MSU names agricultural center after Sen. Bond

The Missouri State University Board of Governors voted May 12 to name a learning center at William H. Darr Agricultural Center after former Missouri Sen. Kit Bond.

A dedication ceremony for the 27,331-square-foot Christopher S. Bond Learning Center is set for June 17; Bond is expected to be in attendance, according to an MSU news release.

The $6.8 million center - funded through university resources, private gifts and federal funds - is scheduled for completion this month. The building will provide offices, a laboratory, two classrooms and a multipurpose room for meetings, banquets and other functions.

“It is an honor to have my name associated with a center that will improve agriculture not only in the Ozarks, but throughout Missouri and around the world,” Bond said in the release. “Missouri State University is preparing tomorrow’s leaders in agriculture, and I am proud to have been a part of that important effort.”

According to the release, naming the center after Bond is to honor his "long and distinguished career in public service," in which he was instrumental pursuing federal support for Darr Agricultural Center.

“Through the years, there has been no better advocate for the state of Missouri and the agriculture industry than Sen. Bond,” said Elizabeth Bradbury, chairwoman of the board of governors, in the release. “Missouri State certainly benefited from his knowledge, his persistence and his legislative skill for those 24 years in the United States Senate. It is a great pleasure for the board and university to recognize him in this way.”[[In-content Ad]]