Board Recognizes Gift

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 19, 2006
Contact: Dr. Julio S. León
(417) 625-9501

 

 

JOPLIN, MO (SNS) – The Board of Governors of Missouri Southern State University met the evening of Thursday, June 15 and approved a resolution to recognize Mr. Robert W. Plaster, a Lebanon, Mo., successful businessman and civic leader. Mr. Plaster is known for his support of higher education and for his philanthropic giving.

Mr. Plaster, who was an accounting student at Joplin Junior College in the 1950s, has made a substantial seven-figure gift to the Missouri Southern Foundation, the largest gift the Foundation has received to date.

 

The gift will be used for the construction of the Student Recreation Center (see conceptual drawing above) and for support of the Business School.

In recognition of Mr. Plaster’s generous contribution to the Foundation, the Board approved changing the name of Matthews Hall to “Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center.” In addition, the Business School, which is housed in the building, will be named “The Robert W. Plaster School of Business Administration.”

MSSU president, Dr. Julio León, praised Mr. Plaster’s commitment to Missouri Southern: “It’s very gratifying to see former students become so successful in the business world. He is one the finest examples of what the free enterprise system can do. Mr. Plaster’s generous gift to his Alma Mater will enable us to continue our tradition of providing high quality education for our students.”

In other action, the Board approved a recommendation of the Board’s Budget and Audit Committee to approve the proposed budget for 2006-07. The budget includes a 4 percent cost-of-living increase for faculty and staff.

The board also approved a recommendation to conduct a regional survey of wages and salaries for non-faculty positions.

The Board also approved Thursday recommendations for promotion and tenure for several faculty members (for details, see http://www.mssu.edu/news/promotions_tenure06.htm) and heard an end-of-session legislative report from Kyna Iman, the university lobbyist in Jefferson City.

The Stadium Planning Committee also reported to the Board and recommended the hiring of an architectural firm to draft a comprehensive plan for renovations to Fred Hughes Stadium.

At the end of the meeting the Board went into executive session to conduct the annual evaluation of the president.