Legislative session will start in less than a month. I wanted to take a moment to discuss our legislative priorities for the year.
Our first priority is state appropriations. Our focus under this priority will be sustaining operating appropriations. The fiscal year 2018 budget included an $85.6 million base operating appropriation for Missouri State ($2.2 million of that appropriation was then withheld). This is more than $6 million less than Missouri State’s base appropriation in fiscal year 2017.
We will advocate that Missouri State not receive additional cuts to its base operating appropriation. We will also advocate that last year’s cuts be restored in fiscal year 2019.
Our second priority is to modify the statutory constraints on Missouri State’s ability to offer graduate and professional degrees. Similar to last year, we once again have the unanimous support of all community colleges and public universities in the state to pass a higher education legislative package that includes modifications to Missouri State’s statutory limitations.
A New Model for Higher Education
In addition to our legislative priorities, I would encourage you to become familiar with a new document that we will use this year. That document is titled A New Model for Higher Education. It encourages policymakers to help us re-chart the course for higher education in Missouri.
We make this case with objective data about state appropriations, Missouri State’s revenue, and the value we provide. This document will supplement our conversations with legislators and others to leverage additional state funding, reduced regulatory burdens and an overarching understanding of the value of higher education for Missouri’s future.
You can find our priorities, the New Model for Higher Education document, and our other legislative materials on the university’s government relations webpage.
Share your Missouri Statement
If you have opportunity to interact with legislators and other policymakers, I encourage you to tell them about the positive impact Missouri State has had on your life and on the lives of others. If you would like help knowing what to say, feel free to use our legislative materials or reach out to Ryan DeBoef who coordinates the university’s government relations operations.
Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!
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