NW Missouri Times

Northwest Missouri State University’s Board of Regents has authorized the purchase of the Wesley Foundation property, located at 549 W. Fourth St., with plans to construct a new visitors center at the campus entrance. The move is intended to replace the Mabel Cook Recruitment and Visitors Center and support ongoing efforts to enhance student recruitment, improve the university’s reputation, and increase accessibility to campus.

Stacy Carrick, Northwest’s Vice President of Finance and Administration, told regents that acquiring the property aligns with university goals related to student recruitment and community engagement. The planned visitors center will centralize admissions, recruitment, and orientation activities for prospective students and their families.

The Wesley Student Center, opened in 1965, has served as a meeting place for its Methodist-based student organization as well as other groups. Both the Wesley and Mabel Cook centers were designed by Donald Valk, who was a faculty member at Northwest from 1932 to 1970.

University President Dr. Lance Tatum highlighted the significance of this acquisition in his presentation of institutional goals for FY26. “Mabel Cook has been a great facility for us for many, many years, but today’s recruiting conversation is a bit different than it was 15 years ago,” Tatum said. “It is something that requires a much more personalized and technology-based approach to make sure students feel valued when they come on campus. This property is going to give us some flexibility in the conversation of what that future experience could look like for prospective students, and it is positioned at a location that gives us an opportunity to make the first impression of campus for students and families impactful.”

The board also approved institutional goals that continue multi-year objectives from FY25. These include enrollment growth and sustainability, enhancing the collegiate experience, focusing on people within the university community, and adding operations as a strategic theme to reinforce operational excellence.

Other actions taken by regents included approval of a contract worth about $2.6 million between the Regional Professional Development Center (RPDC) and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for 2025-26. The funding will cover salaries, benefits, travel expenses required by state regulations, equipment, materials, and supplies for RPDC staff supporting 59 school districts in northwest Missouri—a partnership supported by Northwest since 1995.

Additionally, regents confirmed appointments for three full-time faculty members and 122 adjunct faculty for the upcoming academic year. These appointments supplement 235 full-time faculty positions previously approved in June.

An updated anti-hazing policy was adopted in accordance with federal Stop Campus Hazing Act guidelines. The board also approved degree conferrals for students completing bachelor’s, master’s, and specialist degrees after summer coursework.

The Board of Regents oversees resource management at Northwest Missouri State University and sets general educational and financial policies.