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1) Pinnacle Corporate Partnerships – Last week, we signed our first ever Pinnacle Corporate Partnership. The agreement was with Prairie Farms, which is even more special because the CEO is one of our alumni. Matt McClelland started with Prairie Farms as a SEMO student and now leads Prairie Farms Family of Companies and their 9,000 employees across the country.
A Pinnacle Corporate Partnership with the University represents our highest level of partnership. These are companies that support the University by providing experiences for our students and philanthropy. The agreement provides Prairie Farms’ employees and their dependents reduced tuition at SEMO, employee professional development opportunities, and a direct connection with SEMO’s career-ready students. It’s a win-win, and we are currently in discussion to potentially add three additional Pinnacle Corporate Partners.
2) Strategic Planning Events – We began the fall semester with a strategic plan kickoff on campus. Since then, we’ve been on the road sharing our plan with community members, employers, and elected officials in Cape Girardeau, Kennett, Poplar Bluff, Sikeston, and St. Louis. I wanted to share with you all that the comments have been incredibly positive and supportive. Companies stepped forward to show their interest in providing co-op learning opportunities for our students and serving on industry advisory boards. This is a plan that excites our region, and Eastern Missouri is responding to the direction we’re heading.
3) Governance Document Review – The Board of Governors charged me to lead a comprehensive review of both the Faculty Handbook and the Business Policies and Procedures Manual and recommend changes no later than their December 2026 meeting. I have formed a Governance Document Review Task Force that includes 13 faculty and staff members from across campus, chaired by Dr. Doug Koch, to prioritize the policies and procedures to be included for review and revision by the Faculty Senate and Administrative Council. Those groups will identify changes and updates as recommendations to the President’s Cabinet. The review will take a significant effort but is important in bringing our policies up-to-date. In advance, I want to thank members of the Task Force, Faculty Senate, and Administrative Council for their contributions and thoughtful input into this work.
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