College board approves tuition hike

NORTH PLATTE -- Tuition and fees will be increased in July by 6.76 percent, along with costs of room and board, at the three McCook and North Platte campuses of Mid Plains Community College.

MPCC Board of Governors approved the increases at its meeting Wednesday at the North Platte campus.

The increases mean resident tuition and fees will go from $74 to $79 and non resident tuition and fees from $93 to $99.

Room and 15 meals at the MCC dorm will increase $100, from $2,100 to $2,200 and with 18 meals, from $2,250 to $2,350. Room and board at the two dorm locations at the North Platte campus will increase by $75 for room with five meals and by $100 for 10 meals. Private rooms will cost an additional flat rate of $400 per semester at all three locations.

The Board of Governors also approved a new degree program to be offered at MPCC, an Associate of Applied Science degree in Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Without the proposed degree program, Mid-Plains Community College will not be able to continue offering EMT-Paramedic training in Nebraska after 2012.

By 2012, all paramedics wanting/needing to test National Registry for certification will be required to have graduated from an accredited EMS educational program. By Nebraska state law, all Nebraska EMT-Paramedic certification is accomplished by successfully passing the National Registry paramedic exam.

This means that all Nebraska Emergency Medical Paramedic Training Programs will have to achieve accreditation by The Commission of Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) in order to offer paramedic training.

The plan will now be forwarded to the Coordinating Commission for Post Secondary Education (CCPE) for their approval.

Also approved at Wednesday's meeting was $114, 694.93 for the 2008-2009 annual maintenance contract with Jenzabar, who provides upgrades and troubleshooting for all of the college's software programs.