Missouri State Opens Construction Education Success Center at Kemper Hall

Kemper Hall, Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri, September 24, 2025

News Summary

Missouri State University will open a new Construction Education Success Center at Kemper Hall, a 10,000-square-foot addition and renovation for the School of Construction, Design and Project Management. Funded by the MoExcels Workforce Initiative and private gifts, the $9.6 million center expands hands-on construction training and connects students with local employers. The opening comes amid the university’s largest period of campus construction in decades — nearly $250 million in projects across campus — including major renovations and new facilities that are reshaping the campus landscape and academic capacity.

Missouri State to open $9.6 million Construction Education Success Center at Kemper Hall Sept. 29 as campus pursues nearly $250 million in construction projects

What happened: A new Construction Education Success Center at Missouri State’s Kemper Hall will be open to the public during a grand opening ceremony.

When and where: The celebration is set for 9 a.m. Monday, Sept. 29. The event location: Kemper Hall, 921 S. John Q. Hammons Parkway, in the high-bay training lab.

Project basics: The project is a 10,000‑square‑foot addition and renovation to the university’s School of Construction, Design and Project Management. The project cost was $9.6 million. Funding for the project came through the MoExcels Workforce Initiative and private gifts.

Purpose and focus: The industry‑focused space will expand access to specialized training within the construction management program and is designed to connect students with the skills local employers need. This center positions Missouri State as a leader in preparing the next generation of construction professionals. We’re committed to equipping our students with the skills employers need while driving regional economic growth.

Campus construction backdrop

Missouri State is in the midst of its most intense and expensive period of construction activity in decades. At one point there were 208 projects (an all‑time high) and the number had decreased to 194 projects. The university has almost $250 million worth of construction projects underway. Most construction work is spread across the main Springfield campus, with key, highly visible projects concentrated along Grand Street and National Avenue.

The university entered a hectic period of construction that will continue through next summer, with many main projects scheduled to wrap up in fall 2026. It’s going to be a much different campus. The campus experienced tree damage during recent wind events, and there were periods of heavy rain, but there has been minimal impact to construction project timelines. We plan on being able to make that up in the schedule. It’s common that we have to navigate these things. It’s been more uncommon this spring and summer but currently, there are no significant delays.

Major projects and schedules

Clifton M. Smart III University Advancement Center

The Clifton M. Smart III University Advancement Center is a $26.2 million project scheduled to open in fall 2026. The building is adjacent to the Davis‑Harrington Welcome Center and will house university advancement and the Missouri State University Foundation. Excavation is complete, the slab is ready to be poured, and steel erection will begin this fall. The project will continue heavily into next fall with the goal of having it done by Homecoming 2026. The project will become very visible on National Avenue this fall. Losing parking for the project will be worth the sacrifice and the building will be significant for the campus and alumni engagement. The advancement center will allow tours to begin at the welcome center and end at the advancement center to show students alumni impact.

Judith Enyeart Reynolds Performing Arts Complex and related work

The Art Annex has been demolished to make way for the Judith Enyeart Reynolds Performing Arts Complex. The performing arts complex was made possible in part by the largest one‑time gift in university history. The state provided $17.5 million to support the project. An eight‑figure gift from the C.W. Titus Foundation was also part of funding for the project. The facility was designed to enhance arts, social sciences, and humanities education. As part of the project, the Grand Street entrance to campus will be transformed, including a plaza area that will greet visitors and improve the pedestrian/public perspective on that entry.

The $96.4 million project includes constructing a 66,500‑square‑foot addition to the building formerly called Temple Hall and renovating the existing building. The scheduled completion date for that project is June 2026. Crews are on the doorstep of being substantially complete with the first phase, which is the addition on the mall side of the stadium. Some labs are fully functioning and the project is in the commissioning process. Some people have already moved into the addition, and the addition will be fully open by fall 2025. The second phase (significant renovation of the original building) will continue through next summer; they are essentially a year away from completing the renovation portion.

Craig Hall renovation / fire

Renovation work tied to the Judith Enyeart Reynolds Performing Arts Complex is progressing but a fire related to a mechanical unit in early June is creating concerns. Originally classes were planned for Craig Hall in the fall, but the university is assessing the impact of the fire and replacement of damaged items. The fire was not related to the renovation work. There is a small addition planned to Craig Hall on the west side that will add a scene shop.

Cheek Hall renovation

A $16.9 million project to renovate part of Cheek Hall was recently started. The renovation will establish the Center for Transformational Education for Life, Physical, and Health Sciences in Cheek Hall. A construction fence has been established on the north side (the north entry) and the fence will remain essentially for the next year. The plan addresses deferred maintenance, improves facility functionality, and expands academic capacity in computer science, software development, and data science disciplines. About 43,400 square feet of space will be improved in the coming year as part of this work.

