face components) compared to a baseline of zero new courses and increase the number of majors in new fully online certificate and degree programs to 200 from the 2009-2010 baseline of zero.

It also will increase opportunities for professional development for faculty members. 100 full-time and adjunct faculty members will participate in a faculty development cohort and pilot their new skills in a class compared to a baseline of zero in 2009-2010. Fall-to-fall persistence of students taking only online courses is expected increase to 40.0% compared to the four-year unweighted average baseline of 30.4%.

In the 2010 fall semester 2,349 students were enrolled with a near even distribution of male and female population engaging in just under 20,000 credit hours of study. As Kirtland Community College continues to grow in population, and as the educational needs grow within the district, the college has acknowledged that need and has increased its physical size. A recent decision to purchase land in the city of West Branch, MI is designed to enhance the surgical technology courses offered by the school. The amount of the purchase exceeds $307,000. Those funds will provide nearly four more acres of land nearer to the West Branch Regional Medical Center where some of the students may observe or practice clinical skills.

Performing Arts

Kirtland Community College is also home to the Center for Performing Arts. It is the cultural and entertainment establishment at Kirtland Community College. The center’s G.I. Stewart Auditorium is an 846-seat, modified-thrust theater. The theatre's acoustics complement both dramatic and musical performances. The Kirtland Center for Performing Arts hosts Kirtland’s Performing Artists Series. The series brings a variety of world-class entertainment to the campus including bigger names that appeal to a wider audience. The Travel Adventure Series also is very popular. Six shows are performed at the center each year and all are open to the public. The Performing Artists Series has approximately 4500 patrons attending each season.

The Kirtland Center is also host to the Kirtland Youth Theatre, the Kirtland Community Theatre and all campus-related group meetings requiring a large seating capacity, including graduation ceremonies for the college. Kirtland Youth Theatre presents an annual series that introduces the students of the area to live performing arts including theatre, music and dance in a theatre setting. Kirtland Community Theatre annually produces plays/dinner theatres featuring Kirtland Community College area citizens. To make the Kirtland Center for the Performing Arts available to everyone, free shuttle service, child care, systems for the hearing impaired and wheelchair/disability seating all are available to patrons.

Athletics

The college competes in intercollegiate athletics as a member of the Eastern Conference of the Michigan College Athletic Association. The Kirtland Firebirds compete in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's golf and cross-country running. Kirtland has half- to full-ride scholarships available.

Notes

Sources Cited: Information Overview Booklet: Fall 2008 – Winter 2009 (Fact book pdf from Kirtland.edu) KirtlandCenter.com Kirtland College Catalog pdf file from Kirtland.edu Kirtand community college facts. (2011). Kirtland community college. Retrieved from www.kirtland.edu/about/facts.htm. Michigan League for Human Services. (2009). Students eligible for free or reduced priced lunch (percent) – 2009. In Kids count data center. Retrieved October 21, 2011, from http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/bystate/Rankings.aspx?state=MI&ind=1672. State & county quickfacts. (2011). U.S. census bureau. Retrieved October 21, 2011, from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/26/26143.html. The warbler's nest. (2011). Kirtland community college. Retrieved from http://www.kirtland.edu/warblersnest/ Why Kirtland. (2011). Kirtland community college. Retrieved from http://www.kirtland.edu/whykirtland/whychoosekirtland.htm. Baker, N. (2011, July 15). Kirtland Community College information overview

    booklet. Retrieved from http://www.kirtland.edu/about/documents/2011/ 
    FactBookJuly122011.pdf

Patrus, J. (2011, October 5). KCC purchases land in West Branch. Retrieved from

    Ogemaw Herald website: http://www.ogemawherald.com/detail/ 
    91435.html?content_source=&category_id=1&search_filter=&list_type=&order_by=&orde 
    r_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=7

Quinn, T. (2010). College history. In Part-time faculty handbook. Retrieved from

    http://www.kirtland.edu/humanresources/documents/ptfachandbook.pdf

Thompson, J., & Lemmen, N. (n.d.). A setting for success Kirtland Communty

    College 1966-2000.

External links

• Kirtland Community College web site
• The Warbler - The Official Newspaper for Kirtland Community College