Missouri National Guard Association

By Sentinel Staff and Jeff Murphy, UCM
In what was an otherwise cold, snowy
day some weeks ago, the atmosphere
inside the Multipurpose Building of
the University of Central Missouri in
Warrensburg was filled with the warmth
of families, friends and members of the
campus community as they joined in
wishing 300 Missouri National Guard
members well on their deployment to
Afghanistan.
Signifying the university’s commitment
to the National Guard beyond this
particular ceremony, UCM President
Charles Ambrose reminded the men and
women in uniform that, while tasks may
differ, the university shares a mission of
service with the military. “We are part of
your hometown team,” he told the
1-135th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion.
“For your dependents, family members
and kids, if there are needs that you have
while you are deployed, and we can
help meet them, we are here for you.
Please let them (family members) know
all they have to do is ask.”
Since Ambrose became UCM’s 15th
president in August 2010, the sentiment
Military and Veterans Success Center at UCM.
8 Missouri National Guard Association
University of Central Missouri and the
Missouri Guard – partners in education
he expressed that afternoon has been
visible in a number of ways as UCM
seeks to become an institution of choice
for active duty military members and
veterans. Recent initiatives address
specific educational needs for the
Missouri National Guard while also providing
opportunities that are available to
individuals who either serve or have
retired within all branches of the service.
To help make such opportunities
possible, Ambrose turned to Lynn Lowder,
a seasoned businessman and a highly
decorated Marine combat veteran who
served in Vietnam. He became the
university’s first director of Military and
Veteran Services in January 2012. “We
want to be able to make a difference in as
many lives as we can,” said Lowder, who
added that the university appreciates
all opportunities to collaborate with the
MoNG.
One such opportunity is through a
Memorandum of Agreement which was
entered into between the Guard and
UCM in 2012 to establish and continue
the operation of a Telecommunications
Community Resource Center. This
cooperative venture is leading to educa-
tional programming and training for
residents of surrounding communities,
MoNG personnel and Guard personnel
nationwide.
Services that will result from the
agreement include credit and noncredit
courses and programs, short-term professional
development and training,
web streaming, video conferencing and
media support functions related to
economic development, and production
of educational materials.
Lowder said one of the university’s
goals is to extend its online course offerings
so that more military personnel can
take classes at their convenience, even
while they are deployed.
The university wants to help Guard
members who want to further their
education to advance their current career,
as well as those who may be retiring
from military service and are looking for
a career change. Many of them will be
interested in fulfilling general education
requirements, but UCM will expand
course offerings so that more complete
degrees can be achieved online.
For example, the university plans to
offer an online bachelor’s degree this
fall in crisis and disaster management,
which Lowder stressed is very consistent
with the role MoNG members often
play as first responders in a disaster
situation. UCM is also pursuing other
opportunities to provide new online
degrees in criminal justice, general
studies and business administration.
“This is a great opportunity for the
university to work side by side with the
National Guard in Missouri and provide
relevant educational opportunities,”
Lowder said.
While the TCRC will open many new
educational doors, UCM has demonstrated
its commitment to better serving
the military through a number of other
initiatives. These include the annual
Military Appreciation Day, offering aviation
courses at Whiteman Air Force Base,
establishing a Military Tuition Package
that eliminates certain fees not covered by
military benefits, and creating a full-service,
“best in class” Military and Veterans
Success Center. The center opened on
Veterans Day 2011 in about 1,500 square
feet of space located on the lower level
of the Elliott Union. The facility allows the
university to assist military and veteran