The Missouri Innovation Campus

This training initiative is rigorous, relevant and can be used with all of the Missouri Strategic Initiative for Economic Growth target clusters that include advanced manufacturing, energy solutions, bio sciences, health sciences and services, and information technology.

The instructional program is delivered by instructors who use inquiry, team building, real-world problem solving and hands-on activities to assess both the hard and soft skills required by business partners and their industries. Enriching this instruction are several internships — beginning in the summer after the student’s junior year of high school — where business partners can observe and assess the students’ abilities in real-life activities within the company throughout two to three years.

Students begin the program their junior year of high school by taking not only courses required to graduate from high school, but also college credit courses that will position them to graduate from high school with an associate degree from Metropolitan Community College. The final two years will be focused on completing a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Central Missouri.

This accelerated model is a four-year, year-round program that reduces degree completion by two years for students finishing their coursework on time as identified by their four-year plan.

The MIC business partners benefit by hiring trained employees with specific skill sets and competencies aligned to the needs of the individual company. These skills and competencies have been assessed in multiple real-world settings through classroom instruction and on-the-job internships. Through the internship experience, business partners are able to interact with students, shape their skills and see if individual students would be a good fit for their company, reducing training and hiring costs.

Business partners are a critical component of The MIC and make the experience unique for MIC students. If you are interested in becoming an MIC business partner, you can contribute in two ways:

• Assist in the development and review of curriculum in your company’s program of interest.
• Provide internships for MIC students in your program of choice.

Please contact Stan Elliott, MIC Director, at elliott@ucmo.edu or 660-543-8256for more information on becoming a valued MIC business partner.

• IT Essentials/Systems Engineering Technology
• Digital Electronics/Engineering Technology/Design and Drafting
• Software Development/Computer Science

All three current degree programs include an associate degree from MCC and a bachelor’s degree from UCM. Other science, technology, engineering and mathematics career field programs will be added through the oversight of the UCM, in collaboration with the MCC, Lee’s Summit R-7 School District and MIC business partners.

 

• Maintain good attendance in high school (95 percent overall) and good grades (3.0 GPA, unweighted), and complete prerequisite coursework. For specific course requirements, visit the Summit Technology Academy's website.
• Score into college-level courses on the ACT or the COMPASS placement test.
• See your high school guidance counselor to obtain and submit a Summit Technology Academy application.
• Complete and submit an eligibility approval form, extended essay and a student agreement.
• Once accepted into the program, apply for admission to Metropolitan Community College and the University of Central Missouri.

One of the greatest obstacles to college completion is student debt. MIC students will receive their associate degree tuition-free, but they will be responsible for their textbooks and instructional materials. Additionally, The MIC works with students to seek new ways to assist students through student internships, tuition forgiveness, grants, shared tuition, department and institutional scholarships, and low-interest loan programs to obtain their bachelor’s degree free of student debt.

Dual credit courses should be taken through MCC or UCM where possible. Those taken outside MCC or UCM will be reimbursed through receipt and grade transcript at the MCC dual credit tuition rate. It is the student’s responsibility to provide the program documentation to UCM for reimbursement. If a student drops or fails to obtain the required grade for a course, tuition for that course is the responsibility of that student and reimbursement to UCM will be required.

Transportation for The MIC is the responsibility of the student or sending school district. Student hardships in this area should be addressed to the director of the Summit Technology Academy and the director of the MIC.

The MIC internship coordinator will coordinate the interview process for internships with the students and business partners. Students will interview at various times with the business partners before the summer at the end of their junior year and must have secured an internship to remain in the MIC program before starting their senior year in high school.

Students begin their internship experience the summer after their junior year of high school with a paid, eight-week, 40-hours-per-week internship. This internship will occur each summer, as well as two days a week during the fall and spring semesters until graduation from UCM.

A student intern is not guaranteed a job with the participating business partner but the on-the-job internship experience will increase job placement opportunities.