Northwest Missouri State University’s Board of Regents, during its regular session Friday, approved additional funding needed for a renovation of the McKemy Center for Lifelong Learning as the University expands its agricultural science program offerings.

Regents gave their approval to the president and vice president of finance and administration to sign a contract with Herner Construction Inc. and proceed with the renovation at a total cost not exceeding $1,976,423.

The renovation will accommodate Northwest’s systems management for manufacturing and agribusiness program in the School of Agricultural Sciences. The project includes adding laboratory space and equipment as well as safety and infrastructure upgrades.

By completing the renovation, Northwest seeks to enhance the workforce for manufacturing and agribusiness industry clusters by offering comprehensive systems management training and skill development as well as certifying skills with industry-recognized stackable credentials.

The University will offer courses – such as welding, precision measuring, electronics and electricity, mechatronics and personal protective equipment – that could be completed for certification or “stacked” to earn a credentialed systems management badge. Coursework may be further aggregated to earn a systems management emphasis or minor to supplement a bachelor’s degree.  

Vice President of Finance and Administration Carrick explained during Friday’s meeting that the Board, during its May meeting, approved the renovation with a total project cost of $1,526,423. Bids submitted for the project, however, were higher than expected due to supply cost escalation, electrical service upgrades and a classroom redesign for a welding simulation lab. 

With the Board’s approval of an increase to the project’s total cost, about 39 percent of the cost of the renovations is being funded through the state of Missouri’s MoExcels Program, which is a matching fund program focused on workforce development. About 43 percent is expected to come from donors, and the remaining 18 percent will come from University funds.

Presidential search update

Acting as chair of the Board in place of Regent John Moore, who could not attend Friday’s meeting, Regent Roxanna Swaney provided an update on the University’s presidential search.

Swaney said Anthem Executive, a Houston-based search firm assisting the institution with recruiting its next president, is accepting applications and engaging with interested candidates. The Presidential Search Committee is scheduled to convene in December to review applicants and tentatively plans to begin interviewing candidates in January.

For more information about Northwest’s presidential search, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/presidentsearch/.

Other business

In other business, Brennan Lehman, assistant vice president of information technology, presented Northwest’s annual cybersecurity update as well as the University’s Information Security Policy, which the Board approved.

During the recognitions portion of Friday’s meeting, Provost Dr. Jamie Hooyman recognized eight employees who were honored by the University in August with Academic Impact Awards for exhibiting a positive influence on Northwest’s academic community through their dedication, collegiality and unassuming excellence. Additionally, Hooyman recognized six individuals who are recipients of Northwest’s annual Faculty Excellence Awards for their teaching, scholarship and service.

Swaney also recognized Dr. Peter Adam, an assistant professor of biology, for his dedication to organizing role players participating in Northwest’s annual Missouri Hope emergency and disaster management training exercise and advising student organizations.

The Board of Regents is responsible for sound resource management of the University and for determining general, educational and financial policies.