It’s never been done before.
“And it’s going to work,” Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon told the crowd that gathered in Lee’s Summit Thursday to break ground on the Missouri Innovation Campus.
The campus, located northeast of the intersection of Chipman Road and Ward Road, will be the new permanent home of a 4-year-old collaboration between the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District, the University of Central Missouri and other partners.
“I want to commit to you from the state level we’re going to continue to work as hard as we can to make sure these partnerships are fostered,” Nixon said. “This pillar of excellence will stand as an example for other school districts, businesses and colleges in our state.”
High school sophomores can enroll in the dual-credit program to get an associate’s degree at the same time as their diploma. They can get a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Missouri in another two years.
Nixon say's it's another way Missouri is keeping college costs down.
Last spring Lee’s Summit voters approved a $40 million bond issue to build the campus, which will open in 2017.
Elle Moxley is a reporter for KCUR. You can reach her on Twitter @ellemoxley.
