Regents OK Valk contractor, NCMC agreement

Northwest's Board of Regents met in regular session Friday, Oct. 26, and approved a number staff proposals, including selection of a contractor for the lower-level renovation of Valk Hall and a measure setting the stage for a series of articulation agreements with North Central Missouri College in Trenton.

Lawhon Construction of St. Joseph received the contract award with a low bid of $2.9 million. Three other bids were submitted and ranged between $3.2 million and just under $3.5 million.

On its upper level, Valk contains offices and classrooms used by the Department of Agriculture. The renovated lower lever will be the new home of the Department of history, humanities, philosophy and political science.

Construction is scheduled to begin before the end of November, and the classroom phase of the project is scheduled for completion by fall 2008. It is anticipated that HHPPS faculty will move into their new offices in May 2009.

The University's governing board also cleared the way for a memorandum of agreement with North Central Missouri College, which will make it easier for students at the two-year school to complete bachelor's degrees at Northwest.

Already approved by North Central's Board of Trustees, the memorandum states that over the next 12 months the two institutions will sign off on articulation agreements designed to maximize the number of NCMC credit hours that can be applied to a four-year undergraduate degree from Northwest.

Academic disciplines comprised by the memorandum include nursing, business, education and agriculture. All new degree programs arising from the agreement must still be approved by Missouri's Coordinating Board for Higher Education.

The proposed arrangement will strengthen ties between Northwest and North Central in a number of other ways, including a joint admission program that will allow students at each institution to transfer from one to the other, alternate enrollment between the two or co-enroll at both.

Students admitted to Northwest under the joint admission program will receive a University ID card; access to Northwest events and activities; a Northwest e-mail account; access to University library, athletic and computer facilities; and sufficient disk space on a Northwest Internet server to maintain a homepage and store files.

The memorandum also outlines a reverse transfer program that lets Northwest students transfer credits to NCMC for the purpose of completing some associate (two-year) degree requirements.

Terms of the agreement specify that NCMC will make "all reasonable efforts" to encourage its graduates to continue their education at Northwest. As a result, administrators predict there will be a two- to fourfold increase in the number of North Central Missouri College graduates who transfer to Northwest each year.

About 30 former NCMC students are currently continuing their education on the Maryville campus.

NCMC has pledged to provide technical support for Northwest programs so that they can be offered online or via other distance-learning media. The college will also, on request, provide office space for a Regional Professional Development Center and cooperate with center personnel in offering Northwest extension services.

In other business, the board gave the go-ahead to a series of construction projects that will replace obsolete or reassigned facilities currently used by the offices of Environmental Services, Campus Safety and Purchasing.

When complete, the initiative will provide new facilities for the University's transportation fleet, maintenance shops, Campus Safety personnel, materials distribution and mail and copy services.

Phase one of the project is construction of a new maintenance facility that will house carpentry, electrical, plumbing and sign shops; the campus construction office; and various storage areas. Estimated cost is $2 million, which will be allocated from the University's maintenance and repair budget.

Another board vote Friday paved the way for the hiring of a full-time University architect and sustainability coordinator whose responsibilities will include both capital projects planning and environmental oversight related to energy use, recycling and facilities design.

In two procedural matters, the regents elected new officers and requested legislative action to clarify how many members the board is to consist of under current Missouri law. The board elected Regent Bill Loch, Maryville, as its new president. He replaces Regent Rita Hanks of Smithville. Regent Don Schneider of Wildwood was elected vice president. He replaces Regent Rollie Stadlman of Chillicothe. Both members will serve two-year terms.

For more information, please contact:

Anthony Brown,
News Bureau Manager
E-Mail: abrown@nwmissouri.edu
Phone (660) 562-1704
Fax (660) 562-1900

Northwest Missouri State University
219 Administration Building,
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468

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