Clif's Notes for July 13, 2021 - Presidential Updates

Presidential Updates

The Citizen Scholar statue represents Missouri State's public affairs mission.

Clif’s Notes for July 13, 2021

Review the action plan that I recently presented to the board.

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Each June, I provide the Board of Governors with a presentation about our work over the past year at the university. I also provide them with a written report detailing that work.

I hope you will take a moment to review this year’s report and slide presentation.

Over the past year, we successfully responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are coming out of the pandemic without seeing a decline in enrollment and with an improved financial position.

While managing the pandemic was certainly a highlight from 2020-21, our results from this year are extraordinary standing on their own.

  • We grew our graduate enrollment and maintained our overall enrollment despite 600,000 less students enrolling in college nationwide.
  • We implemented a new tuition model that charges the same tuition rate for in-state students enrolled in seated and online courses.
  • We set a new record for degrees and certificates awarded.
  • We set new records on retention and graduate rates.
  • We completed our HLC 4-year Assurance Review with no critical feedback or suggestions.
  • We started our first cohorts in the Doctor of Defense and Strategic Studies program and the MFA in Dramatic Writing program.
  • We expanded our use of LinkedIn Learning in the classroom and for our employees.
  • We expanded the Facing Racism Institute and increased other cultural consciousness training for students, faculty, staff and the community.
  • We began the Multicultural Resource Center expansion and enhanced partnerships with college access programs, including relocating the Student African American Brotherhood to our campus.
  • We started the Bear Bridge mentorship program and had widespread participation.
  • We completed our efactory expansion project, began the Blunt Center expansion, and sold land to the City of Springfield to daylight Jordan Creek in IDEA Commons.
  • We completed the McQueary Family Health Sciences Hall addition and the Betty and Bobby Allison Event Center at Greenwood Laboratory School.
  • We began work on the Springfield Public Schools agriculture magnet school and the John Goodman Amphitheatre.
  • We received more than $50 million in external funding for the fourth year in a row, and the foundation set a new record for gifts received.
  • We won conference championships in four sports, and our student athletes had a combined GPA of more than 3.0 for the 17th straight semester.

I hope you take great pride in what we accomplished together in 2020-21. These accomplishments would not be possible but for your extraordinary work and dedication to our university.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!