A state match of $7.4 million dollars will help build the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center at the the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Volker campus.
"Just last week the state budget office announced we have a revenue increase of 7.7 percent compared to last year," Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said at a press conference announcing the match. "That's an increase that's well above revised projections. Hence, I am here to spend some."
Nixon says investing in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education will pay dividends for the state down the line. The Kauffman Foundation and the Plaster Foundation are kicking in an additional $7.4 million for the new building, which will hold lab and instructional space for students in both the Bloch School of Management and the School of Computing and Engineering.
"With legacies like those like Ewing Kauffman and Henry Bloch to shape the economy and the skyline, Kansas City has an incredible entrepreneurial history," Nixon said.
Three years ago Missouri lawmakers agreed to set aside money in the Higher Education Capital Fund to match funds for university building projects. It's known as a 50/50 match. Last week, Nixon announced funding for projects at Missouri Southern State University and the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Nixon said he hoped to allocate funds to additional projects as more money becomes available.
