Dear Colleagues:

I hope you have had a good start to the month of June, and hopefully, you have been able to enjoy some relaxing activities since the end of the semester. It is hard to believe that another academic year has come to a close. Once again, I want to thank every employee for your hard work in moving the university forward during the pandemic. We have heard many comments from students over the past three months recounting how our faculty and staff have assisted them during this challenging semester. Your dedication to the students and the Missouri State-West Plains campus is heartwarming and inspiring.

We just completed our 2019-20 Action Plan to present to the Board of Governors. It was rewarding to see so many goals accomplished and positive results across the campus. Here are just a few items of note mentioned in the report:

• Our statistics show an increase in retention rates, graduation and transfer rates and completion rates.
• New technical and allied health programs have been added.
• Significant progress has been made on the Complete College America initiative.
• The Grizzly Care Team (Behavior Intervention Team) was established.
• Technology was utilized to facilitate recruitment and retention efforts.

Attached is the complete report. Please take the time to read through this document. This report represents your hard work and dedication to this campus. The students on this campus are very fortunate to have such a devoted group of faculty and staff members who strive to help them be successful. Take a moment to read the report and review all of your accomplishments for this past year.

In addition to the action plan items, we had many other positive things that occurred during the last few months of the academic year, even though it has been a difficult semester to complete.

• Many students were able to complete their degree programs. For the 2020 academic year, Missouri State-West Plains had 255 students eligible to receive degrees and 62 students eligible to receive graduate and undergraduate degrees from Missouri State University-Springfield.
• Three MSU-WP students received a total of nine medals at the PBL State Leadership Conference. The conference took place virtually due to COVID-19. Two of the students qualified to compete at the PBL National Leadership Experience scheduled for June 24-26 in a virtual setting, as well.  We wish them the best of luck at the national conference!
• Dr. Michael Orf has been working with the team in the academic affairs office on a grant program to serve the incarcerated. The Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative provides need-based Pell grants to individuals in state and federal prisons. The vast majority of incarcerated people will eventually return home, and providing access to postsecondary education in prison will increase the chances for them to play productive and positive roles within their communities. Missouri State-West Plains will partner with five facilities across the North-Central and Northeastern Department of Corrections districts. The two degrees being offered are an Associate of Applied Science in Agriculture and an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary and Hospitality Management. These programs build off existing technical training programs at the correctional facilities. We hope to enroll between 80 and 100 students a year in these programs.

I hope everyone finds time to relax and rest during the summer months. Some of our upcoming calendar items are:

• Current-Aug. 16: Regular registration for the fall semester
• June 8: Summer classes begin.
• July 3: Independence Day Observed (No Classes/Offices Closed)
• July 8: First STAR session

Always remember what you do each day makes a tremendous difference in the lives of our students.

Shirley Lawler