Presidential Updates

Clif’s Notes for June 21, 2022

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The Board of Governors will vote on the university’s FY2023 budget later this week.

The budget includes $8.8 million in new, ongoing compensation and benefits.

Highlights include:

  • A 4% across the board compensation increase for full-time employees and graduate assistants.
  • A $15 minimum wage for full-time employees.

The budget also includes a one-time retention payment plan. Under this plan, full-time employees will receive a $1,000 retention payment in their Dec. 31, 2022 paycheck.

To qualify for the payment, an individual must be employed full-time at MSU on April 1, 2022 through Dec. 1, 2022.

Updates from West Plains

The board will receive reports from Dennis Lancaster and others about the exciting things happening on our West Plains campus.

Highlights include:

  • A presentation recognizing the MSU-WP National Professional Agriculture Student Competition winners.
  • Reports from Dr. Linda Wulff-Risner (chair of Faculty Senate in West Plains), Bryan Moore (chair of Staff Senate in West Plains), and Jackson Wright (SGA president in West Plains).
  • Presentations detailing the West Plains campus Long-Range Plan and Campus Master Plan.

The board will discuss the 2023 Board of Governors meeting schedule, the West Plains campus Long-Range Plan and Campus Master Plan, and revisions to the Springfield campus Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, Faculty Handbook, and Employee Handbook.

Finally, the board will recognize Student Governor Briar Douglas whose term has expired. Briar has been a good advocate for students on our board, and I will miss working with him in that capacity.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for May 10, 2022

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Last week the legislature passed the state budget.

I am pleased to report that the budget includes funding for our top priorities:

  • A 5.4% core increase for MSU’s operations.
  • $30 million in capital funds for the Temple Hall project.
  • $2.55 million in capital funds for the JVIC braider project.
  • $1.25 million in capital funds for the hospital simulation training lab in West Plains.

The budget also includes $7.5 million in capital funds for a facility to house our ASCEND Program on the West Plains campus.

This was not a project we advocated for this year, but we are in the early planning stages for the facility. We will be happy to receive the funding and will be prepared to design and build the facility if Gov. Mike Parson signs the appropriation and releases the funds.

The budget also includes one-time funds to reimburse the increase in our MOSERS pension premium this year. This appropriation is important — it will allow me to present a balanced proposed budget to the Board of Governors when they meet next week.

The final stage in the state’s budget process is for Parson to sign or veto each appropriation before July 1.

Many advocate for MSU

This has been a very successful year in the state budget.

It would not have been possible without Parson including our priorities in his budget recommendations in January.

Sens. Hegeman, Hough, and Eslinger — along with many of our other friends in the House and Senate — worked tirelessly to maintain and supplement Parson’s recommendations throughout the process.

We owe all of them our sincere appreciation.

Session winding down

Next week is the last week of legislative session. Many policy bills are still under consideration.

These bills deal with financial aid, curricular and academic issues, campus policies and a variety of other matters critical to our operations at MSU.

We will remain engaged in the legislative process, advocating for MSU’s interests and priorities, as the General Assembly completes its work for the year.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for April 12, 2022

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Last week the Board of Governors met in St. Louis for a workshop led by our consultants at EAB.

In years past, board leadership has gone to an annual conference put on by the Association of Governing Boards. This year, that conference was virtual.

With several new members on our board, board president Gov. Carol Silvey and I thought it would be more beneficial to do a customized workshop instead of participating in the virtual conference.

The workshop began with an overview of current trends in higher education. We evaluated national demographic shifts, enrollment trends and pockets of new innovation.

From there, we focused on three specific areas: student success, adult learners and employer partnerships. Missouri State is doing good work in each of these areas, but we still have much more to do.

We must continue to implement a stepped care model to support the health and well being of our students. We need to focus on designing and redesigning our academic programs based on market research, with the needs of adult learners and their employers in mind.

Together, we can lean into the national and regional trends that exist and keep Missouri State moving forward.

Enrollment review

Midway through the workshop, Rob Hornberger presented an overview of enrollment data at Missouri State and demographic information specific to the state of Missouri.

Rob made a similar presentation the previous week to the university’s administrative and academic leadership teams.

We have enjoyed over two decades of enrollment increases at Missouri State University. However, over the past five years we have seen a significant decline in enrollment of undergraduate, degree seeking students.

This decline has been tempered with increases in graduate and dual credit enrollment.

Two things are clear from Rob’s presentation.

First, we must do everything we can to recruit students. We must all stay diligent in the months ahead to follow up on inquiries from prospective students, and encourage admitted students to attend SOAR, make arrangements to live on campus and show up for classes on the first day of the fall semester.

Second, we must do everything we can to retain our current students. I hope each of us will go out of our way to eliminate barriers for our students, encourage them and help them sign up for classes next semester.

