Northwest Missouri State University joined the Northland CAPS in Kansas City Tuesday as an Innovation Education Partner.
The Northland CAPS Innovation Partnership consists of six Missouri K-12 School Districts (Kearney, Liberty, North Kansas City, Park Hill, Platte County and Smithville), MCC, Northwest and Missouri-based business partners, including BankLiberty, Cerner Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Holland 1916, Liberty Hospital and North Kansas City Hospital.
Gov. Jay Nixon was on hand to address the Innovation Education Partnership designation and announced the award of a Missouri Campus Collaborative Missouri Innovation Campus Grant funded by USA Funds and provided to the state of Missouri.
“Missouri’s Innovation Campus initiative has become a national model for providing our future workforce with more skills, in less time and at a lower cost,” Nixon said. “The Northland CAPS Innovation Campus is already putting hundreds of students on a fast-track to success in future careers, and this official designation will ensure that hundreds more will have this opportunity in the years ahead.”
Nixon added, “I appreciate the strong corporate partners, including Cerner, Ford Motor Company, Holland 1916, BankLiberty, Liberty Hospital and North Kansas City Hospital, for their leadership in working with local schools and colleges to strengthen our workforce and economy.”
The designation is a next step in the Northland CAPS collaboration. CAPS is a nationally recognized, innovative high school program producing internships, immersive experiences, student-held provisional patents and student-owned businesses. Launched in 2013, Northland CAPS enrollment in 2014-2015 across the six school districts totals more than 300 students with significant growth being projected in 2015-2016 and beyond. Students enrolled in the program receive college credit through MCC and Northwest.
The grant announcement by Gov. Nixon comes through support from USA Funds awarding $450,000 to the Northland CAPS Innovation Partnership. The competitive grant process was administered through the Governor’s Office and MDHE.