UCM Opens Lee’s Summit Technology Campus Location

By Quentin Weed
UCM Student & Townsquare Intern

On Thursday, October 30, UCM celebrated the opening of its new Summit Technology Campus in Lee’s Summit, adding an extra 25,000-square-foot section to the complex that already contained their Missouri Innovation Campus, giving them over 100,000 square feet of campus space in the city.

This expanded campus, located conveniently in the Kansas City area, focuses on career development for those looking for a new career or to enhance their current career. It is especially catered to adults already at work who are looking for extra certification that is suited to their price range and schedule.

The expanded Lee’s Summit campus is expected to have over 2,000 students in attendance in the coming semester, offering a wide variety of degrees and programs for undergrads, graduate students, and standing workforce, a big increase since the extra campus first opened 25 years ago with 300 students.

Of the expanded campus, UCM President Dr. Roger Best said that this was not a “full circle moment” where things are finished, but rather that “we have a lot of work we’re going to do here… we will be expanding into more programs.” With each expansion, the reality of a hub where students have everything required for their career in a single location is further fulfilled.

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The campus also includes other resources for those already in or looking to enter the workforce, including satellite locations for the Full Employment Council, Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, and the Missouri Job Center, giving students vital access to assistance with the complicated world of careers.

Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development Commissioner Bennett Boggs extolled the power of having workers who are “skilled, adaptable, and ready for the jobs of today and tomorrow” as a way to grow the economic success of Missouri and its residents. To that effect, he emphasized the strength of “a unified strategic partnership” with UCM and other universities, which would become “economic engines, and… community anchors” and “fuel regional and economic growth.”

If you are interested in the UCM Lee’s Summit Campus, more information can be found at ucmo.edu/leessummit.