Midwestern State is in the early stages of exploring ways to strengthen ties with Sheppard Air Force Base under the leadership of President Stacia Haynie.
Provost Margaret Brown Marsden said the university is working to establish an infrastructure to build the improved relationship on.
“To become a military- and veteran-friendly campus, there are some things that we need to build, processes as well as places, for them to be able to come and be part of our campus community,” Brown Marsden said, adding, “And so that’s what’s engaged the conversation about the BAC.”
Brown Marsden referenced the Bridwell Activity Center because the currently-unutilized second floor may be the future location of a military affairs office. The purpose of the office would be to facilitate an easier process for students from the base. The location is not finalized.
MSU Vice President for Enrollment Management Keith Lamb said such an office would benefit the whole campus.
“Potentially on the second floor of the Bridwell Activity Center. But, you know, what we do in that space, while it would serve the military, it would also serve other students,” Lamb said.
Lamb said the instructors, staff, students and families at Sheppard represent a population that MSU has not tapped into or served well in the past.
“You have a lot of students and instructors and permanent staff and civilians that come through here needing education, needing something more,” Lamb said, adding, “We know that we can serve the Air Force, and Sheppard in particular, better.”
Brown Marsden said the school is working to better the relationship on a variety of fronts and wants to view Sheppard as a partner in the community.
“So I think that we see that it’s not one thing that’s going to be of interest to Sheppard, it’s a lot of things. We’ve got to make sure we meet a lot of those points of alignment,” Brown Marsden said, later adding, “In practice though we’ve seen that there are a lot of ways that we can interact with Sheppard that aren’t sort of trying to leverage, you know, leverage an opportunity just to form a relationship.”
There have been a number of collaborations between MSU and the base in recent months, including Brown Marsden working with a Sheppard spouses organization to award a scholarship. Other partnerships have come in the form of Haynie leading a prayer breakfast, MSU and Sheppard intramural sports teams playing each other and MSU hosting a pre-air show block party.
Lamb said the university is still working to identify community partners to make the relationship with Sheppard as strong as possible.
“We’re just starting to really craft our strategy on that one, you know, on the military, what that could look like. Clearly we’ve identified Bridwell Activities Center’s second floor as a physical space, but you know, we’re just beginning to craft our strategy. What do we need to partner with with different foundations or different grant opportunities, things like that,” Lamb said.
MSU has looked to other institutions, particularly Angelo State which is located near Goodfellow Air Force Base, for inspiration on how to build the relationship.
Brown Marsden said the Texas Tech University System has been helpful in navigating that path.
“Joining the Texas Tech University System has allowed us to see how universities partner. Angelo State does a great job of partnering with Goodfellow Air Force Base, so we’re using that as a model as well,” Brown Marsden said.
President Haynie added that while learning from other institutions is beneficial, the success of the partnership will ultimately come down to listening to Sheppard as a partner.
“So I think if you look at Angelo State and the Texas Tech System, and they partner with Goodfellow and they’ve done that really well. And we’ve had multiple conversations with them. But I think the most important thing is that we’re having conversations with Sheppard,” Haynie said.
Lamb said the relationship will benefit the community beyond just MSU and Sheppard.
“That’s a huge untapped opportunity for Sheppard Air Force Base, for Midwestern and for Wichita Falls,” Lamb said.
