Dear Friends,
Founders’ Day, which we will hold Sept. 26, is a pivotal piece of our yearlong Centennial celebration. In September of 1915, the drive of the St. Joseph Chamber and the St. Joseph School District created the St. Joseph Junior College, in just a few weeks’ time. Those few visionary weeks have forever changed the landscape of St. Joseph, Missouri.
What started with 35 students has grown to nearly 6,000 students and more than 28,000 alumni. Our dedication to transforming the workforce in our region has continued to grow over the past century.
The Buchanan County Degree Attainment Initiative combines college coursework with high-impact apprenticeships and mentoring programs with local businesses in high-demand industries. The training enhances students’ ability to contribute to their employers and to the economy. Since the initiative began, numbers have steadily increased, and some of our first graduates from this program have been promoted within their companies, adding to the productivity of their employers while enhancing their own financial security.
Service to our region is one of the six University values that are central to Missouri Western. It is instilled in the hearts of our students and employees, who combined give more than 120,000 hours of community service yearly. Hundreds of incoming students experience this culture of giving firsthand through the Griffon Edge orientation program’s Day of Service. This fall, the Day of Service focused on helping revitalize Downtown St. Joseph, making a tangible and lasting difference on this important part of our city.
Our most significant and lasting impacts are through the lives and careers of our alumni. A significant percentage of our alumni remain in the region to live and work, and to make a lasting impact in their own communities. This issue of Missouri Western magazine highlights not just the strides that Missouri Western alumni have made in the business community, but in transforming lives through their work with our regional nonprofits.
We are proud of our 100-year history, and the impact of our graduates continues to grow throughout the city, region, nation and world. I think our founders would be proud of the progress we have made, and the amazing alumni that call Missouri Western home.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Vartabedian