Like several academic units around campus, the School of Construction, Design and Project Management was created during the recent academic realignment. The new school includes undergraduate majors in construction management, digital fashion and merchandising, interior design, and mechanical engineering technology, along with a graduate program in project management.

We recently sat down with the school’s director, Dr. Richard Gebken, to find out how this eclectic mix works and why he sees similarities between these distinct disciplines.

Q&A

Academic Expressions: From an outside perspective, grouping construction programs with fashion programs might seem surprising. What’s it like to bridge these disciplines in your academic unit?

Richard Gebken: We look at it like this: In all our programs, we’re thinking about design elements. In construction, we’re thinking about how structures get built. For interior design, it’s about conceptualizing a space and figuring out how to make it work, and digital fashion and merchandising is similar. We’re all focused on creating an end product that people will use. On top of that, our programs have strong project management components, so that’s a through line as well.

A Shared Approach to Learning

AE: Is there any overlap in the curriculum?

RG: Before the realignment, our programs were already part of the College of Business (COB), which means that at the heart of these degrees, there’s a strong business foundation. Our students take accounting classes and business statistics and business law from faculty who specialize in those areas, so they get the benefit of that expertise.

RG: Within our specific programs, there’s not a lot of curricular overlap, but we do share a “learning by doing” approach to education. Whether a student is building a mock-up of a structure or designing in three dimensions or fabricating a garment, we put a big emphasis on experiential learning. We have required internships, and faculty promote real-world experiences. So while we may not be experts in each other’s disciplines, we “get” each other because we share that approach.

AE: Were there other processes that helped with the merger?

RG: It helped that we were able to move at a deliberate pace. Identity is a big deal, so we spent a lot of time talking about the name of our new unit. It’s kind of a mouthful! But it’s a good representation of our programs, which is important. We worked together to develop a strong strategic direction — talking through strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for each program. We’re also in the process of redesigning our promotional materials and signage to make sure they reflect our new identity. And having our interior design and digital fashion and merchandising programs move over to Glass Hall [out of Park Central Office Building in downtown Springfield] was really important. It’s great to have everyone together on the main campus.

“We worked together to develop a strong strategic direction — talking through strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for each program.”

— Dr. Richard Gebken

The Latest on Kemper Hall

AE: Speaking of new spaces, how are things going with the construction at Kemper Hall?

RG: It’s going well. We expect it to finish up in the spring semester.

AE: Cool! What can we expect once it’s finished?

RG: We’ll be able to provide more resources for students, like dedicated study space that’s comparable to what’s in Glass Hall. With the new addition, we’ll also have a large, open, high-bay lab space that can support educational and training activities. We envision future programs where local professionals can come here and earn industry certifications that our students will have the chance to earn as well.

Rewind

Back in 2022, Missouri State submitted a successful request for funding to the MoExcels Workforce Initiative, part of the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development. MoExcels awarded $2 million toward the construction of an education and training hub within Kemper Hall. Private gifts and contributions from Missouri State’s office of the president, office of the provost and College of Business covered the remainder of the project’s total $9.6 million cost.

Gebken describes the addition as a “swing space” — large enough and flexible enough to accommodate equipment for a broad range of trainings. “It will allow us to have industry come in and conduct some trainings,” he says. “Our students can attend and get some extra credentials on their way to graduation.”

Around Campus…

Earlier this year, Britney Spangenberg, a 2024 graduate of the School of Construction, Design and Project Management, scored a big win. She earned Second Place in Cotton Incorporated’s Cotton Forward: 3D Fashion Design Challenge in collaboration with Arts Thread. Entries were judged according to the quality of the design and the utilization of cotton fabrics.

Gebken tells us that big achievements like Spangenberg’s are possible, in part, because the digital fashion and merchandising program invested in the design software Browzwear. With this software, students can create many iterations of a design before they create physical apparel. It’s the same process that’s increasingly used in industry settings, he says.

“Missouri State is on the forefront of implementing this in the classroom,” Gebken says.

Dr. David Meinert, COB dean, agrees, calling it “another example of experiential learning making a difference.”