Missouri Ag Connection - East Central College Cuts Ribbon on Business and Industry Center

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East Central College Cuts Ribbon on Business and Industry Center
Missouri Ag Connection - 10/24/2016

Gov. Jay Nixon and East Central College President Dr. Jon Bauer cut the ribbon at the college's new $5 million, 28,808 square foot Business and Industry Center.

"This project is an outstanding example of what is possible when educators, community leaders and business leaders work together to prepare Missouri workers for success," Gov. Nixon said. "The state-of-the-art classrooms, labs and training facilities in East Central's new Business and Industry Center will help prepare a workforce that is ready to compete and win in our global economy, and the state of Missouri is proud to be a partner is this effort."

"An exciting, new chapter has started at East Central College," said ECC President Dr. Jon Bauer. "The Business and Industry Center will not only prepare our students for a growing workforce but also help companies in our community become more competitive through training of existing employees."

The new East Central College Business and Industry Center will house precision machining, industrial engineering technology and HVAC programs, in addition to lab and classroom space to accommodate short-term welding programs are also planned for the building.

The regional Center for Workforce Development office will also be located in the facility, which will allow for further expansion of training opportunities, creating more career opportunities for students by serving as the workforce training provider for the region.

Funding for the center was made possible through tax credits issued by the Missouri Development Finance Board, which is helping to raise $1.2 million in contributions to the East Central College Foundation, in addition to a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, a $1 million USDA Rural Economic Development loan and institutional funding.

The Missouri Development Finance Board assists infrastructure and economic development projects in Missouri by providing the critical component of the total financing for projects. The directors of the Missouri Departments of Economic Development, Agriculture, and Natural Resources serve on the board, in addition to eight volunteer members appointed by the Governor.

Gov. Nixon has made higher education quality and affordability a priority of his administration. In 2010, Gov. Nixon convened a Higher Education Summit and called on higher education leaders to adopt an agenda focused on four key areas: affordability and attainment; quality and effectiveness; collaboration; and performance funding. Over the last five years, significant progress has been achieved in all of them.

This year marks the fourth tuition freeze Gov. Nixon has secured since taking office in 2009. According to the most recent data available from the College Board, tuition and required fees at Missouri's public universities increased by just nine percent between the 2008-09 and 2015-2016 academic years, the smallest increase in the nation. By comparison, the average increase nationally over the same period was 33.5 percent.

Last year, Gov. Nixon worked with the General Assembly to pass a $200 million Building Affordability initiative that will help higher institutions hold down college costs. Gov. Nixon has also made funding available for 50/50 projects to provide new-and-improved facilities, laboratories and infrastructure at colleges and universities throughout the state.

In addition, the Governor has worked with Missouri's community colleges to increase training opportunities for Missourians through initiatives like Training for Tomorrow, MoManufacturingWINS, and MoHealthWINS. These and other training initiatives leveraged more than $100 million to prepare thousands of Missourians for high-paying jobs in areas like health care and advanced manufacturing.

Answering the Governor's call to make higher education more efficient and effective, higher education institutions voluntarily eliminated 118 non-productive degrees and redesigned several large undergraduate courses to make them more efficient and effective.

Gov. Nixon's Innovation Campus initiative has been nationally recognized for creating partnerships to offer accelerated, high-impact degrees at a reduced cost. The goal of the Innovation Campus program is to train students for career opportunities in high-demand fields while cutting the time it takes to earn a college degree and reducing student debt.

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