WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Members of the Missouri State University Board of Governors today at their meeting in West Plains approved several resolutions related to academic programs at Missouri State-West Plains, including those creating a new Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Culinary and Hospitality Management degree and Certificates in Workplace Employability Skills and Horticulture.
In addition, board members also approved resolutions changing the name of the Manufacturing Technology option under the AAS in Technology degree and the Certificate in Manufacturing Technology to Advanced Manufacturing Technology and adding an Entrepreneurship option to the AAS in Business degree. These proposals now will be submitted to the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE) for approval early this fall, university officials said.
The AAS in Culinary and Hospitality Management degree, which will be offered in partnership with the South Central Career Center, expands on the current Culinary Arts option under the AAS in Entrepreneurship by including additional emphasis on the culinary arts, according to Cathy Proffitt-Boys, assistant professor of agriculture and entrepreneurship and division chair of applied technology, business and public services.
“The current option under the entrepreneurship degree focuses on general entrepreneurship skills rather than those specific to culinary arts. This new degree will provide students with important business and technical knowledge and skills directed toward the culinary and hospitality fields”, she explained.
The degree, she said, will expand educational opportunities for students interested in this career field, which is closely tied to area tourism, and will provide a conduit for students interested in the Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Applied Science in Restaurant and Hospitality Management degrees at Missouri State University in Springfield.
The new Certificate in Workplace Employability Skills is designed to develop the “soft skills” widely held to be critical to career success, Boys said, adding the need for better development of this skills in potential employees has been consistently mentioned as a concern by area employers. “Based on input from Missouri State-West Plains’ industry partners and career research, we’ve developed a set of workplace employability skills that can be taught in a series of one-credit-hour classes, which will be included as part of the 12-credit-hour certificate,” she said.
The courses can be completed as a stand-alone certificate or as electives in various other degrees offered by the university, she said. They also can be offered to area employers as part of a customized training package, she added.
The new Certificate in Horticulture will help area residents develop skills needed in a career pathway that is being redefined by new and emerging technologies, Boys said. “Agriculture has long been an important part of the economy and communities in our service area. New agricultural initiatives, including new agricultural cooperatives and value added product development, are creating opportunities, as well as educational needs. This certificate will fulfill short-term educational needs for students who want to focus on horticulture and related fields, but it also can be an entryway into our AAS in Agriculture degree,” Boys explained.
If the degree and certificates are approved by CBHE, Missouri State-West Plains will then be authorized to offer 20 associate degrees and 26 certificate options.
The remaining resolutions are minor changes that better reflect the nature of the course of study, Boys said. For example, she explained, the university currently offers a General Business option under its AAS in Entrepreneurship degree. This option is closely aligned with the AAS in Business degree, so offering the Entrepreneurship option under the AAS in Business degree will bring entrepreneurship studies under the business degree program. As a result of this and the new AAS in Culinary and Hospitality Management degree, and AAS in Entrepreneurship will likely be eliminated in the near future, Boys said.
The name change for the Certificate in Manufacturing Technology and the Manufacturing Technology option under the AAS in Technology degree to Advanced Manufacturing Technology better reflects the nature and purpose of the Greater Ozarks Center for Advanced Technology (GOCAT) where they will be offered, Boys said. GOCAT, which will be housed in the former city scales building on Howell Avenue, was developed through a partnership between the university, South Central Career Center and the City of West Plains and funded in part with money from the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant received by the university in 2014, Boys said. The degree and certificate programs also will support local efforts to increase manufacturing employment opportunities, she added.
For more information about degree and certificate options available through Missouri State-West Plains, visit the university’s website or call the admissions office at 417-255-7955.