Briefly in the News: January
Patriot Park Grant
The Patriot Park project, a joint effort of the Columbia Housing Authority, Welcome Home, and the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture, won a $25,000 grant from State Farm’s Neighborhood Assist grant program. The grant will be used to make improvements to the park, located on the grounds of the Patriot Place apartment complex, a housing center for previously homeless veterans. The grant will help fund fruit trees, a greenhouse, tool shed, walking paths, and a fenced dog park in Patriot Park. The 40 winners were chosen through online voting in November.
Online Master’s for Doctors
MU now offers an online master’s degree for physicians who want to teach. The course is intended for physicians who have a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree who wish to teach in a classroom setting. The program includes those currently finishing their residencies, and it will focus on clinical education, health care systems, reform and policy, evidence-based medicine, and current issues and challenges in medical education. The 30 credit hour program can be completed in five semesters and is designed so doctors can complete the program while continuing their practice.
Boone in Moberly
Boone Medical Group opened a new specialty clinic in Moberly. The new clinic replaces a smaller clinic that Boone previously had in Moberly, and the new location is next to the Boone Convenient Care at Moberly, a Boone-run urgent care facility. The 5,000-square-foot facility has a total of 15 exam rooms for Boone patients.
$1 Million Gift to Stephens
Stephens College received a $1 million gift from fashion designer Jeannene Booher to benefit the Stephens College School of Design. Booher’s donation will go toward a fashion lecture series for the school. After studying at Stephens, Booher went on to the Parsons School of Design in New York. She became a partner and designer at the Maggy London dress company for 10 years, and she then started her own line of dresses and two-piece outfits, which were sold at stores like Neiman Marcus, Barneys, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Nordstrom. The first lecturer was Marylou Luther, editor of the International Fashion Syndicate and writer of the award-winning Clotheslines column.
Flat Branch Rural Lending
Flat Branch Home Loans ranked No. 2 among Missouri lenders in the Guaranteed Rural Housing Loan Program in 2016. Of the 4,927 families who purchased homes through the program in the fiscal year, 391 did so through Flat Branch. The program is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and helps rural lenders provide home loans to low- and moderate-income rural buyers. The 391 loans made by Flat Branch totaled $43,047,982.
Tiger Health Care
MU Health Care and the Tiger Institute for Health Innovation received the Transformational Leadership Award from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives. They were recognized for developing and deploying transformational information technology that improves the delivery of care and streamlines administrative services. Bryan Bliven, chief information officer of MU Health Care and executive director of the Tiger Institute, and Thomas Selva, chief medical information officer of MU Health Care, accepted the award on November 2.
Discounted Tuition for Uber Drivers
Uber and Columbia College have teamed up to offer Uber drivers a 15 percent discount on tuition. The discount is also open to current students who wish to become Uber drivers. The discount requires that students complete at least one Uber trip per month. Driving hours are flexible with student schedules.
Transportation Technology
The Missouri Department of Transportation received the 2016 Governor’s Award for Quality and Productivity, a Technology in Government Award. This award recognized several improvements and additions made to MoDOT’s existing systems, such as the dynamic message sign system, which warns of accidents and offers accurate commute time information and portable, changeable message signs for smart work zones. Also, the field alert traffic system team received the 2016 Francis B. Francois Award for Innovation, presented by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
Smart Business Products Merger
Smart Business Products, owned by Bill Schuette, has merged with Midwest Office, an independent office products company headquartered in Illinois with three Midwest locations. The Columbia location will continue to focus on office furniture and supplies, and Schuette will lead it.