Presidential Updates

Clif’s Notes for Nov. 3, 2020

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Election Day is today. As I mentioned last week, any voter registered in Greene County can vote at JQH Arena today.

I encourage all members of the university community to vote in this important election.

Honoring veterans

Missouri State University will honor the Springfield community’s military veterans during a special Veterans Day event at 6 p.m. Nov. 5, at Plaster Stadium. All veterans, family and friends are invited to attend.

Masks will be required.

The celebration will feature the following:

  • Pride Band Performance Series: Salute to Our Veterans.
  • Special playing of Taps.
  • Military Branch Service Song.
  • Special message from a member of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.
  • Special appearance by K-9s for CAMO.
  • Free package of All American Mix popcorn (cherry, blue raspberry and vanilla) to the first 1,000 attendees.

This event will take the place of the Veterans Day breakfast gathering that we have traditionally hosted on campus. I encourage everyone to participate in this special celebration of our veterans on Nov. 5.

Submit SEUSA nominations

The Staff Excellence in University Service Award recognizes excellence in service to the university among staff employees. Through this award, the university recognizes staff who strive to do their jobs well on a daily basis, who go beyond the call of duty in a special situation, and who have contributed in a significant way to the success of the university.

Each year, six full-time staff receive this award, which includes a one-time $1,500 award.

The deadline to nominate a staff member is Nov. 13. You can review the selection criteria and complete a nomination form on the Staff Excellence in University Service Award webpage.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

 

Clif’s Notes for Nov. 5, 2019

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Today is Election Day. I encourage each of you to put the public affairs mission into practice by voting at the Welcome Center or your regular polling location.

Springfield residents have two important tax renewals on the ballot. One renews a 1/8 cent sales tax to fund high-priority transportation improvements. The other renews a 3/4 sales tax to support the Springfield police officers’ and fire fighters’ pension system.

The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce supports both measures. You can find more information about these tax renewals on the City of Springfield webpage.

Veterans Day activities

Missouri State University will host its annual recognition of veterans on Nov. 8. Activities include:

  • A complimentary breakfast at 9 a.m. in Plaster Student Union
  • A Pride Band Ceremonial Ensemble performance at 10:30 a.m. outside McDonald Arena
  • The playing of Taps throughout campus by the Missouri State trumpeters starting at 11:11 a.m. and beginning and ending in front of McDonald Arena
  • A showing of the documentary “The Weight of Honor” at noon in the PSU Theater

Nominate a colleague

The Staff Excellence in University Service Award recognizes excellence in service to the university among staff employees. Through this award, the university recognizes staff who strive to do their jobs well on a daily basis, who go beyond the call of duty in a special situation and who have contributed in a significant way to the success of the university.

Each year six full-time staff receive this award (which includes a one-time $1,500 award).

Currently enrolled students, employed staff, faculty or administrators are encouraged to nominate full-time staff employees for the Excellence in University Service Awards.

The deadline to nominate a staff member is Nov. 15. You can review the selection criteria and complete a nomination form on the Staff Excellence in University Service Award webpage.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Oct. 30, 2018

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The general election is next Tuesday, Nov. 6. I encourage each of you to become educated on the candidates and issues and cast your vote.

In addition to elections for U.S. Senate, state auditor, Greene County presiding commissioner, and other federal, state and local offices, there are several issues on the ballot:

  • Constitutional Amendment No. 1 would change the way boundaries for legislative districts are drawn. It would also establish a series of changes to the state’s ethics laws.
  • Constitutional Amendments Nos. 2 and 3 and Proposition C would modify or remove the state’s prohibitions on medical marijuana. Each issue is slightly different than the others, so it would be worthwhile to research each of these medical marijuana ballot issues before you vote. News-Leader reporter Steve Pokin gave thoughtful analysis in a column he wrote recently on these three ballot measure, which you can find here.
  • Constitutional Amendment No. 4 would modify laws that limit bingo games.
  • Proposition B would incrementally change Missouri’s minimum wage each year until it reaches $12 per hour.

Why I support the fuel tax

I would encourage you to carefully consider one ballot issue in particular. Proposition D would increase the motor fuel tax by two and one half cents per gallon annually for four years. Proponents of this measure worked to put it on the ballot because:

  • Missouri significantly underfunds its transportation system, and this threatens the safety of our roads.
  • Missouri has the 7th largest highway system, but the state’s motor fuel tax is 49th in the United States.
  • The motor fuel tax has not been increased since 1996. During that 22-years, inflation has eroded 60 percent of the tax. Today the 17-cent tax approved in 1996 has 7 cents of purchasing power.

