One Missouri university recently announced plans to consider joining the University of Missouri system.

Northwest Missouri State University President Dean Hubbard approached UM April 2 with the idea of collaborating the two entities.

Joe Moore, UM spokesman, said UM President Elson Floyd reacted enthusiastically.

He said he currently sees no drawbacks, but several benefits to both UM and NWMSU if they combine.

“We are the doctorate-granting institution in the state, and we carry a lot of programs that are desirable to other institutions,” Moore said. “Collaboration would increase academic offerings to students in the northwest region.

“Although Northwest is already a healthy institution it would only improve by becoming a part of the UM system.”

Hubbard said in an April 7 news conference that the collaboration would enable NWMSU to attain some of its long-term goals.

“Affiliation of Northwest with the University of Missouri would open up new opportunities for expanded academic programs and serve as a stimulus for economic development in the state,” he said.

Moore said it would also be more efficient for Missouri, as well as NWMSU and UM by consolidating human resources and academic affairs making it more cost-effective.

“Our two universities have collaborated for years to deliver high-demand academic programs to the region,” Floyd said at the same conference. “President Hubbard and I agree that a merger would enable us to broaden the scope of these academic offerings while achieving economies of scale in many operational areas. This is a good move for Missouri.”

UM’s technology would also spread to the Northwest campus, making more information available to the students there, he said.

“This would allow us to extend our constitutional mission to provide higher education to another part of the state,” Moore said.

Currently, UM offers three joint programs to the university but this would allow NWMSU access to all of UM’s perks.

“We are officially exploring the idea and looking at whether or not it would be a good idea for both UM and Northwest,” Moore said.

If the idea is proved worthy, both NWMSU’s Board of Governor’s and UM’s Board of Curators would have to approve the idea before it reached the Capitol. Moore said ideally, they would prefer it to be in effect by the end of this legislative session, which ends June 30. The new name of Northwest has not been decided.

The University of Missouri System has campuses in Columbia, Kansas City, Rolla and St. Louis.