Presidential Updates

Clif’s Notes for Aug. 20, 2019

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Welcome to Missouri State University. If you are new to campus, I look forward to connecting with you. Feel free to tweet at me (my Twitter handle is @clifsmart) or stop me on the sidewalk and introduce yourself.

I hope you were able to enjoy some of our Welcome Weekend activities as students moved into residence halls and began forming lifelong relationships with one another. I was particularly impressed by this year’s New Student Convocation presentation by the “Fastest Woman Alive,” three-time Olympic medalist and MSU assistant track and field coach Carmelita Jeter (aka “the Jet”).

Get involved

The next several weeks will provide many opportunities to be engaged on campus:

Other campus events can be found on the calendar of events.

New secretary for the Board of Governors

Kristan Gochenauer, the secretary to the Board of Governors, will be relocating out of the state with her family. The board and I are grateful for Kristan’s many years of service to the university.

Following an internal search, the board interviewed candidates and hired Kristan’s replacement at their retreat earlier this month. I am pleased to report that the board selected Rowena Stone to serve as the new board secretary.

Rowena earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Missouri State. She has held a variety of administrative roles in the Springfield community, including her most recent job as the executive assistant in my office.

The board and I are excited for Rowena to join the university’s leadership team as we work to move Missouri State forward.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Aug. 13, 2019

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Last week the Board of Governors met for its annual retreat.

SimpsonScarborough presented the results of the recently completed marketing survey to the board. These results highlight the importance of focusing our marketing efforts on the work we do to connect students with successful careers. We will work in the coming years to highlight more of the career-related success stories of our graduates.

I was assisted by Rob Hornberger and Kelly Wood for a presentation about the university’s recruitment and retention data. As you know, we’re anticipating having fewer enrolled students this fall. We have a lot of work to do to address that issue and ensure enrollment improves for fall 2020.

The board then discussed the Action Plan for 2019-20. Recruitment and retention will be our focus for this plan. We will finalize the plan based on comments received from the board and distribute it to the campus community through Clif’s Notes after the fall semester has started.

The board received a year-end report from the office of research. In fiscal year 2019, the university received more than $32 million in grants and sponsored contracts. This total shatters previous records and is a testament to the expertise and strong work ethic of our faculty.

The board also received a year-end report from the Missouri State Foundation. For the first time, the foundation received more than $20 million in private support for two years in a row. This support will provide a solid platform for our launch of the next comprehensive campaign.

The board also received updates on the website redesign, the IDEA Commons project and the foundation’s comprehensive campaign.

Moving the university forward

The board transacted regular business at the retreat.

The board approved a new agreement with the City of Springfield to provide law enforcement services on campus. The new contract will increase the number of officers on campus and provide a police presence on campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The board approved several contracts including housing contracts for cohorts of international students, a new lease agreement with the West Plains Civic Center, contracts for electronic databases, book and shared materials for Meyer Library, a simulator purchase agreement for the School of Anesthesia, a lease agreement for theater and dance classroom space, depository services on the West Plains campus and a renewal with BKD for audit services.

The board also awarded a contract to renovate the auditorium in Meyer Library, approved a contract to develop a master plan for the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, and approved an agreement for preventative parking lot maintenance.

Performance review

Finally, the board completed its annual review of my performance as president. I am happy to report that I received high scores in all categories.

The board gave me a raise, and I have already donated the entire raise to an endowed professorship in the Darr College of Agriculture.

As president, I am frequently given credit for the university’s accomplishments, but Missouri State University has become what it is today because of the hard work and commitment of prior and current faculty, staff, students and friends of the university.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Aug. 6, 2019

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Recruitment and retention have always been important for Missouri State. Enrollment is critical to the university’s progress toward its mission and vision.

The enrollment landscape has shifted in recent years. The number of Missouri high school graduates has decreased. We also face increased competition, lower unemployment rates and decreased enrollment at two-year institutions (which reduces the size of our prospective transfer pool). Because of these factors, several years ago indicators began to predict an enrollment reduction on the horizon. Since then, we have worked to ease the impact of this reduction.

The fiscal year 2020 budget anticipates an enrollment decline in the fall, reducing the university’s revenue between $4 and $5 million. If we don’t change our strategies and move the needle, indicators project that we will likely face another enrollment decline in fall 2020.

The die is not firmly cast. We still have time to double our efforts and implement new recruitment and retention strategies. It is critical that we all work together to prioritize enrollment in the coming academic year.

Developing a strategic enrollment management plan

This year we will develop a strategic enrollment management (SEM) plan to coordinate our recruitment and retention efforts. This will not be a “top-down” plan developed in a silo by senior administrators. Rather, we want the plan to come from the ground up, incorporating input and feedback from stakeholders throughout the university, many of whom regularly work face-to-face with current and prospective students.

