Presidential Updates

2015 State of the University Address ‘Our Passion for Excellence’

by

Clif Smart and Frank Einhellig presented the State of the University Address at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015.

Supplemental information

Broadcast information

For those who could not attend in person, the speech was recorded for replay at 7 p.m. on Oct. 1 on KSMU 91.1, 88.7 in Mountain Grove, 90.3 in West Plains, 98.9 in Joplin, 103.7 in Neosho, and KSMS 90.5 in Branson.

The speech will be televised on Ozarks Public Television at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 4.


* You need Adobe Reader to access this file.

Missouri State University: The value option

by

On Feb. 3, 2015, President Clif Smart testified to the House Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations – Higher Education Committee.

Students on campusReport summary

The value proposition involves two ingredients: quality and affordability. Evaluating Missouri State’s quality and affordability, Missouri State undoubtedly provides an extremely high value to its students and to the state of Missouri.

Missouri State takes pride in being the value option for higher education in the state of Missouri. But our student body has grown significantly and state appropriations have shrunk significantly. To continue providing quality education, the university has found creative ways to increase revenues through other sources, including enrollment growth (which results in increase gross receipts of tuition and fees, but also increased expenses), private support, student fees, and increased international student enrollment.

This situation is not sustainable. Unless public funding for the University changes in the near future, the University will have to make decisions that impact value through a reduction in quality or affordability. The consequences for the state’s workforce will be felt for decades to come. Accordingly, Missouri State respectfully requests that the state implement a strategy to increase operating funding for Missouri State University year-over-year.

Read full report

You need Adobe Reader to access the report.

Workforce development partnerships need state funds delivered

by

More than 90 percent of Missouri’s counties lack adequate access to health care professionals. At the same time, Missouri ranks among the top 20 states with citizens over the age of 65 who will require more medical care, and the number of elderly people with multiple chronic diseases is expected to double by 2030.

The need for physicians and other health care professionals is a startling — and growing — reality nationwide. Here in Missouri, that need is especially intense and immediate.

Thankfully, we have come a long way already toward addressing these realities. Health care organizations CoxHealth and Mercy Health have come together with the state’s two largest higher education institutions in unique partnerships designed to help alleviate this workforce shortage statewide.

Together, our institutions have developed training programs which would prepare dozens of additional students to enter the health care industry annually. With adequate funding, these programs would take shape in the form of a new University of Missouri School of Medicine Clinical Campus in Springfield and a Master of Occupational Therapy degree program at Missouri State University.

Last year, the state legislature approved a combined $11.3 million to keep these projects moving, but unfortunately, we still await the delivery of that funding.

We understand that there are many pressing needs competing for these dollars, leaving our public officials with many difficult decisions to make. But we strongly believe that this is a wise use of taxpayer dollars that will have a tremendous impact on the state economy. In fact, this is exactly the type of priority that should rise to the top of the list. It will help us meet the urgent health care needs of thousands of Missourians, growing the economy with new capital investment and Missouri job creation along the way.

We look forward to when these pivotal funds from the state of Missouri are released to allow for the immediate implementation of these vital programs.

Written and submitted by:

  • Clifton M. Smart III, President, Missouri State University
  • Timothy M. Wolfe, President, University of Missouri System
  • Steven D. Edwards, President, CoxHealth
  • Jay Guffey, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Mercy Hospital Springfield
  • Matt McCormick, President, Columbia Chamber of Commerce
  • Matt Morrow, President, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce

This editorial was originally published in the Springfield News-Leader.