It has long been the dream of the Missouri State University Foundation to build an alumni center on the Springfield campus. That now appears within reach.
With the sale of the existing alumni center in downtown Springfield to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks — a pact made public Thursday — the foundation is ready to take the next step.
A proposal to start the initial stages of planning and design work will go to the MSU Board of Governors on Friday.
“For a while, we’ve had a dream that we would be in a more central part, a more visible part, of the university,” said Brent Dunn, vice president of university advancement and executive director of the foundation.
“We’re sort of growing up into this type of facility. This is a perfect time to do this.”
Dunn said while the existing alumni center was owned by the foundation, the one built on campus will be owned by the university as a partnership with the foundation.
In addition to annual giving, which has grown steadily, the foundation recently raised $274 million for the university as part of the Onward Upward campaign.