Presidential Updates

Clif’s Notes for Jan. 14, 2020

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Last week Gov. Mike Parson appointed three new members to our Board of Governors.

Chris Waters is our new board member from the 5th Congressional District. He is an alumnus of Missouri State University and has nearly 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, most recently with the Henning Waters Group at Robert W. Baird & Co. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri.

Lynn Parman is our new board member from the 6th Congressional District. She is also an alumna of Missouri State and is the chief operating officer at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, having also recently served as the Vice President of Business Development for McCownGordon Construction and the President and CEO of American Royal Association. She lives north of Kansas City in Parkville, Missouri.

Jay Wasson is our new board member from the 7th Congressional District. He is a real estate developer and formerly served as mayor of Nixa and as a member of the Missouri Senate and the Missouri House of Representatives. He lives in Nixa, Missouri.

Welcome our new board members

I have met with each of our new board members, and we were engaged with Gov. Parson’s office throughout the appointment process. Our new members are committed to the success of Missouri State, and they are great additions to our governing board. I look forward to working with each of them in the coming years.

These three appointments give us a full board with no vacancies. We expect the Senate to hold confirmation hearings on their appointments later this month or early next month.

Thank you to outgoing members

With these appointments, Gov. Greg Spears’ and Gov. Kendall Seal’s service on our board has come to an end. They have been positive voices on our board, and Missouri State is a better university because of their service. Please join me in thanking them for their service to our institution.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Jan. 7, 2020

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Please join me tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. in Hammons Student Center for the annual Staff Awards Luncheon. Doors will open at 11 a.m., and shuttles will operate from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Three categories of employees will be honored:

  • Full-time staff who reached a five-year milestone in 2019
  • Those selected for the Staff Excellence in University Service Award
  • Those selected for the Staff Excellence in Community Service Award

Please plan to participate in this year’s luncheon to support your co-workers and colleagues that are being recognized and to connect with your university community over a free meal. I would encourage all supervisors to allow full-time staff to attend this important event.

Where’s the fun?

Earlier this year I encouraged everyone to look for opportunities to incorporate more fun into the things we do on campus.

The team that plans the annual Staff Awards Luncheon took this message to heart and incorporated several changes to this year’s event. These changes are designed to make the event flow smoother and create a fun atmosphere.

  • The luncheon will have a 1990s throwback theme.
  • We will have a new emcee and remarks from speakers will be interspersed throughout the event instead of being concentrated at the beginning.
  • Retirees will be recognized at a separate event tentatively scheduled for the evening of March 23.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Dec. 17, 2019

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The Board of Governors met last week.

The board approved more than $400,000 in equity salary increases for 125 employees. These are pay raises that cost centers on campus have agreed to fund by reallocating money from their existing budgets.

This is the first time staff and administrators have been eligible for these kind of equity adjustments in more than a year. We went through a similar process in the spring for faculty, and the board approved more than $500,000 in equity salary increases and promotions for 88 faculty members in June.

The board also approved more than $70,000 in raises that we are centrally financing for 48 employees to comply with changes to Fair Labor Standards Act regulations.

Moving forward with JVIC expansion

The board also approved a letter of intent laying out the terms of our public-private partnership with The Vecino Group to expand the Jordan Valley Innovation Center. Under this agreement, Vecino will construct a $14.4 million 30,000 square foot white box addition to JVIC. The university will have the option to purchase the facility for no more than $6.2 million in seven years.

Through a financing model that utilizes $9 million in federal New Market Tax Credits as well as conventional financing, the university will pay $530,000 in annual lease payments. The university anticipates that new revenues the university will receive from JVIC tenants will cover these lease payments.

The university and the Missouri State University Foundation will pay up to $4.6 million when the contract closes (less if additional New Market Tax Credits are secured before closing). The university and foundation will work to recuperate as much of these funds as possible by selling $3 million in state tax credits allocated by the Missouri Development Finance Board for the project and by advocating for funding from the state through the MoExcels program.