Proposition D would address these concerns by generating $28 million in funding for roads and bridges and $124 million for city and county transportation projects.

While I recognize that none of us like to pay more taxes, I have been vocal about my personal support for Proposition D. You can find my letter to the Springfield News-Leader about Proposition D online.

In addition to all the reasons cited above, I will be voting for Proposition D because each year Missouri State University faces significant competition for state funds. If the transportation gap is not funded with designated revenue under a proposal like Proposition D, state funding for critical transportation projects will make it ever more difficult to receive funding for higher education.

You can see the full list of candidates and issues that will be on the ballot in Greene County on the county clerk’s webpage.

Cast your vote at Welcome Center

We will be partnering once again with the Greene County clerk’s office to utilize the Davis-Harrington Welcome Center as a central polling location. If you are registered to vote anywhere in Greene County, you can vote in the Welcome Center instead of at your regular polling location.

The Welcome Center will be open for voting 6 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Nov. 6.

The Greene County clerk’s office anticipates a large volume of voters on Election Day, so plan accordingly and, if you don’t want to wait in a long line, avoid heavy traffic times (right before the workday, the noon hour and right after the workday).

Convocation speaker shares experience

This year’s Public Affairs Convocation will be at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 at Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. This year’s speaker is Fredi Lajvardi. Lajvardi captivated the country when he led a team of disadvantaged teenagers in a university-level underwater robotics competition, where they defeated leading schools, including top-ranked MIT.

I encourage all members of the Missouri State community to attend this year’s Public Affairs Convocation lecture and be inspired to put the public affairs mission into practice.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for July 31, 2018

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Voting is an important way each of us can put the public affairs mission into practice. We will have two opportunities to vote in the coming weeks.

Vote for MOSERS Board of Trustees

If you are a member of a MOSERS pension plan (I am, and most of you are, too), you will receive a ballot in the mail in early August for a MOSERS Board of Trustees election. This is a very important election, and I would encourage each of you to cast your vote.

A viable retirement plan is critically important for the university. Faculty and staff rely on the MOSERS pension plan for their future. The retirement plan is a significant asset in our efforts to recruit new faculty and staff to the university.

We all have a keen interest in seeing that MOSERS properly invests contributions, establishes reasonable actuarial assumptions and appropriately manages its overall business.

Missouri State contributes millions of dollars each year to MOSERS pension plans. Increases in the required contribution severely impact the university’s budget, dramatically increasing or decreasing the funds available for employee compensation.

As the MOSERS required contribution rate has increased over the past several years, Missouri State has become more and more engaged with the MOSERS administration and board.

It is for these reasons that it is more important than ever that all employees at Missouri State vote in the August election for MOSERS Board of Trustees.

Paul Wagner is one of the candidates running for the board. He is the chair of the Missouri Council on Public Higher Education, the association that represents Missouri State University and Missouri’s other public universities. I signed Paul’s petition to get on the ballot as did many other higher education leaders throughout the state. I am confident that Paul will represent our interests well on the MOSERS board.

Paul has indicated that he would be more than happy to talk to any of our employees who have questions about MOSERS or his board campaign. You can reach Paul at pdwagner@outlook.com or at 573-529-7195.

Vote on Aug. 7

The primary election is on Aug. 7. I would encourage each of you to become educated on the candidates and issues and cast your vote.

In addition to primaries for U.S. Senate, state auditor, Greene County presiding commissioner, and other federal, state and local offices, there are several issues on the ballot:

  • Proposition A asks voters to approve or not approve the state right to work law.
  • In the city of Springfield, Question 1 asks voters to establish or not establish a pit bull ban.

You can see the full list of candidates and issues that will be on the ballot in Greene County on the county clerk’s webpage.

Greene County voters can now vote at the Welcome Center

We are also excited to partner with the Greene County clerk’s office to offer a new option for voting on campus. Starting with the Aug. 7 election, if you are registered to vote anywhere in Greene County, you can vote in the Davis-Harrington Welcome Center instead of at your regular polling location.

The Welcome Center will be open for voting from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 7. We anticipate the Welcome Center will be open for voting again in the November election.

Please help us get word out about this opportunity to our students, employees and members of the community.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!