After more than two decades at Shannon Hall, the Missouri State University-West Plains Mtn. Grove location is relocating back to its original home at Faurot Hall.
The transition to Faurot Hall, located at the Missouri State University Fruit Experiment Station on Red Spring Road, is scheduled to be completed in time for the spring 2027 semester.
MSU-WP originally began offering programs at Faurot Hall in 1995 before local leaders and campus supporters helped establish Shannon Hall in 2004 to accommodate expanding university needs. University leadership recently conducted a strategic space assessment, determining that a shared-space partnership at the Fruit Experiment Station best aligns with long-term program goals.
The relocation follows a major investment in the Mtn. Grove site earlier this year, including the creation of a full-time campus coordinator position filled by long-time professor Dr. Mark Fugitt. Fugitt, an alumnus of Missouri State’s Graduate College, has taught at MSU-WP in Mtn. Grove since 2014.
“This move prepares us to serve our local communities for decades to come,” Fugitt said. “Sharing facilities makes sense, and it allows us to think more about expanding the courses and programs we can offer in Mtn. Grove. We are strategically moving back to the Fruit Experiment Station to grow enrollment, expand course offerings and signal that we are committed to Mtn. Grove for the long haul.”
MSU-WP Chancellor Zora Mulligan echoed the sentiment, noting that maintaining a strong Mtn. Grove presence is central to the university's regional mission.
Constructed in 1901, Faurot Hall became the second building in Wright County listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
MSU-WP operates as a separately accredited, two-year, open-admission campus within the Missouri State system, offering associate degrees, certificates and professional development programs.
