2018-2019
Ribbon Cutting Officially opens Hass-Darr Hall
September 26, 2018, was an historic day for Missouri State-West Plains. An estimated 250 students, faculty, staff, government representatives and area residents gathered that day for the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony at Hass-Darr Hall.
The expansion and renovation of the former post office building was funded through a combination of state bonding funds, private donations and university reserves. The facility is named Hass-Darr Hall in recognition of significant gifts from two families who are long-time university supporters, Mary Hass (Sheid) Schrag, the William R. Hass family and William and Virginia Darr. The 18,000-square-foot facility will become the “heart of the campus” with the variety of services it houses. These include the William and Virginia Darr Honors Program, Carol Silvey Student Union, Drago College Store, Admissions Welcome Center, Veterans Center, student life and development office, tutoring services and other much-needed classroom and administrative space.
Apprenticeship Program now Underway at GOCAT
A signing event took place Jan. 14, 2019, for five students in the first cohort of the Industrial Maintenance Technician Apprenticeship program at the Greater Ozarks Center for Advanced Technology (GOCAT).
A project two years in the making, this marked Missouri State-West Plains’ first venture into U.S. Department of Labor’s certified registered apprenticeships. Funded through a Missouri Registered Apprenticeship Grant from the Missouri Division of Workforce Development, it brings together a coalition consisting of Missouri State-West Plains, GOCAT, the South Central Workforce Investment Board (SCWIB), the Missouri Registered Apprenticeship Program, the U.S. Department of Labor, and four local businesses: Leonardo-DRS, Regal Beloit, Timberland Forest Products and Jasper Engines and Transmissions. In March 2019, six more students signed on to a manufacturing technology and manufacturing management apprenticeship program in cooperation with Leonardo DRS.
“Our venture into this specialized student-worker training brings all of our partners even closer as we strive to meet the worker and skills-development demands of our area,” said Dr. Dennis Lancaster, dean of academic affairs at Missouri State-West Plains. Lancaster added that this initial offering of apprenticeships by Missouri State-West Plains through the GOCAT initiative is an important step in the evolution of the workforce development program at the university and in the region.
Police Substation Opens on Campus
At the March 20, 2019, executive committee meeting of the Missouri State University Board of Governors, members approved a cooperative agreement with the City of West Plains.
The agreement allowed the police department to establish a substation in Drago Hall, the former Drago College Store on West Main Street. Chancellor Shirley Lawler said the substation is a positive arrangement for the city and the campus. “They are pleased to be able to provide a downtown location for police officers to conduct business, and we are looking forward to adding another level of safety and security to our campus,” she added.
Under terms of the agreement, the university will provide, at no charge, office space, furniture, phone service and internet access for the substation. The single room office will have its own private, secure entrance, according to the agreement. There will be no standard hours of operation for the substation; however, on-duty officers will be able to stop in at any time, thus providing a regular police presence on campus. Both university and police department officials have said that in the future, the substation could be manned full time. The substation opened in June.
Amphitheater Project Nears Completion
Crews with DeWitt & Associates, Inc., in Springfield began preparing the site of Missouri State-West Plains’ new outdoor amphitheater for construction on March 15, 2019.
Once completed, the 850-seat amphitheater will provide the university and the greater West Plains community an outdoor venue for such activities as spectator events, concerts, films and theatrical performances. In addition to university use, the amphitheater will be available to reserve for activities and events sponsored by various community and private organizations and the general public. Construction costs are being covered by a combination of private donations, university funds and a $252,671 matching grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Land and Water Conservation Fund. The $585,000 project should be completed by the end of the summer.
Ozarks Teacher Corps Scholarship Established
The Community Foundation of the Ozarks and the Ozarks Teacher Corps established a new scholarship for Missouri State-West Plains students as part of their Rural Teacher Corps program. The objective is to fill open positions in rural schools with qualified teachers. The first eight scholarship awards will go to students enrolled for fall 2019; with satisfactory academic progress, these eight students can continue to automatically receive an annual scholarship for an additional three years. A new cohort of eight students will be selected for each academic year. One unique aspect of the scholarship is that Missouri State-West Plains graduates who are teaching in the south-central Missouri area will serve as mentors for the scholarship recipients.
Nursing Program Receives Continued Accreditation
The Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) degree program at Missouri State-West Plains received “continued accreditation” from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). University officials received formal notification of the decision from the ACEN Board of Commissioners in August 2018 following a self-study report and site evaluation visit in February. The recommendation to award continued accreditation status to the program came during the commission’s July meeting. The term of the recommendation is for eight years, the maximum allowed.
