Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Higher Education Mission topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee hears HCR 6 to add health and life sciences, immersive learning to Missouri Southern’s statewide mission
Summary
Representative Loy presented House Concurrent Resolution 6 to expand Missouri Southern State University’s statewide mission to include health and life sciences and immersive learning. University president Dean Van Galen testified the change supports a planned Roy Blunt Health Science Innovation Center and regional workforce needs.
Representative Loy introduced House Concurrent Resolution 6 to update the statewide mission designation for Missouri Southern State University (MSSU). The sponsor said the updated mission aligns with MSSU’s growing focus on health and life sciences and immersive learning experiences and noted that the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education approved the mission expansion in 2023.
Dean Van Galen, president of Missouri Southern State University, testified in support. Van Galen said MSSU seeks to add health and life sciences, immersive learning, and regional engagement to its statewide mission. He described existing and planned programming—including 15 undergraduate degree programs in health and life sciences and the Roy Blunt Health Science Innovation Center, a project Van Galen said has a price tag of $48,200,000 and is due to open in 2026. Van Galen said the center will provide cadaver labs and a simulation hospital for nursing and pre‑med training and that it will help address regional workforce needs. He told the committee the Joplin region serves roughly 250,000 residents and that MSSU has received philanthropic and local support for the project; he described a $1,500,000 commitment from the city of Joplin and additional state and federal support.
Committee members asked about the timing and enrollment projections for expanded programs. Van Galen said MSSU has already begun program growth, expects nursing enrollment to increase from about 60 to 100 students as the simulation facilities come online, and is planning for a potential master’s in nursing to help address faculty shortages that limit program expansion across the region. The president also described broader immersive learning plans—internships, practicums, simulation labs, virtual learning, and study abroad—that he said are intended to be a hallmark of MSSU’s educational model.
No committee vote on HCR 6 was recorded in the provided transcript; the record shows testimony in support from the university president and questions from committee members.
