Hello Bear Family!
If you have been on campus this year, I am sure you have noticed all the construction happening. As you read this, we have construction teams hard at work across our university. With additions to current facilities, full-scale renovations, and even a brand new building, there are a lot of big things underway here at MO State. What is being constructed? When will it be done? What is the purpose of doing all these projects? The answers to these questions and more will be revealed today!
- New Campus Health & Wellness Center
I will start with our biggest project: the brand new campus health & wellness center. The moment you turn into campus, you can see the framework of this building beginning to form. In Fall 2015, the student body approved a $29 per semester fee to fund the construction of this new health center. Construction began this past semester and when completed, the center will be three stories tall, 36,000 square feet, and contain many additional services including: a drive-thru pharmacy, a fast-track clinic, evening/weekend hours, a sports medicine clinic, free lab tests, the counseling center, a women’s health center, and numerous specialists. The previous health center building (Taylor Health Center) was one floor, operated at 97% capacity each year, and was designed to only accommodate a campus population half the size of what our population now. The new health center is planned to open in January 2018.
- Glass Hall & Ellis Hall Renovations
We have two full-scale renovations of academic buildings underway: Glass Hall and Ellis Hall. First, located just past the Library, you can see the tall pillars of the major upgrades that Glass Hall is getting. Started in Fall 2015, Glass Hall is undergoing both interior and exterior renovations. The biggest aspect is the addition of the Gourley Student Success Center on the east side of the building (which the pillars are holding up). As a result of this renovation, Glass Hall will have: a corporate-style interior look, a New York Stock Exchange-style finance and trading lab, entrepreneurship and sales labs, new career placement and advisement centers, a full-service cafe, a production studio, an advertising agency lab, corporate interview rooms, new technology upgrades, and more.
Next, Ellis Hall is getting a major modernization as well. Built in 1957, this is Ellis Hall’s first big renovation. Ellis Hall’s renovation will result in upgrades including major improvements to the acoustic conditions of performance/practice rooms, a new energy-efficient curtain wall, a new building-wide mechanical system, a new roof, and the renovation of the choral room so it can accommodate piano recitals.
Both Glass and Ellis Halls are planned to be completed by the beginning of the Fall 2017 semester.
- Looking Ahead
Wait, there’s more? Absolutely! Although these three huge projects are nearing completion, our Planning, Design, & Construction department has even more on their to-do list. Here is a list of exciting new projects coming soon:
- Hill Hall renovation: Begins Summer 2017
- Welcome Center outdoor seating area: Expected completion in Summer 2017
- Hammons Fountain Outdoor Seating Plaza: Expected completion by end of Summer 2017
- New parking lot south of Kentwood Hall: Expected completion by August 2017
- Cheek Hall Computer Lab renovation: Expected completion in Summer 2017
- Professional building Third Floor renovation: Begins Summer 2017
- New Residence Hall: Expected completion by Fall 2019 (if approved)
This is only a very short list of the vast amount of projects our university has scheduled in the near future. If you are interested in learning more about all the construction projects happening on campus, visit the Planning, Design, & Construction website: http://design.missouristate.edu/. This is an awesome website that gives great detail about every project underway and upcoming and shows you a live camera feed of construction of Glass Hall and the new Health & Wellness Center. Additionally, if you want to see what campus is expected to look like by 2021 and all the potential projects along the way, check out the campus Visioning Guide here: http://architect.missouristate.edu/OurVision/Springfield/FY2017VisionGuide.htm
Why is all of this construction a big deal? Most importantly, your student’s degree is becoming more valuable. By having state-of-the-art facilities, we gain excellent new resources that create a stronger learning environment to foster academic success (which gives our students an advantage in the job market) and enhance the student experience here at Missouri State. Second, this construction is a reflection of the significant growth that we have experienced in recent years. More and more people are becoming Bears every year and we are creating excellent new facilities designed to accommodate and greatly benefit our growing campus population. Lastly, this ongoing investment in our campus infrastructure shows that Missouri State is strongly committed to continually improving our university and helps put our students in the best possible position for success as a Bear and beyond. Just in my 4.5 years as a Bear, I have witnessed a complete transformation of the look and feel of our campus with the addition and renovation of many campus facilities. With all of the upcoming projects, you and your student will witness a similar transformation. I hope you will share my excitement for these awesome projects being completed soon!
Thanks for reading and Go Bears!
~Max