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Annual Report
2016-2017
Donors, University Officials Break Ground on Hass-Darr Hall
With the shovels, from left, are Missouri State University President Clif Smart; Judge
William T. Hass; Ashley Jeanne Casad, daughter of Mary Hass Sheid; Mary Hass Sheid
(behind Ashley Casad); Jeanne Hass; Missouri State-West Plains Chancellor Drew Bennett;
William and Virginia Darr; Missy Hass Myers and Judge William R. Hass.
Approximately 100 community members, faculty, staff and students were on hand for
the March 31 groundbreaking ceremony for Hass-Darr Hall. With a turn of the shovel,
Mary Hass Sheid and members of the extended Hass family, William and Virginia Darr
of Springfield, and officials with Missouri State University-West Plains "officially"
broke ground on the $4.1 million construction/renovation project at the site of the
former West Plains Post Office on Garfield Avenue. Calling it "a dream 20 years in
the making," Missouri State-West Plains Chancellor Drew Bennett said the facility
will house the "dreams and ambitions" of the campus' students. When completed in early
2018, the facility will provide a home for the Carol Silvey Student Union, the Drago
College Store, William and Virginia Darr Honors Program, Veterans Center, admissions
welcome center, tutoring services and other much needed classroom and administrative
office space that will enhance student learning and academic success. It is being
financed with $1.5 million in state bonding funds; over $1.5 million in donations,
including significant gifts from Mary Hass Sheid of West Plains, Judge William R.
and Jeanne Hass of Springfield and formerly of Thayer, Judge William T. Hass of Thayer,
and Tim and Missy Hass Myers of Bentonville, Arkansas, and the Darrs; and campus reserves.
Major Milestones Reached at 2017 Commencement Ceremony
A total of 257 students graduated from Missouri State University-West Plains during
commencement ceremonies May 20 at the West Plains Civic Center. With this group of
graduates, Missouri State-West Plains has conferred degrees upon more than 5,000 students
overall and more than 1,000 nursing students.
Overcoming Obstacles, the Greater Ozarks Center for Advanced Technology (GOCAT) Facility
Opens in Fall 2017
Despite damages caused by extensive flooding April 29, the GOCAT training programs
in West Plains started on schedule for the 2017 fall semester.
After months of renovations to the former city scales building on Howell Avenue, a
large contingent of community leaders and government representatives officially opened
the center April 21 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The center, which is designed
to provide training for key technological skills in demand by manufacturers, was damaged
by the flood eight days later. Floodwaters rose to 26 inches throughout the facility,
resulting in extensive equipment and material damage.
"Although the flood waters definitely slowed our momentum, we at Missouri State University-West
Plains, as well as our partners at the South Central Career Center (SCCC) and the
City of West Plains, were committed to having our workforce development programs at
the GOCAT up and running by the time the fall semester arrived in August," said Dr.
Dennis Lancaster, dean of academic affairs at Missouri State-West Plains. "The partnership's
ongoing focus is on preparing our residents for the workplace, working with our industry
partners and meeting their customized training needs, and through the determination
and hard work of many, we had everything in place to do just that by the beginning
of the fall semester."
The 16,000 square-foot-facility is located at 125 N. Howell Ave. Students of the center
will be able to earn an Associate of Applied Science in Technology degree with options
in either Alternative Energy or Advanced Manufacturing. Certificate programs in those
two study areas also will be offered, along with customized training programs to area
businesses and industries.
Representatives from the City of West Plains, Missouri State University-West Plains
and the West Plains School District were among those on hand April 21 for the official
ribbon cutting of the new Greater Ozarks Center for Advanced Technology.
Board Approves Management Agreement for Grizzly Lofts
Officials at Missouri State University-West Plains began managing the Shoe Factory
Lofts, 665 Missouri Ave., in West Plains on Jan. 1, 2017, according to terms of a
facilities management agreement that was approved in August 2016 by members of the
Missouri State University Board of Governors. With the agreement, the name of the
facility changed to Grizzly Lofts.
Transferring management of the Grizzly Lofts to Missouri State-West Plains provided
the University with the capacity to increase the number of students living on campus.
Since its opening in August 1994, the 60-person Grizzly House, the University's first
residential facility, has been at full capacity with a waiting list. Finding adequate
housing for students wishing to enjoy a complete collegiate experience has been a
long-held goal of University officials. The addition of Grizzly Lofts gives students
two excellent housing options from which to choose.
Other Campus Highlights
Nineteen students from the Agriculture Department at Missouri State University-West
Plains placed in competitions at the 2016 Missouri Postsecondary Agriculture Student
(PAS) Organization's annual conference and competition Nov. 9-11 in West Plains. Hosted
by the University's Agriculture Department, the conference brought together 156 students
and advisors from seven community colleges in Missouri to learn about the agriculture
industry and compete in 54 different contests that focused on activities designed
to give students experience in career planning, employment application preparation
and writing résumés and letters of application.
Several students in the Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) student business organization placed
in competitions as part of state and national PBL conferences. In October 2016, five
students – Darian Williams, West Plains; Jim Listopad and Weston Mitchell, both of
Cabool; Edward Schultz, Mammoth Spring, Ark., and Derek McGinnis, Pottersville, –
were among the top three finishers in competitions held during the 2016 PBL Show-Me
Leadership Conference at Silver Dollar City in Branson. In June 2017, Dillon Cordel,
West Plains, as well as McGinnis, Williams, Listopad and Mitchell were among the top
10 winners in competitions at the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)/PBL National
Leadership Conference June 24-27 in Anaheim, California.
For more than 10 years, students at Missouri State University-West Plains have scored
above the national average in all categories of the Collegiate Assessment of Academic
Proficiency (CAAP) examination, University officials announced. Results of the 2016
test, which is administered nationwide to graduates of two-year degree programs, show
Missouri State-West Plains students scored above the national mean score in all five
categories of the examination.
The 2016 Grizzly Volleyball team at Missouri State University-West Plains received
academic honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The Grizzlies
were among 21 teams from two-year schools across the nation to receive the 2016-17
AVCA Team Academic Award for posting a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.30
or higher on a 4.0 scale for all players. The Grizzlies' 3.82 average was high enough
to earn the team Honor Roll distinction from AVCA officials.
Officials with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), hosted by Missouri State
University-West Plains, released the center's annual report for 2015-2016 in November,
and statistics showed staff served a total of 127 local entrepreneurs from October
2015 through September 2016. The assistance provided by SBDC staff led to the start-up
of 13 new businesses, the creation of 56 new jobs, the investment of $1.1 million
in the area, and increased sales totaling $2.3 million in the community, according
to the report. The West Plains SBDC serves entrepreneurs in Douglas, Howell, Oregon,
Ozark, Shannon, Texas and Wright counties.
Awards and Recognition
Victoria "Tori" York, Missouri State-West Plains graduate, Missouri State University
Board of Governors' Citizen Scholar Award
James J. (Jim) Hart, assistant professor of computer information, Governor's Award
for Excellence in Education
Blair Cook, 2017 All-Missouri Two-Year College Academic Team, first team
Barbara Caton, assistant professor of nursing, Faculty Excellence in Community Service
Award
Jennifer Walker, financial aid coordinator, Staff Excellence in University Service
