Thanks to a record-breaking influx of federal dollars, Missouri State University’s Temple Hall will soon receive an $80 million renovation. In the process, it appears the building will be renamed for U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, who secured $50 million for the project in one of his last acts as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The Missouri Board of Governors on Thursday will vote to rename the building that houses the College of Natural and Applied Sciences the Roy Blunt Hall. It will also vote on the $80 million construction contract to significantly renovate the building, which was built in 1971 and named for longtime science department leader Allen Temple.
Blunt, whose final term as a U.S. Senator concludes next month, was also recently honored with a renamed airport terminal at the Springfield-Branson National Airport.
Resolution to rename Temple Hall touts Blunt's support of science and research, while continuing to honor building's namesake
In the proposed resolution about the building’s renaming, Blunt, an MSU alum, is lauded for his support of “Missouri State’s academic and research missions and economic development operations, including numerous grants, external contracts and directed appropriations.”
The resolution also points to his efforts on the Senate Appropriations Committee to increase the National Institute of Health budget by $15 billion over his tenure and boost Alzheimer’s research funding by $2.5 billion, along with funding increases for numerous education programs.
The university will create a display in the atrium of the renovated Roy Blunt Hall to honor Temple, who led the university’s science department for nearly four decades in the early 20th century.
“Mr. Temple’s investment of his time and passion into science education at Missouri State University established the foundation for the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, and the university would not have the excellent science programs it has today without Mr. Temple’s research, teaching and service,” the resolution states.
Nearly $60 million of the projected costs for revamping the science building is dedicated to construction costs alone. President Clif Smart said earlier this year that MSU leaders never envisioned being able to renovate the building because of the high cost until Blunt earmarked $50 million for it.
“It’s the largest appropriation directed to Missouri State University from the federal government ever,” Smart said in March. “It may be the largest appropriation for a single science building at a university of any kind. It’s one of the biggest ever,” he added.
Blunt to deliver MSU commencement speech on Friday
On Dec. 16, Blunt will serve as the commencement speaker at the 10 a.m. ceremony for MSU graduates at Great Southern Bank Arena. There, he will also receive another honor from the university, the Bronze Bear Award.
In advocating for Blunt to receive the award during an October Board of Governors meeting, Smart said Blunt has pushed for federal funding and nationwide recognition for the university throughout his term in the U.S. Senate.
“He has frankly brought more money to our institution than anyone else in history,” Smart said.
