Presidential Updates

Clif’s Notes for April 3, 2018

by

Today is election day. I encourage all faculty, staff and students to vote.

In Greene County, we have only two propositions on the ballot that involve the same issue.

Proposition A is a 20-year renewal of a $0.05 tax first passed in 1998. It is used to fund technical and healthcare program operations at Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC). Proposition B is an additional $0.05 property tax with a 20-year sunset that would be used to fund new technical and healthcare programs, including the construction of a Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Technology at OTC.

These propositions are very important to our friends at OTC. The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce (along with many other business and community groups in Greene County) supports both of these propositions.

You can find more information about these propositions on the OTC informational website.

As the state of Missouri’s public affairs institution, it is important that we become educated on these issues and vote today.

Progress on the budget

Last week we made progress on our legislative priorities.

The House passed a budget that restores the $6.4 million cut recommended by Governor Greitens. The budget will now go to the Senate, and we have already begun advocating with leadership in the Senate. You can find more information about the status of the budget in my blog post from last Tuesday.

The legislature also passed the program approval bill. This bill eliminates the prohibitions on Missouri State’s ability to offer new doctorate degrees and replaces them with a statewide framework that includes a pathway for Missouri State to expand its professional doctorate degree offerings. You can find more information about this bill in my blog post from last Wednesday.

Set aside time for the Public Affairs Conference

This year’s Public Affairs Conference starts on April 9. The conference theme is Sustainability in Practice: Consensus and Consequences. Participants will explore best practices for a sustainable future.

The featured speaker is Dr. Robert Ballard, the explorer who discovered the wreckage of the Titanic in 1985. His presentation titled “The personal account of how the Titanic was found and a look into the future,” is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts.

The full schedule is available on the Public Affairs Conference webpage. All sessions of the conference, including the presentation by Ballard, are free and open to the public. No registration or tickets are required to attend.

As in prior years, employees may use up to two hours of their work time, in coordination with their supervisors, to attend the conference. I encourage you to attend, and I encourage supervisors to facilitate attendance by individuals in your offices or divisions.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Bill allows more flexibility in offering new programs

by

Missouri State University would like to acknowledge the work of the Missouri General Assembly in passing the program approval bill (HB 1465). This was a multi-year effort that required significant perseverance by the coordinating board and our state’s legislative and executive branch leaders.

The bill creates a framework to reform degree offerings and program approval processes for public universities and community colleges throughout the state. The framework eliminates unnecessary and costly program duplication and encourages collaboration. The bill sets the State of Missouri on a trajectory to lead the country in higher education by encouraging streamlining, efficiency and reduction of administrative costs.

Missouri law currently prohibits Missouri State University from offering new professional doctorate degrees. The program approval bill eliminates these prohibitions and replaces them with a statewide framework that includes a pathway for Missouri State to expand its professional doctorate degree offerings.

Special thanks to Commissioner of Higher Education Zora Mulligan, Sen. Ron Richard, Sen. Jay Wasson, Sen. Gary Romine, Rep. Todd Richardson, Rep. Kevin Austin, Rep. Steve Cookson, and Rep. Donna Lichtenegger for their work to reform Missouri’s system of higher education by passing this important legislation.

Missouri House of Representatives recommends budget restoration

by

Missouri State University would like to acknowledge the work and support of legislators in the Missouri House of Representatives for recognizing the value and impact of higher education to the state.

Restoration of the budget cuts will ensure students continue to have the opportunity to obtain an affordable quality education. If Missouri State receives the appropriations included in the House budget, tuition for in-state undergraduate students will increase by only 1 percent for next academic year.

Special thanks to Rep. Todd Richardson (Speaker of the House), Rep. Scott Fitzpatrick (Chair of the House Budget Committee), and the Springfield business community for your continued support of higher education.

Clif’s Notes for March 6, 2018

by

As we have advocated with the governor’s office and our legislators, we have received multiple directives to identify resources that can be reallocated. Moreover, in an era of declining state support, we have to make difficult financial decisions that will impact personnel on campus.

Meanwhile, we must remain mindful of our values as an institution. We value our people. We believe in kindness, civility and respect.

On the basis of these values, we have worked to implement personnel changes for the coming year in a way that shows people the dignity and respect they deserve as valued members of our campus community.

Administrative reductions

The fiscal year 2019 budget will include $1.5 million in administrative reductions. These reductions include two sets of personnel decisions.

The first is a decision we implemented several months ago to centralize college budget officers. These budget officers now report to the chief financial officer instead of college deans.

Through this reorganization, the office of financial services was able to eliminate three positions and reallocate the work associated with those positions to the budget officers and other employees. The three eliminated positions were vacant through attrition, so no employees were laid off as part of this change.

The board discussed the second set of personnel decisions at its February meeting. These decisions involve the elimination of 32 positions—30 staff and two faculty. The staff reductions primarily involve administrative support positions.

Knowing that reductions were probable in the coming year, we have worked throughout the year to hold positions open as employees retired and left the university. The result is that all but seven of the eliminated positions are vacant.

Last week we notified the seven impacted employees that their position would be eliminated on July 2. We notified affected employees as soon as possible to give them time to find other jobs within the university or externally. We extended their positions through the beginning of July to provide an extra month of university benefits after the end of the fiscal year.

During the next four months we will provide assistance to these employees in their job search. We will also allow flexibility in their schedules to interview for other positions.

This will be our only reduction in force for this year’s budgeting process.

Our people are our most important asset as a university. Despite the challenges we face, I am confident that our university and our community can emerge from this era of declining state support stronger and more successful than ever.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

 

Clif’s Notes for Jan. 16, 2018

by

As we start the spring semester, I want to take a moment to welcome all of our faculty, staff and students back to campus. I encourage everyone to double their efforts in 2018 to make everyone feel welcome on our campus and a part of the Missouri State community.

Update on legislative meetings

Our legislative team has spent many hours over the past couple weeks meeting with legislators and attending events in Jefferson City.

Two weeks ago we hosted area legislators at our table at the Governor’s annual prayer breakfast. Last week we hosted 30 legislators from southwest Missouri at a breakfast event to highlight our legislative priorities. We also met with leadership in the House and Senate, the House budget chairman and staff, the Senate appropriations chairman and staff, the Commissioner for Higher Education and other critical policymakers.

Several themes emerged during these meetings. Legislators are very impressed with and complimentary of the work we have done at Missouri State. They are focused on pressing forward the legislative package that includes modification of our statutory degree restrictions. They are also interested in exploring other policy ideas that would benefit Missouri State.

During these meetings, we were also told that we should expect another very challenging budget in the coming year. Details on what that budget will include will begin to emerge soon when the Governor releases his budget recommendations.

Throughout the coming weeks and months we will actively monitor budget developments and advocate for the university’s interests in the state appropriations process.

Enroll in MSU LEAD’s supervisor series

Missouri State recognizes that developing leaders who are capable of shaping the future of the university is essential. As such, Missouri State University’s Leadership, Education and Development program (MSU LEAD) is our new development program designed to develop leaders at every level. Leading Others – The Supervisor Series is for any supervisor who completes an ADP for at least one direct report. I encourage every eligible supervisor to consider enrolling in this program.

The full schedule can be found in My Learning Connection, which can be accessed through My.MissouriState.Edu on your profile tab under Professional Development.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!