The Griffon News

It may be under the radar and out of sight of most minds, but Missouri Western and its Western Institute have opened the Downtown University Center—and we like it.

 

This is the new home of our Law Enforcement Academy, several commu­nity arts classes, and will soon host credit courses related to urban develop­ment thanks to a grant application from the City of Saint Joseph. It looks as if Western is taking the initiative and reaching out into the community at last!

Face it, Saint Joseph is a “college town” by our mere presence. It’s not a college town by attitude. Western doesn’t enjoy the backing of the community the way Northwest does. Having a presence downtown, and embracing the area is a good first step to building that bridge to the commu­nity that we so desperately need to foster a true “col­lege town.”

Our presence might do some quantifiable good, according to Dr. Christopher Shove, director of the Western Institute.

“We plan on students (in the upcoming urban devel­opment major) working closely with the city for the historical preservation and development of downtown,” Shove said.

Applied learning at its finest: students will do field surveys on historic buildings to put them on the National Register of Historic Places.

Shove also looks to make the Downtown University Center a local hotspot as a meeting place for artists as well as a training ground for future police officers. The goal was to use the cen­ter to revitalize downtown St. Joseph by embracing public safety, to increase social activity and to add to the economy.

A grand vision indeed—we hope to see more soon.