Mohave Community College outlines enrollment gains, new programs, campus upgrades and rebrand to Mohave College

Stacy Klippenstein, president of Mohave Community College, and college executives briefed the Tri City Council on Jan. 15 about enrollment, program expansions, facilities priorities and a planned institutional name change.

Dr. Timothy Culver, executive vice president for instruction, said spring-semester enrollments are preliminary but show 4,365 students currently enrolled systemwide, with about 950 students who list Lake Havasu City addresses, roughly 1,382 in Kingman, about 1,500 in Bullhead City and 239 at the North campus. Culver said finalized counts will be confirmed on the college’s official count date in March.

Why it matters: College leaders tied program growth to workforce needs across the county. Culver outlined plans to expand short-term certificates and credit programs tied to local demand — for example, transportation- and technical-training certificates for electric vehicles and marine technology, and expansion of automotive training beyond Bullhead City.

The college said it will add two new associate-degree programs this fall — respiratory care practitioner and diagnostic medical sonography — and it is preparing a slate of possible bachelor’s degrees to present to the Mohave Community College Governing Board in February. Culver said those proposed bachelor’s degrees would be structured like other baccalaureate programs in Arizona and would require approval by the Higher Learning Commission and any relevant licensure agencies.

Facilities and workforce training: Jolene Pruitt, vice president for administrative services, said the college’s facilities master plan ranked campus buildings from good to critical and recommended that Lake Havasu be next for investment. She said the proposed Transportation Technical Training Center (Triple T) at Lake Havasu would consolidate aging buildings, provide space for technician certificates and produce operating efficiencies. Pruitt said the college projects efficiency savings from consolidation and replacement and will ask the board to consider the recommendation in February.

Partnerships and implementation: Kirk Lacy, assistant to the president for partnership development, described a data-driven partnership action plan using labor-market data and employer outreach to align programs to local workforce needs. James Jarman, executive director of college communications, said the board approved changing the institution’s public name to Mohave College last fall and that the college is seeking community feedback on new primary logos through Mohavelogo.com. The college said campus names will remain in place (for example, Mohave College — Bullhead City campus).

No formal board action occurred at the Tri City meeting. College leaders said the board will review facilities and program priorities during upcoming board meetings and that program starts and construction will follow board decisions and accrediting approvals.

Speakers listed for this update included Stacy Klippenstein, Timothy Culver, Jolene Pruitt, Kirk Lacy and James Jarman.