The planning process has been reinitiated for upgrading athletic facilities on the east side of Duquesne. "What the Board did [April 18] was authorize me to raise funds for the new athletics facilities and particularly to raise half a million dollars for the architectural drawings that we will need to know exactly how much that facility will cost," Speck said.
Proposed changes to the Student Senate constitution failed this week during the last business meeting of the year. A measure put forward by Senate President Tim Fisher would have rolled together Senate with the Campus Activities Board to create one body in charge of student funds and changed the name to Student Government Association.
Communication majors will be offered more variety in the fall semester. The Coordinating Board of Higher Education approved a proposal for a bachelor of science degree in communication at its April 10 meeting. Previously, the department of communication offered only two options, a bachelor of arts in communication and a Bachelor of Science in Education.
After 10 years the health sciences building is one step closer to completion. The Missouri Southern Board of Governors unanimously voted to award the contract to the lowest bidder, Dalton-Killinger Construction. The multimillion dollar health sciences building will house Southern's nursing, radiology, dental hygiene, repertory therapy and other health-related programs in 84,000 square feet, roughly the size of Webster Hall, built on the site of parking lot 14.
After 24 years of service at Missouri Southern, Dr. Robert Clark is retiring. Webster Hall did not exist when Clark started working for Southern in July 1984, and Southern lacked the radio and television stations that its students now enjoy. "When I came here, I trained the students how to operate all of the equipment in the television studio, which used to be across campus," Clark said.
A small class of dedicated engineering students create internationally themed art for Missouri Southern. Last year, they built the Eiffel Tower. This semester ,students are constructing a 15-foot long and 6-foot tall version of the Brandenburg Gate. "It's much more complex than a box on top of a box," said Eric Ostendorf, industrial engineering and technology major and computer assisted manufacturing major.
To increase retention at Missouri Southern, a program called "Early-Alert" is underway. The program is headed by Advising, Counseling and Testing Services, formerly the Student Support Center, and is aimed at preventing students from dropping out. Though the bulk of the program is focused on the first-year experience, it is intended for all students.
Central Asia's Kyrgyz Republic may be Dr. Gwen Murdock's new home once she retires this semester. After 23 years at Missouri Southern, the department head of psychology will be missed. "She [Murdock] is an amazing, dedicated, diligent professor who deeply cares about her students," said Barb Gombosi, senior psychology major.
