Ozarks’ students will benefit from over $300,000 in two separate grants awarded this week to the city of Springfield and Missouri State University aimed at advancing them toward post-secondary credentials and degrees.
Springfield Public Schools picked up a $120,000 Lumina Foundation two-year planning grant awarded to the city, while MSU received a Missouri Innovation Campus grant from the Hospitality Leadership Academy for $185,000.
Lumina Foundation grant The city is now a part of a national network funded by the Lumina Foundation aimed at supporting partnerships between local employers and educational institutions to develop current and future employees by enhancing existing programs, according to a news release.
Community Foundation of the Ozarks will serve as fiscal agent for the grant and will convene a steering committee to provide input on the next steps to improve higher education outcomes. Organizations on the steering committee include representatives from the city, SPS, the Missouri Career Center, Missouri College Advising Corps, the P20 Council, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and local employers.
Part of the Blue Ribbons/Red Flags-Springfield 2025 Higher Education Project formed last summer, Lumina Foundation grant project Director Francine Pratt said the effort is designed to align existing programs and systems with measurable strategies to increase the number of students who advance their educations after high school.
“We discussed and researched how our city can support those who need assistance the most to attain higher education using our community report and the city of Springfield’s Field Guide 2030 as baseline data,” said Pratt, who also is executive director of MSU’s multicultural resource center and programs, in the release. “We will use Lumina Foundation grant funds to provide focused attention to historically underrepresented groups.”
To help facilitate the program, the SPS Board of Education will develop a cooperative agreement with the city, according to the release.
Missouri Innovation Campus grant The grant, funded by the national nonprofit USA Funds, is intended to reduce the expense and time needed to obtain bachelor’s degrees in high-demand professions.
Under the Missouri Innovation Campus program, Hospitality Leadership Academy students begin college courses while in high school and continue their studies at Ozarks Technical Community College, where they complete an associate degree. Students then transfer to MSU to complete a bachelor’s in hospitality and restaurant administration, according to a separate release.
“Southwest Missouri is the ideal location to prepare future hospitality professionals,” said Stephanie Hein, head of the university’s department of hospitality and restaurant administration, in the release. “The region supports a vibrant tourism market and industry professionals who are truly interested in developing the next generation of leaders.”
Grant and matching funds provide HLA students with an MSU dual-credit scholarship, a $600 book stipend to use at OTC and $5,000 in scholarships at MSU, according to the release.
The academy is a partnership with MSU, OTC, the Springfield Hotel Lodging Association, Springfield/Branson Chapter of the Missouri Restaurant Association, Bolivar High School, Republic High School and SPS.[[In-content Ad]]
Under construction beside the existing Republic branch of the Springfield-Greene County Library District – which remains in operation throughout the project – is a new building that will double the size of the original, according to library officials.
