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February 28, 2002 Time For a Change at SMS Over the years, Southwest Missouri State University has grown to become one of the premier institutions of higher learning in the state. SMS has already been designated as the state’s institution for public affairs degree programs, and the enrollment now rivals that of the state’s largest institution, the University of Missouri. Now, those of us in the Missouri General Assembly who have grown up in the area and attended SMS think the time has come for the university to receive a name more fitting to it’s stature in the state, and have proposed changing the name to Missouri State University. The breadth and scope of the university’s mission and a growing national reputation are just a few of the reasons that I believe the time has come for SMS to have a name that more accurately reflects the quality education it offers. House Bill 1994, sponsored by Springfield Representative Craig Hosmer, will allow the SMS Board of Governors to initiate that change. Considering that this is a simple name change designed to reflect the rising status of one of our fine universities, one would think that this proposal would be met with little opposition. But as we saw last week during a committee hearing, that is not the case. There are those who say the name change will lead to confusion with the University of Missouri, and that the new name will result in a request for more funding. That is simply not true. First of all, look at our neighboring states: Oklahoma and Oklahoma State; Kansas and Kansas State; Arkansas and Arkansas State. I can’t think of a single instance where our neighbors have experienced problems with the confusion of their institutions. And secondly, this is a name change -- nothing more. There is no request for additional funding, as SMS administrators have stated they have no desire to create duplicate programs to MU’s and will continue to emphasize professional degrees and programs. In the past 10 years, SMS has grown tremendously in stature as well as size. Currently, more than 18,000 students attend SMS, which has added 20 new master’s degrees and moved to selective admissions in the past decade. And the school’s athletic programs have received national attention, with the SMS Lady Bears basketball team reaching the NCAA Final Four last year. And even though it is merely a name change, it’s one that can make a world of difference. It has been proven that new business and industry often choose to locate in a city where there are continuing education opportunities for their employees. Being home to “Missouri State University†would certainly be a plus for the Springfield area when it comes to business recruitment. There is certainty no logical reason why this name change shouldn’t be approved, as it would increase the stature of Springfield, Southwest Missouri, and the state of Missouri as a whole. In addition, it would be recognition for a job well done for the administration, faculty, and alumni at SMS. It’s a change whose time has come. | |||||
Paid for by Kreider for Senator.
Bobby Neal Jr., Treasurer. Not at taxpayer's expense.
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