GARNETT — When the economy hits the skids, people hit the books. The Anderson County Review reports that over last two years, an increasing number of Anderson County residents have enrolled at Allen County Community College in Iola and at Neosho County Community College at Ottawa. That includes high school graduates and those older students known as non-traditional students. Neosho-Ottawa dean Dale Ernst said there’s been an increase in both. Nontraditional students realize they need to have an education beyond high school, he said. Those students often seek a degree that will lead to a job, such as nursing or occupational therapy, Ernst said. Kevin Loving, Colony, has worked many jobs in the past 20 years, including painting houses, cement or factory work. He returned to Allen County to get a GED and will finish his studies to receive an associate’s degree this spring. He said he plans to be a personal trainer.
Tuesday, April 27, 1 p.m.
