WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Missouri Governor Jeremiah “Jay” Nixon is planning to attend Missouri State University-West Plains’ 50th Anniversary Celebration at noon Monday, Sept. 16, at the Smith-London Centennial Bell Tower on Franklin Street just west of the Lybyer Technology Center.  He will be the featured speaker at the event, university officials said.

“We are very excited that Governor Nixon will be able to join us for our 50th anniversary.  He will help make this historic occasion that much better for our students and the entire community,” Missouri State-West Plains Chancellor Drew Bennett said.

The celebration will include a short ceremony, picnic lunch, historic photo and cake.  Free T-shirts will be handed out to the first 400 people who arrive, and several prizes, including an iPad, will be given away.  Those attending also can view contents of a time capsule, which will be locked and securely displayed at a location on campus to be determined, officials said.

In case of rain, the event will be moved to the Student Recreation Center at the corner of Garfield Avenue and West Trish Knight Street.

The celebration marks the exact date 50 years ago that Missouri State-West Plains opened its doors as the West Plains Residence Center at the West Plains High School campus.  A total of 111 students enrolled for classes during that first semester.

Since then, the university has grown into a multi-building campus in the heart of West Plains with an average enrollment of 2,100 students.  It currently offers 15 associate degrees, seven certificate programs and a variety of other credit and non-credit courses as needed by the communities it serves in south-central Missouri and north-central Arkansas.  It also serves as a delivery site for a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs offered by Missouri State University-Springfield’s Outreach Program.

As a teaching and learning institution, Missouri State-West Plains provides quality post-secondary educational opportunities to a primary service area that includes Douglas, Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Shannon, Texas and Wright counties, and beyond.  In recent years, the campus has earned recognition as one of the top two-year schools in the nation by the Aspen Institute, been named a “military friendly school” by Victory Media, the premiere media entity for military personnel transitioning into civilian life, and most recently, ranked sixth in the nation in the Best Community Colleges category of the 2013 Washington Monthly College Rankings.

For more information about the 50th anniversary celebration, call 417-255-7240.  To learn more about the history of Missouri State-West Plains, visit, wp.missouristate.edu/About/History.htm.