The Board of Trustees of Three Rivers College accepted a donation of 33 acres of land from Sikeston businessman Scott Matthews at its monthly meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 27. The donation, which is valued at approximately $2.1 million, marks the second major gift that Matthews and his family have made to the college in the last year.
Matthews, along with his wife, his sister, Elizabeth Brunt, and her husband, L. Michael Brunt, previously donated 40 acres of land in the Sikeston area to Three Rivers for use in building an Eastern Campus to replace the college’s current Center at Sikeston. The new donation will be used to create a second entrance for the campus, in addition to the planned entrance on Highway 61. The college is currently discussing the possibility of building a new overpass connecting the Eastern Campus to Highway 60 with the Missouri Department of Transportation.
“It became obvious to us that the scope of the Eastern Campus project would make traffic off of 61 untenable,” said Matthews. “Every now and then you have to let things go to get a project done. It’s for the best that this is in the college’s hands now.”
The college’s Center at Sikeston currently serves over 500 students, and attendance at the new campus is expected to reach 1,000 students within the first few years after its opening. Three Rivers expects to break ground on the project in the spring, and hopes to open the campus’ doors in 2014. Eastern Campus facilities will include classrooms, a computer lab, science labs, a library, and an exhibit hall, among other features.
“Scott Matthews is a visionary who sees that the Three Rivers Eastern Campus can be the spark that ignites tremendous growth in the Sikeston area, and throughout the I-55 corridor,” said Dr. Devin Stephenson, President of Three Rivers College. “We deeply appreciate everything he is doing for Three Rivers.”
In addition to his donations, Matthews serves on the board of the Three Rivers Endowment Trust, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that receives and manages donations on behalf of the college. In 2011, he won the Missouri Community College Association’s “Award of Distinction” for his outstanding contributions to community college education in the state.
Three Rivers College is committed to contributing to the quality of life in Southeast Missouri with quality, affordable higher education opportunities and community services that support and encourage the economic, civic, and cultural vitality of the region. For more information about college and workforce programs and upcoming events, visittrcc.edu.
The Board of Trustees of Three Rivers College accepted a donation of 33 acres of land from Sikeston businessman Scott Matthews at its monthly meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 27. The donation, which is valued at approximately $2.1 million, marks the second major gift that Matthews and his family have made to the college in the last year.
Matthews, along with his wife, his sister, Elizabeth Brunt, and her husband, L. Michael Brunt, previously donated 40 acres of land in the Sikeston area to Three Rivers for use in building an Eastern Campus to replace the college’s current Center at Sikeston. The new donation will be used to create a second entrance for the campus, in addition to the planned entrance on Highway 61. The college is currently discussing the possibility of building a new overpass connecting the Eastern Campus to Highway 60 with the Missouri Department of Transportation.
“It became obvious to us that the scope of the Eastern Campus project would make traffic off of 61 untenable,” said Matthews. “Every now and then you have to let things go to get a project done. It’s for the best that this is in the college’s hands now.”
The college’s Center at Sikeston currently serves over 500 students, and attendance at the new campus is expected to reach 1,000 students within the first few years after its opening. Three Rivers expects to break ground on the project in the spring, and hopes to open the campus’ doors in 2014. Eastern Campus facilities will include classrooms, a computer lab, science labs, a library, and an exhibit hall, among other features.
“Scott Matthews is a visionary who sees that the Three Rivers Eastern Campus can be the spark that ignites tremendous growth in the Sikeston area, and throughout the I-55 corridor,” said Dr. Devin Stephenson, President of Three Rivers College. “We deeply appreciate everything he is doing for Three Rivers.”
In addition to his donations, Matthews serves on the board of the Three Rivers Endowment Trust, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that receives and manages donations on behalf of the college. In 2011, he won the Missouri Community College Association’s “Award of Distinction” for his outstanding contributions to community college education in the state.
Three Rivers College is committed to contributing to the quality of life in Southeast Missouri with quality, affordable higher education opportunities and community services that support and encourage the economic, civic, and cultural vitality of the region. For more information about college and workforce programs and upcoming events, visittrcc.edu.