We have developed a framework to create the SEM plan. The framework includes a steering committee that will develop long-term enrollment goals, manage the work being completed by the councils and task forces, and communicate with the president and senior administrators throughout the process.

Four councils will report to the steering committee and develop strategic goals and action plans in the following areas:

  • Recruitment and outreach
  • Retention and completion
  • Academic programs and deliveries
  • Marketing and communications

Numerous ad hoc subcommittees and task forces will be established to develop specific strategies and work through identified issues. A data support team will inform all committees and councils.

Mark your calendar: Sept. 18

We will kick off our SEM planning process with an event from noon to 5 p.m. on Sept. 18 at the Darr Center (2401 S. Kansas Expressway). Details about this event will be forthcoming.

We want your input as we develop the SEM plan this year. If you would like to participate on a SEM committee, council or task force, or if you would like to be added to the invitation list for the Sept. 18 SEM planning kick off event, please email me at president@missouristate.edu.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for July 30, 2019

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Earlier this month the Board of Governors Executive Committee met.

The Executive Committee approved a construction contract for a classroom addition to McQueary Family Health Sciences Hall. The board awarded the contract to Branco Enterprises, the low bidder, and approved a budget that includes $4.6 million in construction costs for the project.

Of that, $2.9 million of the project will be funded from a MoExcels grant the university received from the state. The remainder will be funded with a significant contribution from the McQueary family, other private contributions and university reserves.

The board and administration are very excited about the opportunities this project provides to expand our nursing and other health programs.

Improving the physical campus

The board also approved capital priorities for both campuses. These priorities will be forwarded to the Missouri Department of Higher Education for consideration by the coordinating board and the governor’s office as they form budget recommendations for fiscal year 2021.

The highest priority capital request on the Springfield campus is renovation of the Professional Building, followed by construction of a science center and several other significant renovation projects (McDonald Hall, Cheek Hall and Meyer Library).

The highest priority capital request on the West Plains campus is construction of a facility to house an advanced welding technology program, followed by several significant renovation projects (Garnett Library, Lybyer Enhanced Technology Center, Looney Hall and Broadway Hall).

We have already begun working with government officials to advocate for these projects.

Approving new contracts

The board also approved two important university contracts.

The first is a revenue contract with Spectra Food Services and Hospitality, the current food vendor in Missouri State’s athletic venues. This contract will extend the term of the university’s agreement with Spectra to 2029. Under the contract, Spectra will pay the university $1 million for food service improvements on campus. Spectra will also guarantee that Missouri State receives commissions of $325,000 (plus a 2% annual inflator) each year.

The second contract is with Bear Village Apartments to house 40 students and 20 faculty members coming to campus from Ningxia University in China. These students and faculty members will participate in customized agricultural education and training through the Darr College of Agriculture. This program is one example of the work that is underway to counteract enrollment declines in the coming year.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for July 23, 2019

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The beginning of the next academic year is right around the corner. Before we say farewell to 2018-19, I want to highlight several examples of student success from the past year.

The Missouri State University Spicer Debate Forum team won the national title at the Lincoln-Douglas sweepstakes, a one-on-one policy debate over a topic decided by the National Forensic Association. This year’s topic was “The United States federal government should substantially increase actions by United States Cyber Command to prevent complex catastrophe and/or protect critical infrastructure.”

Missouri State brought home 14 awards from the Broadcast Education Association’s Festival of Media Arts. The awards spanned multiple categories at the national festival, including audio, video and writing.

The Missouri State University Opera Theatre won two first place finishes and one second place award at the National Operation Association Nation Opera Scenes Competition. Schools from across the nation competed in the preliminary round. Four schools from each division were chosen to compete at the national finals. The MSU Opera Theatre made the cut in all three competition divisions. MSU is the only school in the nation to do so.

Management and information technology students brought home multiple awards from the South Central U.S. Information Technology Collegiate Conference, including a first-place win in the Cybersecurity and Troubleshooting competition. Meanwhile, technology and construction management students received two first-place finishes and one third-place finish at the Associated Schools of Construction North Central Region’s annual competition.

Our graduate students presented dynamic research to national and international audiences. Examples include:

  • Taylor Young, a graduate student in MSU’s plant science program, shared her research at the American Society of Agronomy and the Crop Science Society of America’s International Meeting. She placed first.
  • Mecca Walker, a graduate student in the Master of Business Administration program, presented in the Council of Graduate Schools’ national showcase of the Three-Minute Thesis competition, where students condense their graduate-level research into a one-slide, three-minute pitch.

Missouri State’s vision is to be the university of choice to develop successful students who excel academically and in ethical leadership, cultural competence and community engagement.

We realize this vision when our students succeed. Students succeed when they are supported by a community of faculty and staff who push them to achieve their full potential.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!