MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University’s Board of Regents during its regular meeting Friday approved a series of curriculum proposals and authorized the University to apply for a grant that could partly fund the relocation of an outdoor classroom.
The Board passed the resolution authorizing the University to apply for a grant administered by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources that, if successful, will pay for 50 percent of the total project costs of a new outdoor classroom for the University’s Horace Mann Laboratory School.
Provost Dr. Timothy Mottet said Dean of the School of Education Dr. Tim Wall and Horace Mann Principal Sandy Seipel engaged the Nature Explore company to design a new outdoor classroom to replace the current equipment, which will be replaced with tennis courts as a result of the planned construction of the Northwest Multipurpose Complex on the west side of the University campus.
Northwest received the grant previously in 2014 to partially pay for another outdoor classroom that serves its Phyllis and Richard Leet Center for Children and Families.
The outdoor classroom will allow for spirited play and natural exploration and feature a walking and running track, stage, climbing structure and areas for reading, gathering, art creation, music and group play. The proposed park also would support multi-generational interaction and spaces for reflection and nature-viewing.
Among the curriculum proposals, the School of Education will add a special topics course in education to provide students in-depth exploration of topics through education experiences in addition to providing faculty with flexibility to develop unique experiences for students they serve.
Additionally, two courses are being added to the emergency and disaster management program, titled “Planning, Mitigation and Preparedness” and “Professional Development in Emergency and Disaster.”
In other business, the Board passed a resolution stating the University’s intent to reimburse itself for certain capital expenditures related to the Northwest Multipurpose Complex by using the proceeds of tax exempt bonds.
The Board of Regents is responsible for sound resource management of the University and determining general, educational and financial policies.