By Jeff Murphy,
August 30, 2017
WARRENSBURG, MO – Area residents are invited to attend the grand opening of the new
Missouri Innovation Campus (MIC) at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5 at 1101 NW Innovation
Parkway, Lee’s Summit. Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is scheduled to attend the celebration,
which will include a brief program, a Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting, tours of
the new facility and refreshments.
The new facility includes The Missouri Innovation Campus program, a nationally recognized
program reshaping the way students experience education; Summit Technology Academy
(STA), a unique high-school program that prepares students for careers in areas such
as engineering, computer science, health care and creative sciences; and UCM-Lee’s
Summit, the university’s main off-campus learning facility, offering graduate- and
undergraduate-level completion programs to metro-area students. Students enrolled
in Summit Technology Academy as well as the Missouri Innovation Campus are from 14
metro-area school districts.
“This Missouri Innovation Campus is a shining example of what happens when organizations
and individuals work together for a greater good,” said Dennis L. Carpenter, Lee’s
Summit R-7 superintendent. “Thanks to our partnership with higher education and the
support of our community, we are able to save money for taxpayers and, most importantly,
better prepare our students for success in life.”
“The opening of this new facility really represents game on,” added University of
Central Missouri President Charles Ambrose. “Now our challenge is to take something
we have demonstrated is actually possible and make sure it is accessible, not only
to students and their families who take full advantage, but for future talent across
our region to make Kansas City more competitive.”
The Missouri Innovation Campus program is a progressive collaboration between the
Lee’s Summit R-7 School District, Metropolitan Community College and UCM. By engaging
business partners and community organizations, The MIC offers an accelerated program
that shortens the time it takes students to complete a four-year degree, significantly
reducing college debt and providing job-ready skills that are highly sought after
by business. The MIC program was highlighted by President Barack Obama during a visit
to UCM’s Warrensburg campus in 2013.
Through the trailblazing partnership, the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District and UCM
joined forces to construct and operate this state-of-the-art, cost-saving facility.
Under a plan developed by the two educational institutions, Lee’s Summit R-7 is paying
for approximately 40 percent of the new school with UCM paying the remaining 60 percent.
Through this agreement, Lee’s Summit R-7 is the sole owner of the facility with UCM
paying its portion of costs through lease payments.
The shared facility reduces operating expenses for both organizations and allows the
school district to move both The Missouri Innovation Campus and Summit Technology
Academy programs from leased space into a building owned by Lee’s Summit R-7.
The R-7 School District’s portion of the facility’s cost is funded through a no-tax-increase
bond issue, approved by approximately 80 percent of voters in 2015. This $40 million
bond issue is also funding renovation and maintenance projects that are positively
impacting each R-7 school.
The new two-story building totals 135,000 square feet and is designed so that Lee’s
Summit R-7 and UCM will share interior learning and conference spaces as well as parking,
saving money for both organizations. The two partnering organizations have also worked
collaboratively on procurement to help generate additional savings on furniture, fixtures
and technology.
Construction manager for the new school is McCownGordon. Design architect is Gould
Evans, and architect of record is DLR Group, all from the Kansas City area..
Through the MIC program, students begin their junior year of high school while attending
Summit Technology Academy. By approximately the same time they earn a high-school
diploma, they will have completed an associate degree from Metropolitan Community
College, finishing their four-year bachelor’s degree from UCM two years later. The
graduates will also have completed three years of paid internships with prestigious
Kansas City metro-area companies, which helps defray the costs of their education.
Many students who complete The MIC program land permanent jobs with the companies
in which they interned. In all, The MIC program is linked with more than 40 corporate
partners with industry representatives assisting in development of curriculum that
prepares students to immediately succeed in the workforce.
The new facility has been a goal for Lee’s Summit R-7 and UCM leaders since the MIC
program was in the concept stage. This type of facility partnership between a public
school district and a university is unique both regionally and nationally and provides
a high-school/college environment that includes non-traditional teaching spaces designed
to mimic the workspace of the various fields.
The new school features 60 classrooms including shared spaces for the school district
and university programs as well as spaces designated for each organization. The facility
is designed to take advantage of exterior light with corridors that can double as
additional learning areas at some locations. The Missouri Innovation Campus also features
medical school-caliber skilled nursing labs and simulation rooms; professional quality
digital media technology; high-tech engineering, biomedical and computer science instruction
areas; and an international studies area with state-of-the-art distance learning technology.
A testing center is located on the second floor and will provide everything from GED
to computer software certification testing as well as electronic monitoring of individuals
taking the exams.
