Home to two four-year colleges and the satellite campus of a community college, McPherson is rich in the opportunities only a college can impart to a city.

Central Christian College of Kansas occupies several city blocks at the south end of McPherson’s Main Street. McPherson College maintains a 17-acre campus on the city’s east side.

Hutchinson Community College (HCC) recently opened a 22,000 square-foot satellite center at 2210 E. Kansas Ave. While these colleges maintain a clearly defined physical presence in McPherson, their educational, cultural and economic presence is immeasurable.

According to McPherson Mayor Tom Brown, who has served as a guest instructor at McPherson College, the local colleges bring a level of cultural experiences to the city that it would not otherwise have. Educationally, the colleges provide opportunities for residents who are not traditional college students.

“Our high school students have an opportunity to take classes that count towards graduation and give them a head start in college,” he said.“Retired people can take classes if they have an interest.We have great offerings among the three colleges.”

Officials from each of the three colleges – President Hal Hoxie of Central, President Michael Schneider of McPherson and Steve Porter of HCC -- recently provided insight into their respective institutions’ contributions to the community.

By way of concerts, lectures, sporting events, theatrical productions and art exhibits, both Central Christian College and McPherson College are major players in McPherson’s arts and entertainment Scene. All three colleges offer distinct educational opportunities. HCC is especially known for its Practical Nursing Program. Central and McPherson offer degree completion programs.

With a regular enrollment of approximately 330 students, Central also offers a dual credit program for high school students. For the 2010-11 academic year, that program saw an enrollment of 125 students. President Hoxie is always eager to describe Central’s unique presence in McPherson.

“For more than 125 years, Central has served students desiring a Christian education,” Hoxie said of the college that is associated with the Free Methodist Church. “The third president of Central, Orville Walters, once remarked, ‘Hopefully, as Central College changes, she will keep the good of the old and welcome the new without sacrificing quality education and quality principles.’ His words have been heeded and the new mission statement -- fall 2010 -- which is really a return to the mission of bygone days, declares our goal is to provide ‘a Christ-centered education for character.’The nature of the institution is higher education, but what sets Central Christian College apart is her goal to help students find balance in their lives As they build on the foundation of Christ.” Hoxie also can put numbers to Central’s impact on the local economy.

“We currently operate on a $12 million dollar budget which directly impacts McPherson,” he explained.“In addition to that,we host over 80 different visiting teams and individuals that spend multiple days in our community. We host home school tournaments in many sports, including the State Home School Basketball Tournament each March.We host sports camps in the summer for all young people to hone their skills for high school.”

In addition, he said,“I really feel we are reaching out to our local community and working hard to become valuable members of McPherson.”

For additional information on the college, visit Central’s website: www.centralchristian.edu.

Across town,McPherson College is a career-oriented liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 620 students from -- at last count -- 43 states and seven countries. It received its charter in 1887.

One of McPherson College’s newest initiatives is “Freedom to Jump.”

This initiative, President Schneider said,“lifts up liberal arts across the curriculum through entrepreneurship.” The college recently hired an entrepreneurship director, and students now have the option to add a “transformative entrepreneurship” minor to their degree.

In addition,McPherson College is known world-wide for its automotive restoration program. According to Schneider, the program has received the support of “Tonight Show” host and car enthusiast Jay Leno, as well as prominent car manufacturers, car shows and restoration specialists.

In terms of the local economy, McPherson College is a major player.

“Our budget includes $6.1 million annually in salaries,wages and benefits, as of June 30, 2010, and another $18.4 million annually in expenses,” Schneider said.“These dollars are largely spent in the community, as our banking, accounting and legal services are all purchased locally – along with most of our office supplies.”

The largest collegiate employer in McPherson, the college has 142 full-time, non-student employees and 10 part-time employees, Schneider said. Of those, 105 are staff.

McPherson College’s heavy emphasis on internships also impacts the larger community.

“Many of our students go on to work and start businesses of their own in the local community after graduation,” Schneider said,“and with 90 percent of students doing at least one internship before graduation, many are working in the community before graduation as well.”

For more information, visit McPherson College’s website: www.mcpherson.edu. Hutchinson Community College is the newest collegiate presence in McPherson. A two-year college based in nearby Hutchinson, HCC has offered classes in McPherson for nearly 30 years but only recently opened a large satellite center on East Kansas Avenue. HCC operates under a mission statement of “Expanding the Tradition of Excellence through Learning and Collaboration.” The new local center supports expanded Parking and “full services to students including enrollment, credit and noncredit classes, bookstore, counseling, advising and financial aid services,” said Steve Porter, HCC’s dean of Workforce Development and Outreach. The center’s stand-alone Practical Nursing Program features a full-time day program and two part-time programs.

“HCC’s McPherson Center provides the public with affordable and timely access to post-secondary educational opportunities,” Porter explained.“The McPherson Center allows students who live in McPherson to access college credit classes without the requirement of driving to Hutchinson to access all of their courses.”

The fuel savings can be significant, he noted.

HCC serves as an economic/workforce development partner to the McPherson Industrial Development Company and the McPherson Chamber of Commerce, providing responsive services to meet the needs of local business and industry, according to Porter. HCC also provides workforce services as a partner to the Kansas Department of Commerce and the Local Area I Workforce Investment Board,“helping job seekers find employers and assisting employers in finding a qualified workforce.”

“The center offers a variety of workforce development services and partnerships that can be accessed through HCC’s Business and Industry Institute,” he said.

For more information, visit HCC’s website: www.hutchcc.edu