This model will allow the university to receive a $14.4 million building for between $7.5 million and $10.8 million. We initially explored this project with a goal of developing additional JVIC space for a substantial discount. I am pleased to report that we are poised to accomplish this goal.

The board is excited to move this project forward. We know this arrangement is not without risks, but the potential impact on the university’s economic development footprint and the development of areas surrounding our downtown campus is outstanding.

Darr gift will grow agriculture programs

The board also approved an agreement to establish a Springfield Public Schools agricultural magnet school and to construct a small animal education facility at the university’s Darr Agricultural Center. These projects will be funded with a $6.5 million gift from the Darr Family Foundation to the Missouri State University Foundation.

The generosity of Mr. Darr and his family through this and other gifts have truly transformed the College of Agriculture and Missouri State University as a whole. Please join me in thanking them for this transformative gift.

Recognizing outstanding students

The board also awarded this year’s Citizen Scholar Award to six high performing students:

  • Cassidy Cunningham
  • Seth Hadley
  • Rachel Prather
  • Robbyn Rose
  • Niyati (Mia) Sethi
  • Stephanie Urich

You can find more information about the award and this year’s recipients in the news release.

The board also approved a commendation to William Miller for his service on the board as student governor. It has been a pleasure working with Governor Miller in this role, and he will be greatly missed.

The board received a strategic enrollment management plan update, viewed a presentation about the Darr College of Agriculture, received a report on the Onward, Upward foundation campaign, viewed a demonstration of the university’s variable data marketing initiative and virtual tour, discussed the Springfield and West Plains campus key performance indicators, and announced and approved board committee assignments for next year.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Dec. 10, 2019

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This week I will review our 2020 state legislative priorities with the Board of Governors.

We are coming off two exceptionally strong years in Jefferson City. As you know, earlier this year the legislature increased our core operating appropriation by $10 million — the largest increase in our 114-year history. In 2018, the legislature passed legislation that eliminated statutory restrictions prohibiting Missouri State University from offering professional doctorate programs.

We have thanked our elected officials for these important victories, and we will continue to thank them as we roll into the 2020 legislative session.

With this record of success in mind, our priorities for the coming legislative session include:

  • Maintaining the university’s core operating appropriation, including the $10 million increase approved last year.
  • An inflationary increase in state funding to pay for customary increases in ordinary business expenses.
  • Funding for a $1.8 million MoExcels grant to expand the Jordan Valley Innovation Center and establish the Missouri Cybersecurity Center of Excellence.
  • A one-time $4.85 million appropriation in matching capital funds to renovate Missouri State’s Professional Building which houses the university’s professional health programs.

You can find more information about our legislative priorities and strategies on the Legislative Advocacy webpage.

If you haven’t already joined the MSU Legislative Network, you can do so online. As part of the legislative network, you will receive regular updates on the university’s work in Jefferson City so you can actively participate in Missouri State’s advocacy efforts.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Dec. 3, 2019

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Last year, Missouri voters approved a change to the minimum wage rate for private employers. The rate increased to $8.60 per hour in January 2019 and increases by an additional 85 cents per hour in January of each year through 2023.

The law does not apply to public employers, such as Missouri State. Regardless, we increased the minimum wage to $8.60 per hour in July.

I am pleased to report that the university has decided to once again increase the minimum wage for all employees (including part-time and student employees) to $9.45 per hour effective Jan. 1, 2020.

Cost centers will reallocate over $500,000 to fund this pay increase. This is in addition to the $9.9 million that the university allocated for pay raises and additional benefits during FY2019 and in the FY2020 budget.

While the law does not require the university to increase the minimum wage, our compensation for part-time and student employees must remain competitive with off-campus employment opportunities.

University leadership and the board are committed to making Missouri State a great place to work. We know that compensation plays a big role. Additional compensation decisions will be made during the FY2021 budgeting process in the coming months.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!