Access Missouri award amounts to increase

Governor Jay Nixon announced last week an increase in award amounts for students receiving Access Missouri scholarship funds, the state’s largest need-based student financial aid program.

Award amounts will increase from $275 to $470 at public two-year institutions; from $950 to $1,010 at public four-year institutions; and from $1,900 to $2,160 at independent four-year institutions.

What does that mean for MCC students? The additional funding will increase our student eligible funds from $209,149 to $357,739 for the fall semester. Cindy Butler, director of student financial aid stated that MCC can double that to approximate that we will see $715,478 for the year. MCC has 1,524 students who receive these funds.

Commissioner of Higher Education David Russell said, “We base award amounts on estimates of how many students will be eligible. At the time award amounts are set – usually mid-summer – we do not know how many of those who are eligible will actually apply and attend college. We have traditionally taken a conservative approach to awards for the fall semester, making adjustments as needed later in the academic year.”

The state has provided more than $275 million in Access Missouri scholarships since the program was created in 2007. An average of 45,000 students with the greatest financial need have benefited from the scholarship awards each year.

Gov. Jay Nixon announces economic growth plans at MCC-Maple Woods

At his press conference at MCC-Maple Woods, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced several objectives aimed at growing employment opportunities in the Kansas City area and statewide. Nixon revealed the findings of his executive advisory board for economic planning and announced his five-year Strategic Initiative for Economic Growth, naming seven targeted industries that will be the focus of development for the next several years.

Among them, animal and plant science is a major economic driver in the Kansas City Metro area, which is part of Missouri’s impressive animal health corridor. Topping Nixon’s list of objectives is preparing the workforce with the skills they need to compete for jobs. MCC-Maple Woods’ veterinary technology program trains students with a nearly 100% board exam and job success rate, compared to around 75% for other animal science programs and is one of MCC’s key career programs.

MCC as a whole is creating new classes, programs and certificates designed to meet the governor’s objective as part of the Training for Tomorrow initiative, also designed to help Missourians re-enter the workforce.

The report is only a preliminary step in the process, however, as the board will continue to meet with regional business, labor, education and economic development officials to develop plans for meeting the governor’s strategic objectives in the target industries, which also include advanced manufacturing, transportation, health sciences, information technology, financial and professional services, and energy.

Nixon’s other objectives include retaining and expanding existing businesses, optimizing tax credits, investing in technology and innovation, aggressively marketing the state, developing the state's foreign trade efforts, encouraging small- and minority business development, and providing an infrastructure for companies and communities to be successful.

MCC receives $2.2 million grant

At a press conference held at MCC-Maple Woods on Wednesday, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon announced a $2.2 million grant that will be given to MCC as part of the state’s Training for Tomorrow initiative. The grant, funded by the Department of Economic Development, will cover curriculum development for both new and existing programs in four areas: animal health, supply chain integration, healthcare and small business operations.

The Training for Tomorrow funding, intended to help community colleges grow and create programs that will prepare students for jobs in high-demand fields, was open to community colleges across the state. MCC’s request was coordinated in partnership with a coalition of leaders from Cass, Platte and Buchanan counties, the local counties that were eligible for the funding.

Planning and development for the new programs is already underway. Over the next two years, more than 20 credit and non-credit courses, certificates and degree programs will be created across the district. Pat Lees, coordinator of the grant and manager of special projects for the Institute for Workforce Innovation, anticipates working with every campus on this project.

"We will be working together to develop the new curricula and grow some of our existing programs," said Lees. "This funding gives us the opportunity to create programs in emerging fields, like those that can serve the rapidly-growing businesses in the logistics industry and the Animal Health Corridor, as well as in existing in-demand fields, like nursing and allied health."
To view the article from the Kansas City Business Journal click here.