The Coordinating Board for Higher Education met last week and began developing its budget recommendations for fiscal year 2021.

Advocating for renovating the Professional Building

The coordinating board recently revamped the capital appropriation request process. The new process competitively ranks proposals to assist lawmakers in making appropriations decisions.

As part of the new capital process, I made a presentation to the coordinating board advocating for matching state funds to complete $9.8 million in renovations to the Professional Building. I am pleased to report that, out of the 112 projects submitted by universities and community colleges throughout the state, the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD) ranked our Professional Building proposal as the number one priority capital appropriation request for fiscal year 2021.

MoExcels proposal

The coordinating board also took the first step to vet MoExcels grant proposals for fiscal year 2021. Last year, we submitted a MoExcels proposal seeking $3 million to expand our nursing program. The coordinating board voted that proposal as the number three ranked proposal in the state, and the state funded our proposal in the fiscal year 2020 budget.

Our MoExcels proposal for this year seeks $2.8 million to fund a collaborative cybersecurity program and to expand Missouri State’s entrepreneurship and professional science master’s programs. These programs will be developed in coordination with the JVIC and Plaster Center construction projects in IDEA Commons.

The MDHEWD received 27 MoExcels proposals this year. The department selected our proposal as one of the top 10, meaning our proposal advances to the next stage of the selection process. As part of that process, I will make a presentation to the coordinating board in October to advocate that they include our proposal in their appropriation recommendations for fiscal year 2021.

Equity funding discussion

The coordinating board also recommended that the state appropriate additional ongoing operating funds as follows:

• A 1.9% performance funding increase to core operating budgets
• A 2% across-the-board increase to be designated for facility maintenance and repair

MDHEWD worked with public universities and community colleges over the past several months to develop a “true up” package (aka equity funding and per-student funding). This funding would include a series of core funding increases to resolve disparities in per-student funding between institutions.

Due to a lack of consensus among key stakeholders, the coordinating board tabled this item for further discussion with key policy and budget decision makers.

Moving toward another doctoral program

The coordinating board also took up program proposals under its comprehensive review framework. One of these programs was Missouri State’s Doctorate of Defense and Strategic Studies (DDSS) program. The coordinating board voted unanimously to move our DDSS proposal to the next stage in its comprehensive review process. This brings us one critical step closer to offering a fifth doctoral program.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!