Graduate and dual credit

Our efforts to increase graduate and dual credit enrollment have been intentional and effective, and I want to thank Drs. Frank Einhellig, Julie Masterson, Joye Norris and their teams for their hard work.

Graduate students and dual credit students do not use the same services and campus resources as undergraduate, degree seeking students. This means we must continue to redesign our curriculum, student services and campus processes to meet their unique needs.

Graduate students and dual credit students also do not pay the same tuition and fees, so the change in enrollment mix has negative revenue implications.

Our plan is to budget for “flat” enrollment in the coming year, recognizing that we will likely have tough decisions to make in the next several years as we refocus our academic resources.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Feb. 22, 2022

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The Board of Governors met last week.

We sent out communications Friday about one important result from the board meeting: masks will no longer be required in academic buildings and classrooms on campus.

You can see the new masking policy on the COVID-19 Information Center.

Compensation a priority in FY23 budget

At committee meetings, the board took a first look at the FY2023 budget.

The board made it clear that faculty and staff compensation will be a priority for the coming year.

The Executive Budget Committee will meet throughout the coming months. We will discuss the budget with the board again in May and bring them a final budget for approval in June.

Festival to highlight the Ozarks

The board received a presentation about the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

In the summer of 2023, the festival will feature the Ozarks, and Missouri State University is serving as the lead organization to plan, promote and conduct this major national program in Washington, D.C.

We are working with businesses and organizations throughout the region to showcase the faces and facets of the Ozarks.

Revised academic calendar

The board also approved changes to the 2022-23 academic calendar.

The revisions:

  • Eliminate classes during the week of Thanksgiving.
  • Start the spring semester a week later.
  • Reduce spring holiday from two days to one day.

These changes apply only to the academic calendar. The staff holiday calendar has not been adjusted, and the university will continue to be open on the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

Partnership formed to offer PsyD program

The board also approved a program proposal for a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) program.

This program will train and develop clinical psychologists to meet the immense mental health challenges that our communities experience.

MSU is collaborating with Burrell for financial support, practicum placements, and employment opportunities for students and graduates.

Approving financial decisions

The board also approved the refinancing of the 2015 MOHEFA education public bonds that financed the renovation and expansion of Glass Hall. Over the life of the bonds, this refinancing will save the university a little less than $1 million.

Finally, the board approved plans to distribute the remaining $1.3 million in COVID relief funds the university received from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF).  Eligible students on the Springfield campus with an expected family contribution less than $5,846 will receive a grant of more than $150.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Jan. 18, 2022

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The new year has brought us two new members to our Board of Governors.

Earlier this month, Gov. Mike Parson appointed Dr. Anson Elliott and Ann Kampeter to the board.

Elliott is a familiar face at Missouri State, having worked at the university for nearly 38 years. He built Missouri State’s agriculture program, retiring as dean of the Darr College of Agriculture.

He was recently inducted into the Missouri State University Wall of Fame.

Kampeter is also a familiar name at Missouri State. In recognition of her seven-figure contribution to the MSU Foundation, the university named the Ann Kampeter Health Sciences Hall after her in 2020.

She received her bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders from MSU and has served on the MSU Foundation Board of Trustees.

Please join me in welcoming Governors Elliott and Kampeter to the board. They are dedicated to continuing to make our university great, and I am excited to work with them.

Grateful for their commitment

Anson and Ann will fill the expired terms held by Bev Keltner and Carrie Tergin on our board.

Bev and Carrie have been exemplary board members and demonstrated an enduring commitment to our university.

I will miss them greatly.

Board meeting review

The Board of Governors met the day before December commencement.

They recognized this year’s Citizen Scholars award recipients:

  • Diana Dudenhoeffer, senior, Springfield, Missouri.
  • Manuel Jose Elivo-Jerez, graduate, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic.
  • Emily Fessler, graduate, Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
  • Cole Howerton, senior, Conway, Missouri.
  • Weston Phipps, graduate, Houston, Missouri.
  • Morgan Spoor, senior, Gainesville, Missouri.

The Board also awarded a contract and authorized a capitalized lease for chiller improvements, awarded a contract for an addition to Looney Hall in West Plains, toured Temple Hall, and received a presentation about the university’s academic programs in the College of Natural and Applied Sciences.

Board roles for 2022

This was Governor Amy Counts’ last meeting as chair of the board. She has been a fantastic board chair, pushing me and our leadership team to maintain the university on its upward trajectory.

For 2022, the board has elected:

  • Governor Carol Silvey will serve as chair.
  • Governor Chris Waters will serve as vice chair and as chair of the Risk Management and Audit committee.
  • Governor Lynn Parman will chair the Finance and Facilities committee.
  • Governor Amy Counts will chair the Programs and Planning committee.
  • Governor Jay Wasson will serve as the Board of Governors representative to the MSU Foundation.

I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together in the coming year.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!