The sale of Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA) assets is expected to clear another hurdle today, making the prognosis for Missouri Southern’s proposed health sciences building a good one.

Sen. Gary Nodler (R-Joplin) made the announcement with University President Julio León, Crowder College Interim President Alan Marble, Rep. Steve Hunter (R-Joplin) and Board of Governors Chairman Dwight Douglas.

The plan would present Southern with $19 million toward the new building, estimated to cost $24 million.

Originally, the building cost was estimated at approximately $13 million, but because costs have increased over time so has the estimate. Funds from the MOHELA sale will take care of the bulk of the building; however, León said the rest of the funds will come from additional fundraising.

León said the $19 million is something Southern has been waiting for since 1998. If the proposal is approved today as expected, this nearly ten-year-old project will finally be closer to reality.

“It’s a facility that would house civil disciplines that are essentially important to the health care industry,” he said. “It will be a model facility that will accommodate some of the needs that aren’t being fulfilled.

“Obviously we are very excited about this possibility.”

This facility will accommodate programs such as nursing, dental hygiene, respiratory therapy, medical technology, radio logic technology, paramedics, psychology and kinesiology.

León told The Chart that once the plan is approved, the University could see the funds within one year and construction could also begin within that time frame.

Officials say the plan not only benefits Southern, but community colleges statewide. There will be $1 million funding to each of the 12 community college systems. $6 million will fund maintenance and repairs. An additional $3.5 million will go toward general revenue, replacements and upgrades to the federally qualified health center in Joplin and Cassville. The whole plan distributes funds from $300-350 million.

Nodler said the plan allows flexibility for the community college systems to do much needed expansion because there’s been a huge increase in enrollment.

All the officials indicated that the health sciences building’s benefits would extend beyond those to students.

“We knew this would be a direct benefit to the citizens of this area,” he said. “This community is becoming the health-care hub for 350,000 people located within the service area of the major hospital and medical facilities that we have.”

Douglas stressed the importance of a University role in health-care delivery.

“It is essential that Missouri Southern provide the training ground for health science professions in order to service the health industry that is developing in this area,” he said.

Crowder, one of the institutions benefiting from this plan, will receive $1 million from this project.

“We are delighted to be a part of this plan,” said Marble, a Southern alumnus. “We transfer more students to Missouri Southern every year than all other colleges combined.”

Nobler said there were necessary long-term benefits of Southern’s planned three-story building.

“We want to make sure the network of providers for disadvantaged Missourians is adequate to meet the need of that transition to a new health system so we have the pieces in place to make sure the medical needs of all Missourians are going to be met,” he said.