Carthage Agreement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 14, 2007
Dr. Julio León

(417) 625-9501

 

JOPLIN, MO (SNS) - Missouri Southern State University and the Carthage R-9 School District signed an agreement Tuesday, Aug. 14 at the McCune-Brooks Hospital Conference Room in Carthage to map new efforts to help students succeed in a post-secondary education and plan for the transition of the Carthage McCune-Brooks Regional Hospital facility.

Dr. Julio León, president of MSSU, and Dr. Gary Reed, Superintendent of the Carthage R-9 School District, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create a partnership that will enhance the preparation of high school students for college. A task force will begin regular meetings to develop and launch educational programs within the Missouri Southern State University Education Center during the fall 2008 semester.

Dr. León said, “The Missouri Southern State University Education Center in is part of our educational coalition focused on empowering students to become lifelong learners and productive, informed, and responsible citizens. Student success at Missouri Southern, and any other college or university, is closely linked to preparation during the earliest years of a student’s education,” he said.

 

“Our goal is to partner with the Carthage R-9 School District and encourage more students in our region to complete a rigorous high school core curriculum, enter a college or university and graduate with a degree,” Dr. León said. “That’s good for the student, that’s good for Carthage, that’s good for the region, and that’s good for Missouri Southern.”

 

Dr. Reed stated the Carthage R-9 School District is “pleased to be a partner with Missouri Southern in the common goal of expanding opportunities for our students and encouraging them to prepare for successful careers. We also are pleased to enter into a formal planning process to further assess needs in relation to the potential uses of the McCune-Brooks Regional Hospital building.”