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ANNUAL REPORTA Y E A R I N R E V I E W

WP.MISSOURISTATE.EDU

Over 200 students, faculty, staff and community members watched as officials with Missouri State University-West Plains cut a ribbon on Sept. 20 to mark the grand opening of the university’s new $2.2 million student recreation center and community shelter. The approximately 10,000-square-foot facility at the corner of Garfield Avenue and West Trish Knight Street was funded with a $1.3 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and an auxiliary bond (loan) that will be paid with funds generated from a student-approved fee. The architecture firm for the center, Dake Wells Architecture, received a design excellence award in May from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Springfield Design Awards Program for the new facility.

Grand opening held for Student Recreation Center

Largest scholarship giftto Foundation to benefit West Plains students

Missouri State University-West Plains’ students will benefit from the largest gift in the campus’ history – a $4 million gift that endowed and expanded the Corps of Opportunity Program and two athletics scholarships.

The gift to the Missouri State University Foundation was from the Lorene Thompson Brooks estate. In recognition, the Corps of Opportunity Program was renamed the Ed and Lorene Thompson Brooks Corps of Opportunity Program. It is the largest scholarship gift in the Foundation’s history and was announced at a press conference on Feb. 23.

The Corps of Opportunity Program combines scholarships and on-campus work opportunities for qualified students who need financial help to pay for their college education. Although federal and state financial aid programs provide assistance to students who have the greatest financial need, the Corps of Opportunity Program targets students who have unmet financial need, whether or not they received benefits from one of these government programs.

About Lorene Thompson Brooks:

Lorene Thompson Brooks was born Feb. 27, 1930, in Stotesbury, Mo. Her family moved to Koshkonong, Mo., in 1941. She graduated from Koshkonong High School in 1948 and attended Draughon Business University in Springfield.

Brooks died Dec. 20, 2010, in Austin, Texas. Her older brother, Bob Thompson, and his wife, Eva, are her survivors and live in West Plains.

When Brooks’ only child, Diedre, died of cancer in the late 1990s, a relative suggested the daughter’s collection of books be given to the Garnett Library at Missouri State University-West Plains. This began a long-lasting relationship that spawned a continued interest in the campus and its students, resulting in this bequest to the university for need-based scholarships.

From left with a photo of Brooks are Brooks’ brother Bob Thompson and his wife, Eva, of West Plains; Missouri State-West Plains Chancellor Drew Bennett; Missouri State University Vice President for University Advancement and Foundation Executive Director Brent Dunn; and Missouri State-West Plains Director of Development Elizabeth Grisham.

Largest scholarship giftto Foundation to benefit West Plains students

Renovation of Gohn Hall is underway thanks to an additional gift commitment from David Gohn and his sister, longtime public educator Virginia Gohn Sapp, St. Louis.

The family home, donated to the university by Gohn and Sapp, will provide office and classroom space for the Missouri State University Outreach Program on the West Plains campus. The Outreach Program offers several bachelor’s and master’s degree completion programs, including those in education and business, locally. Missouri State-West Plains students will be able to complete a bachelor’s or master’s degree in child and family development, education, business and more via distance learning technology and traditional classes in Gohn Hall. The renovated facility is expected to open by fall 2013.

Gohn’s grandchildren broke ground at the Dec. 22 ceremony for Gohn Hall. With shovels from left are John David and Robert Mahaffey Jr.; Caroline, Jack and William Beykirch; and Sam, Mary Claire and Libby Gohn. Behind the podium is Missouri State-West Plains Chancellor Drew Bennett.

Gohn Hall renovation to house Outreach Program

University named 1 of top 120 2-year colleges in nationFor the second consecutive year, Missouri State University-West Plains was named one of the top 120 two-year colleges in the United States by the Aspen Institute Community College Excellence Program and is now eligible to compete for prize money from the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The recognition, announced in April, is based on a quantitative formula that assesses performance and improvement in graduation rates, degrees awarded, student retention rates and equity in student outcomes. Missouri State-West Plains was selected out of 1,200 community colleges across the nation and is one of only two recognized in Missouri. Although not a community college, Missouri State-West Plains is a member of the American Association of Community Colleges as an associate degree-granting institution.

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December 2010

128 Garfield Ave. • West Plains, MO 65775 • 417-255-7255 • wp.missouristate.eduEO/AA

Missouri State University-West Plains officials cut a ribbon Oct. 18 to mark the grand opening of the university’s Veterans Incentive Program (VIP) Center. The center, made possible with a $386,776 grant from the U.S. Department of Education through the 2010 Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success Program, provides specialized support to area veterans who want to attend classes at the university, from admission to graduation.

Grand openingof VIP Center held

Endowed honors professorship establishedThe promise of an endowed professorship in the William and Virginia Darr Honors Program at Missouri State University-West Plains has come to fruition. At the Missouri State University Board of Governors meeting in May, Missouri State-West Plains Chancellor Drew Bennett announced that university officials had received the minimum amount needed in donations and pledges, $250,000, to create the William and Virginia Darr Endowed Honors Professorship. The announcement fulfilled a promise made in 2008 when members of the Philanthropic Women for Education organization pledged an annual gift for five years toward the professorship while university officials sought to fully endow the position. Donations collected from individuals, businesses and organizations recently reached $250,000, enough to endow the professorship, which is currently held by the program’s founder, Assistant Professor of Letters/Director of the Darr Honors Program Dennis Lancaster.

Awards & RecognitionJeff HuffAssistant Professor of Computer Graphics and Programming Missouri Council on Public Higher Education’s Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education

Donna BasshamCoordinator of the Financial Aid Office Staff Excellence in University Service Award

Joe KammererAssistant Director of Development Staff Excellence in Community Service Award

Darrell Hampsten Coordinator of the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) Award of Excellence for Missouri SBTDCs

Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Team Rookie of the Year Award at the regional SIFE competition

The 2011 Grizzly Volleyball Team 2011-12 NJCAA All-Academic Team