March 2, 2023

Long family supporting Martindale Hall renovation with appreciation for Northwest, interest in investing in community

As long-time employees of Northwest Missouri State University who also have become invested in the Maryville community, Dr. Terry and Anne Long are showing their gratitude toward both entities through a gift that will enable growth of the University’s School of Health Science and Wellness, its future students and the region.

The Longs have pledged $20,000 to the Northwest Foundation in support of renovations to Martindale Hall. Terry joined the Northwest faculty in 2000 and now serves as director of the School of Health Science and Wellness. Anne, Terry’s wife, was employed in Northwest’s Office of Human Resources from 2008 to 2017 and now is the chief human resource officer at United Fiber in Maryville.

“Donating to the Martindale project was an easy decision for us,” Terry said. “We know that our gift will help improve the availability and quality of health-related services to the people in our region. The end result is going to be an increased number of well-trained therapists, counselors, nurses, dietitians, educators, and health and wellness professionals available to our community. I’m a little biased, but I can’t think of a better cause to support.”

Last summer, the University began upgrades at Martindale Hall – which opened in 1926 and was last remodeled in the 1970s – to help Northwest and its School of Health Science and Wellness better align academic programs with industry needs and workforce demands. Additionally, Northwest expects to enhance its competitive edge in recruiting quality students interested in careers in the health care field while strengthening regional partnerships related to health science and wellness.

A $1.3 million renovation of Martindale Hall’s third floor, a 4,260-square-foot section, is nearing completion and includes academic laboratory spaces to support nursing, human services and school counseling programs as well as faculty and staff offices.

However, the third-floor renovation of Martindale Hall is just the first phase of long-term plans to update the entire building. The Missouri General Assembly approved $8.5 million, and Northwest is raising funds to match the state grant and fund the $17 million project total by December 2024.

Among the key components of the renovation project, new lab spaces will further enhance students’ learning and resources for residents. In that realm, Northwest’s profession-based learning environment creates opportunities for students to assist with health and wellness-related programs and services designed for residents of the region. Each year, the School of Health Science and Wellness dedicates more than 50,000 hours to profession-based learning activities in local communities.

“It’s a fantastic improvement to our infrastructure and to our ability to offer quality programs, but it’s also been conceptualized with a focus on the community,” Terry said, noting the University’s strong partnership with Mosaic Life Care. “One of the most exciting things about the project is that it’s going to allow us to serve future generations of Northwest students and the communities that they serve. It’s a doorway to the community in – as a regional school – our obligation to support Maryville and the surrounding region.”

While growing up, Terry enjoyed participating in athletics and spending time outdoors. So he naturally gravitated toward studying recreation as he pursued his college degrees but also found an interest in psychology and completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in that field. He earned his Ph.D. in parks recreation and tourism at the University of Utah.

Reflecting now on his experiences as a first-generation college student coming from a low-income family, Terry understands the impacts higher education can have in a student’s life.

“Higher education was not really a goal for the typical person in my family,” Terry said. “But when I went to college, it opened up a whole new world for me in terms of the role models that were there and the thinking about what I could do with my life. That’s motivating in terms of giving to the Martindale project – that I know that we’re creating those types of opportunities for other people.”

Terry says one reason he sought degrees in psychology and recreation was to play a role in helping others. Outside of the classroom he has worked with adventure therapy programs and facilitates a Northwest partnership with the Wounded Warrior Project.

“The classroom experiences that we can provide to everybody in the School is really the ticket to helping more and more people,” Terry said. “You’re going to touch, depending on how you do the math, probably millions of lives. I’ve probably had 10,000 students over time, but those 10,000 students have impacted, I’m sure over a million. I don’t know how you put a number on that. That’s always what keeps me going.”

Anne, who earned a bachelor’s degree in parks, recreation and tourism at the University of Utah, began her career in the hotel industry before transitioning into human resources. She advanced her skills as a Northwest staff member and completed a Master of Business Administration degree at the University in 2017.  

“Getting my MBA is what opened the door for me to be able to move over to United,” Anne said. “I got the opportunity to be where I am today because of what Northwest invested in me, and so I want to invest it back into future students.”

The Northwest Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, develops and stewards philanthropic resources for the benefit of Northwest Missouri State University and its students. It is governed by a volunteer board and staffed by members of Northwest’s Office of University Advancement.

To make a gift to support Northwest, including Martindale Hall, contact the Office of University Advancement at 660.562.1248 or visit www.nwmissouri.edu/GiveOnline.