Other work across campus

There are numerous other ongoing projects of varying sizes across campus. At one point the university was in the middle of 182 projects worth $209 million plus nearly $17 million in consultant contracts. Major projects listed in the draft Facilities Master Plan include renovations to Cheek, Craig, and Kampeter halls; an expansion and renovation of Blunt Hall; and construction of the Clifton M. Smart III University Advancement Center and the Judith Enyeart Reynolds Complex.

Work to develop a new Facilities Master Plan started a year ago and the draft Facilities Master Plan is expected to be finalized this fall. The draft plan splits new projects into three categories: planned in the next five years, proposed in the following five to 10 years, and future potential projects 10–25 years away. The projects planned for the next five years are not yet fully funded; some have only crumbs of funding. Many of the planned projects are still at the pixels and paper stage.

Preservation, relocation and campus functions

Missouri State wants to preserve and upgrade McDonald Hall and Arena; there is strong support on campus and in the community to keep it. McDonald Hall and Arena was built in 1940 with resources from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration (WPA). McDonald has good bones and is sort of built like a bomb shelter and is structurally very solid. There is a lot of traction in renovating McDonald, but no donor has yet been identified. The roof needs work to make it water‑tight and the HVAC system needs upgrading. McDonald currently houses classrooms, offices, fitness and recreation space, and has hosted academic programs including exercise science, physical education, sport and recreation administration, and kinesiology. Esports and studios for theatre and dance have also been located in McDonald. With many major projects set to finish by fall 2026, McDonald will become a clean slate, wide open, ready for whatever plans result.

Missouri State plans to relocate the Office of University Safety and the Springfield police substation from its current location off Cherry Street to University Hall. The existing building would be demolished to make way for additional parking. The move will place campus safety in a prime location. University Hall was purchased from the Church of Christ in 1993 and is located just west of the Davis‑Harrington Welcome Center and near the bookstore and Plaster Student Union. The reported average response time for the MSU substation is three minutes; centrally locating safety should improve response times.

There has been a significant amount of work at Plaster Stadium as part of the university’s move to Conference USA. Initial work described as phase zero included power‑washing, painting, new turf, and new lighting. Future upgrades will be needed, including looking at relocating the weight room and possibly adding different types of suites, which would open more touch points on the second floor. Bleacher backs were being installed so MO State would appear on the upper bowl.

Karls Hall, built in 1957 and home to the William H. Darr College of Agriculture, features an agriculture research and demonstration center, offices, classrooms, two auditoriums, and a rooftop greenhouse complex. Darr Ag is conducting its own mini master plan, and findings will be fed into the university’s broader facilities master plan. Karls desperately needs a renovation.

Meyer Library originally opened in 1980 and was renovated and expanded in 2002 to include the Jane A. Meyer Carillon. A new dean of Missouri State University Libraries started in mid‑July and will review the needs of the library and develop a plan.

State construction funding context

The Missouri House Budget Committee approved almost $4 billion in construction funding on a Thursday. The funding included 45 new earmarked items for projects ranging from a county government maintenance shed to a capital city parking garage. About half of the spending is reauthorization of projects approved in past years and funded mainly from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). As of March 31, the state had $1.3 billion remaining to be spent from the $2.9 billion originally received from the federal COVID‑19 relief law. The new items increased general revenue spending for construction projects by $76 million more than requested by the governor. Adding the three construction bills to the operating budget approved in the House brought total proposed spending in the lower chamber to $51.7 billion, about $2 billion less than the governor proposed in January.

Committee leadership said this may be the last year lawmakers can tap the surplus for earmarked projects and noted the items funded are only a fraction of what was requested. The smallest item added was $60,000 for a maintenance and equipment shed for Dallas County government. The largest added item was $20 million for a new Jefferson City parking garage that is part of a $130 million hotel and conference center.

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Key features at a glance

Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic

Additional Resources

• News-Leader: MSU to open Construction Education Success Center
• Wikipedia: Missouri State University
• Missouri Independent: Missouri House committee approves $4 billion for state construction projects
• Google Search: Missouri construction budget 2025
• News-Leader: Missouri State ongoing construction and renovation projects
• Google Scholar: Missouri State University construction projects
• KY3: Ongoing construction sparks creative Tent Theatre at Missouri State
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Missouri State University
• News-Leader: Missouri State University facilities master plan — seven big changes
• Google News: Missouri State University construction projects

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