MSU wants to rename Temple Hall after retiring U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt

Missouri State wants to rename Temple Hall after retiring U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, who helped secure more than $50 million in federal funds earlier this year to transform the university's most prominent science education and research building.

The name change is part of a proposal that will go the MSU Board of Governors during back-to-back meetings on Thursday.

Blunt, a native of southwest Missouri, retires this month after 25 years in Congress. Prior to seeking national office, he served as Missouri Secretary of State and Greene County Clerk.

In recent weeks, as Blunt's influential political career was ending, Springfield City Council agreed to rename the Midfield Terminal at Springfield-Branson National Airport in his honor.

Blunt is slated to speak at a Missouri State commencement ceremony Friday, where he will honored with the Bronze Bear Award.

“Sen. Roy Blunt has been an incredible champion for the university, and the Bronze Bear is a small token of our thanks,” MSU President Clif Smart said in October, after the board voted to bestow the award. “As a public servant, he has helped bring national exposure and millions of dollars to Missouri State, watching out for our students’ best interests."

Smart added: “With the funding that passed this spring, our STEM facilities will be absolutely transformed.”

Temple Hall, built in 1971, is home to the university's College of Natural and Applied Sciences. It is located at 910 S. John Q. Hammons Parkway.

According to the university, the hall has not had any substantial upgrades since opening.

The university has a two-phase project planned for the building: Construct a new addition and then renovate the existing 126,000 square feet facility.

Large lectures in other STEM — science, technology, engineering or math — areas, such as astronomy and physics, are planned. It will house the biology, chemistry, geography, geology and planning departments.

In the Thursday meeting, the MSU board will also vote on the first phase of the Temple Hall project, estimated at $80 million.

The work includes a new 71,710-square-foot addition on the northwest corner of the building. The space will include new teaching and research labs, support spaces, a computer lab, offices, student gathering and study spaces, freezer storage and new restrooms.

In the existing building, renovations will include restrooms renovations and mechanical and electrical upgrades.

Atrium name, display planned to honor Allen P. Temple

Blunt, who has a master's degree in history from MSU, started his career in politics in the early 1970s. He was county clerk and the chief election official in Greene County.

He has served numerous roles since including Missouri’s Secretary of State and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2010, he was elected to the U.S. Senate.

In the resolution, which will be presented during a committee meeting Thursday morning, the university noted the facility currently known as Temple Hall was named in honor of Allen P. Temple, head of the MSU science department for nearly 40 years in the early 1900s.

The resolution praises Temple's research, teaching and service and noted it helped establish the foundation for the MSU College of Natural and Applied Sciences. Temple will be honored with a display in the atrium, which will also be named for him.

More:Roy Blunt says goodbye to the Senate, urging bipartisan governance and thanking voters

In proposing the name change, the university wrote in the resolution that Blunt "secured significant advances" for the sciences and research in recent years, including:

• Increasing the budget for the National Institute of Health each year, culminating in a $15 billion addition to the NIH budget — an almost 50% increase;

• Quintupling Alzheimer’s research funding, increasing federal investment in such research by $2.5 billion;

• Championing funding increases for STEM and computer science education, apprenticeship programs, TRIO, and the Pell Grant program, including support for year-round Pell; and

• Advocating for significant investment to support academics, research, and economic development efforts at MSU through grants, external contracts, and directed appropriations.

Earlier this year, Blunt secured $56 million in federal funds for science programs and facilities on the Springfield and West Plains campuses of MSU.

The project to expand and renovate the facility currently known as Temple Hall is expected to start in 2023 and be complete by the end of 2024.

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: MSU wants to rename Temple Hall after retiring U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt