UCM Continues Commitment to Workforce Development With Opening of Summit Technology Campus Location

UCM, state and Lee’s Summit officials participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the university’s new Summit Technology location.

 

The University of Central Missouri (UCM) Lee’s Summit campus is an anchor for workforce training in healthcare and technology. On Thursday, Oct. 30, UCM celebrated a renewed commitment to supporting Missouri’s workforce with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Summit Technology Campus location.

This fall, UCM expanded the Lee’s Summit campus, which now includes the Missouri Innovation Campus (MIC) and the Summit Technology Campus (STC). The new 25,000-square-foot STC is a hub for workforce development and innovation in the Kansas City metropolitan area. With classrooms for numerous UCM and career certificate programs, plus UCM’s Center for Workforce and Professional Education, students can find everything they need to advance their careers all under one roof. 

The Center for Workforce and Professional Education is the ideal starting point for people launching a new career or seeking ways to excel in their current position. UCM’s Workforce team can help busy adults find certificate programs that fit their goals, schedules and budgets.

The UCM Lee’s Summit campus began 25 years ago with a small location in the STC complex, followed by a larger STC location a few years later. In 2017, UCM partnered with the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District to build and operate the Missouri Innovation Campus. Continued growth and workforce demand prompted UCM to open its new STC location this fall. Across the STC and MIC, the university now has a footprint of more than 100,000 square feet in Lee's Summit.

In the first year of operation, UCM Lee’s Summit offered two graduate degree programs and served almost 300 students. This fall, UCM Lee’s Summit is serving more than 2,000 students in 11 graduate degree programs, 11 undergraduate completion programs and 10 standing workforce development and professional education programs.

 

“It would be tempting to say this is a full circle moment,” President Roger Best said. “When you talk about that, it sounds like we're done. We've completed the circle. That is not the goal. We have a lot of work we're going to do here. We're going to be expanding. So even though this is our hub for the 10 programs we already offer for workforce development and professional education, we will be expanding into more programs.”

The STC also houses satellite offices for the Missouri Job Center, the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD) and the Full Employment Council (FEC). It is conveniently located for residents of Eastern Jackson County, Cass County and other areas surrounding the metro. 

FEC President Clyde McQueen said the partnership between UCM, FEC and MDHEWD has been something that people need in Lee’s Summit, an area he noted is still growing profoundly.

 

“This is a testament to 20 years of working outside of the box,” McQueen said of the new facility. “UCM has been a very creative, innovative entity. We've worked with them for over 20 years in customized training when we needed adjunct faculty or just-in-time training. … We're very proud to be here. We appreciate the innovation and boldness to work with us when we need to promote different public possibilities.”

MDHEWD Commissioner Bennett Boggs said the success and prosperity of every Missourian depend on a workforce that is skilled, adaptable and ready for the jobs of today and tomorrow. 

 

“This is not a challenge that can be solved by one sector alone. It requires a unified strategic partnership effort together,” Boggs continued. “... Our colleges and universities are not just places for academic excellence, which indeed they are. They're also economic engines, and they're community anchors.”

MDHEWD’s partnership with UCM Lee’s Summit and FEC began in March 2024. During that time, Boggs said nearly 1,000 people and roughly two dozen veterans have received MDHEWD assistance with services such as resume development, interview preparation and job searches, participated in hiring events, and some have enrolled in classrooms and industry-specific training.

 

“The work happening on our college campuses and our job centers is more interconnected than ever before,” Boggs said, “and we're witnessing firsthand across the state with partnerships that not only help individuals, but fuel regional and economic growth.”

For more information about UCM Lee’s Summit, visit ucmo.edu/leessummit.