After more than 20 years, the Mountain Grove location of Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) is moving to Faurot Hall, home of the Missouri State University Fruit Experiment Station.

Since 1995, MSU-WP has been meeting educational needs in Mountain Grove and the surrounding communities. For the first decade, MSU-WP offered programs at Fruit Experiment Station’s Faurot Hall located at 9740 Red Spring Road in Mountain Grove. Faurot Hall was also on the front lines of expansion for the Springfield campus’ growing agriculture programs, and eventually the entire facility was needed to support that growth.

Community leaders and supporters joined the West Plains campus in strengthening local access to higher education. Their vision helped establish Shannon Hall in 2004, which has served thousands of students over the past two decades.

Missouri State and MSU-WP realized that it was time to strategically assess use of space and program need, both current and in the long-term. With a joint commitment to the community, a renewed partnership was proposed that would once again share the Fruit Experiment Station space.

This move is the culmination of a major new investment in the success of the Mountain Grove campus.

In 2026, the university created a new full-time position of campus coordinator, hiring long-time professor Dr. Mark Fugitt. Dr. Fugitt brings decades of experience in non-profit leadership to the role and is familiar with the communities served by the institution. He has a deep connection to Missouri State as an alumnus of the Springfield campus’s Graduate College and has taught at MSU-WP at Mountain Grove since 2014.

University leadership is making this strategic move at a time when higher education is changing.

“This move prepares us to serve our local communities for decades to come,” said Fugitt. “Sharing facilities makes sense, and it allows us to think more about expanding the courses and programs we can offer in Mountain Grove. We are strategically moving back to the Fruit Experiment Station to grow enrollment, expand course offerings, and signal that we are committed to Mountain Grove for the long haul.”

MSU-WP Chancellor Zora Mulligan adds, “Having a strong presence in Mountain Grove is an important part of our mission to serve the region. Faurot Hall is the ideal location to do just that.”

MSU-WP at Mountain Grove will embrace its historic roots as it settles back into Faurot Hall. Constructed in 1901, Faurot Hall became the second building in Wright County listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 12, 1979. The university is excited to once again share stewardship of this legacy. The move is expected to be completed in time for the spring semester, beginning in January 2027.