SBU business college to be named after Plaster

The Robert W. Plaster Foundation contributed a seven-figure donation to Southwest Baptist University, earning naming-level rights to its business college.

The funding will go toward renovating and expanding the Robert W. Plaster College of Business and Computer Science’s Gene Taylor National Free Enterprise Center. Completed in 1981 in honor of Taylor, a former Missouri congressman, the center houses offices and classrooms mostly for the school’s business and computer science programs, according to a news release.

Plaster, who died in 2008, was known as a proponent of higher education and free enterprise in southwest Missouri. He co-founded Enactus, which started at SBU in Bolivar before moving its headquarters to Springfield. Plaster formed his foundation in 1983 to to fund projects for colleges and universities. At SBU, the foundation has contributed naming-level donations to a handful of projects: the Robert W. Plaster Stadium, Robert W. Plaster Athletic Center, women’s dormitory Plaster Lodge and the Jean Plaster Conference Room - named after his wife.

“I know he would be very proud to help the students at SBU in their efforts to learn about our free enterprise system and how to achieve their goals within that system,” said Dolly Plaster Clement, Plaster’s daughter, in the release.[[In-content Ad]]