Board of Regents accepts state recycling grant, approves contracts

Northwest Missouri State University is the recipient of a $40,095 grant award from the Missouri State Environmental Improvement and Energy Resources Authority (EIERA) that the University’s Board of Regents accepted during its regular meeting Thursday afternoon. 

The grant will fund up to 75 percent of the University’s total project costs to purchase a new biomass boiler and heating system. The new equipment will allow Northwest to use an estimated 44 tons of mixed paper per year as an alternative fuel source to heat its Recycling Center.

In her report to the Board, Northwest Vice President of Finance and Administration Stacy Carrick explained that the University annually collects and recycles an average of 150 tons of paper, generated both on campus and from the Maryville community. The value of mixed paper sold at market has decreased, however, and it no longer covers University labor, time and fuel costs for transportation of recyclable paper products.

Seeking an alternative use for the excess paper, Northwest Facility Services applied for the EIERA Missouri Market Development Program grant. The grant requires a local match of 25 percent, and the estimated total cost of the project is $53,461. Northwest will provide the matching funds, estimated at $13,366, from its Recycling Center operations fund.

In addition to diverting mixed paper that would have entered the regional waste stream and eliminating disposal tipping fees and transportation labor, the heat produced by the new biomass boiler will drastically reduce or eliminate the need to heat the Recycling Center with traditional methods, saving annual energy costs.

The Recycling Center, located west of the Northwest campus in the 1100 block of Icon Road, is open to the public from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.

In other business, the Board:

• Approved the appointments of 11 adjunct faculty to teach during the 2021-22 academic year.
• Approved a five-year contract with Instructure Canvas not to exceed $1,277,955. The contract continues the University’s use of the learning management system through 2027 and adds features that include a digital portfolio and social networking platform, allowing students to build and share an electronic portfolio with potential employers.
• Approved a contract of about $1.9 million with the Northwest Regional Professional Development Center and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for 2021-22. The funds support salary, benefits, regional and state-required travel, equipment, materials and supplies for staff at the center, which supports 59 school districts in northwest Missouri and has partnered with the University since its inception in 1995.
• Approved a right-of-way-easement with United Electric Cooperative Inc. for the purpose of moving utility lines located at the University's R.T. Wright Farm.

The Board of Regents is responsible for sound resource management of the University and determining general, educational and financial policies.