BY ANDY TAYLOR
Montgomery County Chronicle

INDEPENDENCE — Prospects for further enrollment growth has allowed Independence Community College officials to hold the line on tuition and fee increases for the 2008-09 school year.

ICC trustees on Tuesday agreed to not raise the tuition rates after learning that enrollment for the fall 2008 semester would likely increase by as much as 20 percent. That jump in student enrollment will generate more tuition and fees, which will ultimately yield more revenue for the college, thereby eliminating the need for higher tutition.

Students within the ICC tax district will continue to pay $52.50 per credit hour ($25.00 per credit hour for tuition and $27.50 per credit hour for fees). Tuition for other students from Kansas counties will be $55.00 per credit hour while border state students (Oklahoma, Missouri, Colorado and Nebraska) will pay $62.50 per credit hour. Students from all other states will continue to pay $137.50 per credit hour.

Trustee Tom Tyler said he was surprised yet gratified to learn that ICC was not increasing its tuition at a time when many other colleges were planning price hikes due to rising energy costs.

However, room and board rates did take a slight jump. Students will pay $4,440 per academic year for their stay in an ICC dormitory.

Dr. Daniel Bain, ICC president, said ICC’s tuition rates will remain the least expensive among community colleges in the area.

Students within the ICC tax district already are offered a free tuition plan as an incentive for their enrollment. That has led to a jump in enrollment as has a surge in enrollment from other Kansas counties.

Max VanLaningham, interim dean of student services, presented an enrollment report showing student numbers for the fall semester to already be 19.38 percent higher than at the same time last year. He also said the enrollment will likely increase as the 2008-09 school year begins in August.

“We’re doing a better job getting our name in front of prospective students,” he said.

Frank Abagnale to make appearance in Independence

The main character featured in the movie “Catch Me If You Can” will be coming to Independence in the fall at the invitation of Independence Community College.

The movie “Catch Me If You Can” was based on the autobiography of Frank Abagnale of Tulsa, Okla., whose use of deception, fraud and forgery landed him in a myriad of jobs — ranging from hospital surgeon to jet airline pilot to lawyer. His well-known exploits in the 1960s and 1970s finally caught up with him, and FBI investigators arrested him in Europe.

He later helped the FBI learn about forgery and deceptive practices, and he branched out on his own to help law enforcement around the country learn about various financial crimes.

Today, Abagnale is among the foremost experts on business fraud and other scams.

The 2002 movie based on his life was produced by Steven Spielberg and featured Leonardo DeCaprio in the role of Abagnale.

Abagnale is being brought to ICC at the invitation of a personal friend and ICC alum Jim Hight. Hight and Abagnale are planning on presenting a “Bank Day” in Independence that will allow them to tell business owners and the public about various issues involving financial security matters, identity theft, terrorism and cybercrimes.

The date of the event has yet to be determined, however Dr. Daniel Bain, ICC president, said he was hopeful to announce a date, time and location within the coming weeks.

“I think this will be great for ICC and for the community,” he said. “To help bolster the event, I think it would be good to have a viewing of ‘Catch Me If You Can’ perhaps one week before the actual event.”

In other business transacted at Tuesday’s trustee meeting, ICC trustees:

• appointed Norman Chambers as the trustee chairman for the 2008-09 school year.

• accepted the resignation from trustee Kevin Kaff because of upcoming move to Wichita. Kaff said he had enjoyed his five years as a member of the ICC governing board.

“It has been an honor to serve for the past five years, and I’ve enjoyed the experience,” Kaff told his fellow trustees after they had accepted his resignation.

• approved the hiring of Peggy Forsberg as the dean of instruction at a salary of $62,500. Forsberg, who comes to ICC from Highland Community College, replaces Dr. Paula Davis, who recently resigned from ICC to accept a similar post at Colby Community College.

• approved the hiring of Becky Brown of Cherryvale to the position of payroll accountant. Brown is a former Cherryvale city administrator and city clerk with 18 years of municipal government experience.

• agreed to give a 3 percent cost of living increase to all full-time ICC employees hired prior to April 1, 2008.

• heard reports from Dr. Daniel Bain regarding various programs, including prospects for starting a curriculum geared toward occupations in alternative energy and criminal justice.

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