MSSU, KCU to sign new partnership agreement
Joplin, MO – Administrators from Missouri Southern State University and Kansas City University will sign a new partnership agreement cementing early acceptance programs for KCU’s medical and dental schools.
The signing ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, in Billingsly Student Center’s Connor Ballroom at the start of the Board of Governors’ regular meeting.
The MSSU-KCU Early Acceptance Program (M-KEAP) will establish an annual cohort of up to 35 students – 25 for the osteopathic medicine program, and 10 for the dental program. Qualified students will have the opportunity to complete their baccalaureate degree with an accelerated, three-year curriculum before making a seamless transition to KCU.
“This is an important day for future Missouri Southern and KCU students, as we expand a unique partnership that will provide opportunity for MSSU freshmen to complete a challenging three-year program of study at MSSU, knowing that they have early acceptance to a high-quality dental school,” said Dr. Dean Van Galen, president of Missouri Southern.
“Today’s signing is also another step forward in advancing healthcare and health sciences in our region.”
“Missouri Southern State University has been a key partner for Kansas City University even before we opened our Joplin campus, and we are excited to expand the MKEAP program to include our new College of Dental Medicine,” said Marc B. Hahn, DO, president and chief executive officer at Kansas City University.
“KCU has now welcomed three classes of MSSU Biology graduates. We look forward to conferring degrees on the first MKEAP class in the spring of 2024 and welcoming our first class of MKEAP dental students directly in the fall of 2026. Together, Missouri Southern and KCU can recruit and retain many talented students from the region who will ultimately improve access to medical and dental care right here at home.”
Previously branded as the Yours to Lose program, the early acceptance program partnership between Missouri Southern and KCU was first formalized in December 2015. It allowed students at MSSU to be admitted to the then new KCU medical school at the same time. The program is now in its sixth cohort.