"The goal of the program is to increase the number of Internet and CD/DVD based courses available to Southwest Missourians," Program Manager Steve Earney said. "This will give our distance learning students Internet access to library resources and permit faculty to develop more lectures, experiments and courses that will be available through streaming video."
"For citizens in rural Missouri, access to higher and continuing education can be a challenge. Through innovative efforts like the distance learning program at Missouri Southern State University-Joplin, Missourians in rural communities will have new opportunities," said Senator Kit Bond. "This program will prepare even more citizens in Southwest Missouri for good paying jobs and ensure the region's continued economic growth."
"Computers and the Internet are vital portals to learning, especially for those who live a great distance from a college campus," Congressman Blunt said. "Expanding this effort will mean more people will have access to a college education which typically brings higher incomes, more opportunities and greater involvement in the community. I applaud Missouri Southern State University-Joplin's effort to bring this new window of opportunity to more Southwest Missourians."
Missouri Southern State University-Joplin is putting $65,000 into the project to establish an outreach center at Monett High School. The $319,106 grant will pay for new equipment that will record, transmit and receive Internet programs. The last major computer upgrade at Missouri Southern was five years ago, but did not include the new technology. Currently, there are more than 1,500 students from 105 Missouri towns and villages who are taking distance learning courses through the Joplin campus.
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