By Jeff Murphy,
November 17, 2016
WARRENSBURG, MO – During the Midwestern Higher Education Compact’s (MHEC) semi-annual
meeting, special recognition was given to a longtime Missouri legislator whose leadership
has had a positive impact on the Compact, while participants also had the opportunity
to learn more about The Missouri Innovation Campus (MIC).
The MIC, which is a partnership between UCM, Lee’s Summit R-7 School District, Metropolitan
Community College (MCC) in Lee’s Summit, and about 45 Kansas City area businesses,
was the featured program during the two-day meeting dedicated to college affordability.
The event took place Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 14-15 in St. Louis. UCM President Chuck
Ambrose served as a speaker and moderator for a presentation about The MIC, and was
joined by Stan Elliott, director of The MIC, and Elaine Metcalf, director of the Summit
Technology Academy (STA) in Lee’s Summit, which is part of the Lee’s Summit R-7 School
District.
“Our commissioners valued the opportunity to hear a strong example of a higher education
best practice that has been implemented in Missouri,” stated Larry Isaak, MHEC president.
“It is always particularly valuable when these case examples, like The Missouri Innovation
Campus, can be replicated in the commissioners’ home state,” he added.
The MIC was established in 2012. Students attending the STA enroll in the program
their junior year of high school, and will graduate with an associate degree from
MCC approximately the same time they complete their high school education. They go
on to finish their four-year degree approximately two years later at UCM. While involved
in the program, students participate in paid internships with numerous high-tech Kansas
City area businesses, which provide valuable in-demand job skills and help them pay
for their college education. The program accelerates the time it takes for students
to complete a four-year college degree, and significantly reduces the amount of college
debt they incur upon their graduation.
As part of the unique partnership, UCM and the Lee’s Summit School District are working
together to provide a new state-of-the-art education facility that will house the
STA/MIC, and will open in summer 2017. The facility is made possible as the result
of a $40 million no-tax-increase bond issue that was approved by the community’s voters
during the April 7, 2015 election. Under the agreement with the school district, the
university will lease space needed for The MIC. Additionally, the new building will
provide classroom space to serve students who currently attend UCM – Lee’s Summit,
the university’s main off-campus learning facility.
According to Sen. David Pearce, R-Warrensburg, who served as chair of the MHEC for
a one-year term that began in November 2015, the presentation about The MIC was well
received and was discussed during the remainder of the meeting. The meeting was attended
by legislators and higher education leaders from the 12 states that are represented
by the Compact. The semi-annual meetings, he said, often feature a local program that
is innovative. The MIC, which addresses college affordability and student debt, is
an example of a such an initiative.
"The Missouri Innovation Campus provides an important link between the business community
and higher education. I was honored Dr. Ambrose and his colleagues were able to present
that powerful message to the Compact," Pearce said.
During the meeting, Pearce also was honored for his leadership as MHEC chair. He had
served previously as the Compact’s vice chair (2014-15) and one term as treasurer
(2013-14). He was initially appointed an MHEC commissioner in 2003 while he was a
Missouri state representative; was reappointed in 2010 and has since been reappointed
in 2011, 2013, and 2015.
“Senator Pearce’s leadership has been especially important during these past few years
as MHEC has taken on new initiatives, and the organization’s work has expanded. His
commitment to not just his home state of Missouri, but all the states in the Compact,
has helped improve MHEC’s impact on member states,” Isaak said. “He made a significant
effort to participate in nine of our state visits.”
“I have truly enjoyed my time as commissioner chair this past year,” said Pearce,
who was honored by UCM earlier this year for his service to higher education, to UCM
and his senatorial district. “I am very proud of the work that MHEC has done, and
continues to do so, to further higher education in the Midwest.”
The MHEC seeks to fulfill its interstate mission through programs that expand postsecondary
opportunity and success; promote innovative approaches to improving institutional
and system productivity; improve affordability to students and states; and enhance
connectivity between higher education and the workplace.
States represented in the MHEC are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
