Earlier this week, Missouri Southern in Joplin announced that the university’s Upward Bound program would be funded for the next five years through an over 1.67 million dollar grant from the US Department of Education.

The program provides academic support to prepare high-school students for post-secondary education. It serves nearly 70 students from the Joplin, Carl Junction, Webb City, Carthage, and East Newton school districts.

Upward Bound offers various services designed to help them prepare for a successful transition into college.

Also, on Thursday, MSSU announced that two longtime members of the MSSU faculty were approved for emeritus status during the Board of Governors meeting. Dr. Conrad Gubera, professor of sociology, retired in 2021 after 54 years of service to the university’s Social Science Department and Dr. William Kumbier, professor of English, retired in 2020 following 31 years at Missouri Southern.

The board also adopted a $75.3 million revenue budget for the Fiscal Year 2023, a reduction of 7.3 million from last year. Also, on Thursday, the MSSU Board of Governors approved a 3.4 percent tuition increase of $8.80 per credit hour.