Last week the Board of Governors had its October meeting. I want to take a moment to highlight important discussions and action items from the meeting.

Board recognizes Allison, Nietzel

The Board voted to recognize Bobby Allison with the Bronze Bear Award.

Allison’s contributions to the university have included gifts for the basketball courts in the Foster Recreation Center, the Betty and Bobby Allison Recreation Fields, the Betty and Bobby Allison North (hockey and lacrosse) and South (soccer and track) facilities, and playground equipment at the Child Development Center.

The Board also voted to recognize Dr. Michael Nietzel with the Government Excellence Award.

As a senior policy adviser to Gov. Jay Nixon, Nietzel was actively engaged in selecting members of Missouri State’s Board of Governors and was directly involved in Nixon’s budget development and higher education policy decisions.

Nietzel played a critical role in Missouri State University receiving record ongoing funding in fiscal year 2017 and capital appropriations.

Other board actions

The board approved the bond for the new health and wellness center. Health and wellness center operations have been moved to The Monroe to allow for the existing building to be demolished. The construction contract for the project has been award to K&S Associates, and the project is advancing as planned.

The board also approved a consultant contract for the Hill Hall project and a contract for improvements to the chilled water loop.

The board approved changes to the employee handbook to create a new employment category called professional non-exempt and to make other revisions to implement the changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act throughout campus.

The board elected new officers to take office in January. The board elected Joe Carmichael as chair and Virginia Fry as vice chair. I look forward to working with our new board leadership.

Finally, the board heard a presentation from Amy Blansit. Blansit described how she has made her Missouri Statement through her work with The Fairbanks School building and other initiatives in the Grant Beach Neighborhood in Springfield.

Health Risk Assessment available

The annual Health Risk Assessment (HRA) is available now for you to complete through the MyMissouriState portal under the Wellness heading on the Profile tab. The deadline to complete the HRA is Dec. 1.

Completing the HRA allows you to save up to $30 per month on your health insurance premiums. The exact amount of savings will depend on your responses to questions about smoking and activities. Completing the HRA also provides a personal profile of your wellness and provides ideas for improving your overall health.

Additional information about the HRA can be found on the wellness webpage.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!