Presidential Updates

Clif’s Notes for April 20, 2021

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In June 2019 we began a master planning process for the College of Natural and Applied Sciences (CNAS). After months of discovery, analysis and option development, the final report was issued on Sept. 1, 2020.

The plan establishes three goals:

  1. Provide for the future of CNAS.
  2. Enable research.
  3. Increase visibility for science.

CNAS operations are spread across Temple Hall, Cheek Hall, Kemper Hall and King Street Annex. All four of these facilities need extensive work to meet the goals set forth above.

I am pleased to report that we have begun work to identify funding for the first critical CNAS project: an expansion and renovation of Temple Hall.

Temple Hall renovation

Temple Hall houses classrooms, labs, and offices to support the university’s biology, chemistry, geography, geology and other STEM programs.

Temple Hall was built in 1971 and has not been substantially remodeled since it was constructed. It is in critical need of maintenance and repair.

Moreover, MSU’s enrollment in the sciences has grown from 1,000 to 2,400 since Temple Hall was constructed. This includes a doubling of graduate enrollment in CNAS over the last 25 years.

Additional space is needed to meet CNAS’s educational and research needs.

The CNAS Master Plan proposes a 66,000 square foot, 4-story addition to Temple Hall. The plan also proposes to renovate 40,000 square feet of existing lab space and 48,000 square feet of existing classroom, office and common space in Temple Hall.

The Temple Hall addition will cost $40 million, and the renovation of existing space in Temple Hall will cost an additional $20 million.

Gaining support

I and other members of our team have begun to speak with state and federal lawmakers about this project.

Specifically:

  • I met with Sen. Roy Blunt during the first week of April and discussed this project.
  • Ryan DeBoef and Matt Morris testified about this project in Jefferson City last week at the invitation of the Missouri House Subcommittee on Federal Stimulus Spending.
  • Yesterday we also submitted the Temple Hall project to Commissioner of Higher Education Zora Mulligan as MSU’s highest priority for federal stimulus appropriations.
  • We are working with COPHE to submit the Temple Hall project directly to Gov. Mike Parson’s office as well.

The United States and the State of Missouri currently have access to unprecedented one-time funds. Our goal in the coming months is to work to match federal and state funds with private contributions and university reserves to fund this project.

Community Project Funding

MSU has a strong history of federal investment.

Over the past several weeks, a new federal funding opportunity has emerged. Through Community Project Funding requests, members of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate will soon have the ability to seek congressionally directed spending for high priority projects.

Given the limited nature of Community Project Funding in its first year, we have not yet submitted a formal federal appropriation request for the Temple Hall project. However, we have submitted requests for three smaller projects:

  1. A refractory composite component braider facility expansion that will be part of the Roy Blunt Jordan Valley Innovation Center.
  2. Expansion plans for the Darr Agricultural Center.
  3. A welding lab facility renovation project at the Broadway Building in West Plains.

Ozarks Transportation Organization (OTO) has also submitted a request for renovation of the Grand Street Underpass on our Springfield campus. We support this request and will advocate for it with our federal delegation.

We will continue to meet with our federal delegation and their staffs to advocate for these and other important university projects.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for March 23, 2021

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Last week the Board of Governors awarded a contract to Carson-Mitchell, Inc. to construct a performing arts amphitheater on campus.

The amphitheater will be an open-air facility, and it will house Tent Theatre and other campus and community productions. It will include a permanent stage and tiers for 350 removable seats.

The amphitheater will be in the plaza adjacent to Craig Hall, transforming the outdoor area into an art park. Improvements will also be made to the landscape and hardscape surrounding the structure.

We will have a groundbreaking ceremony for this project at 2 p.m. April 8. Work is scheduled to be completed by the spring 2022 semester.

The total project budget is $6.4 million. It will be funded by more than $3 million in private gifts along with proceeds from the sale of the Student Exhibition Center on Walnut Street, funds from the President’s Program Enhancement Fund, reserves from the Ellis Hall renovation budget, and the office of the provost’s carryforward.

I am excited about this project. Creating an art park and permanent amphitheater will take our historic Tent Theatre to the next level. It will also provide a robust gathering spot on our campus for other productions and community events.

Grand Street underpass

We are also in the planning stages of a project to reconstruct the Grand Street underpass. The current underpass includes steep steps on both sides of Grand and is not accessible for persons with disabilities.

It is also an unattractive entrance to our campus for the thousands of faculty, staff, students and external guests that visit our campus to attend football games, Tent Theatre and events in Ellis Hall.

$3.5 million in state and university funds have already been designated for the Grand Street underpass project, and we are working to secure additional funding. Our goal is to complete the underpass in conjunction with the arts ampitheater.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for March 2, 2021

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As you know, February brought challenging weather this year. Two weeks ago, we had any icy glaze followed by extremely cold temperatures that froze pipes and created utility problems. We then had two of the heaviest snows we have seen in the last several years.

Through all of this, the university’s front-line staff traveled to work in sometimes treacherous road conditions. They worked extra shifts to keep the campus safe, kept buildings warm and clean, and ensured that our operations continued.

  • Grounds staff started work early, stayed late, and came in on their days off to spread ice melt and clear sidewalks, roadways, parking lots and other areas.
  • Custodial staff did their part as well, clearing ice and snow from building entrances and cleaning up wet messes in buildings due to ice and snow that was tracked in. They often worked late to respond to issues and finish their regular tasks.
  • University safety patrolled campus to help stranded drivers, ensure buildings were secure, respond to calls, and provide access to buildings for service contractors.
  • Facilities maintenance staff performed their regular work and then worked extra hours to check buildings for areas that might freeze.
  • Power house staff worked to ensure the campus had heat, especially when gas supply was limited. At times, extraordinary measures were taken and long shifts were worked to keep equipment running and help control utility costs.
  • When pipes broke and leaks occurred, maintenance staff responded quickly at all hours to shut off the water and make repairs, helping to limit damage. Custodial staff responded to clean up leaks (some of which were severe) in our buildings.

Show your appreciation

This has been a team effort by staff across the university. I hope you will join me in sincerely expressing your appreciation for their work.

If you see a custodian, maintenance worker, groundskeeper, safety officer or other front-line worker, take time to thank them for their work. Each brings their expertise and drive to work each day to ensure that the mission of the university continues even when the weather does not cooperate.

This year’s severe cold appears to have passed, but our staff continue to work to make repairs to damaged areas. A few of our buildings, such as Plaster Student Union and Cheek Hall, have sustained more serious damage that will take longer to repair. In these locations, we will team with outside contractors to make repairs and restore operations.

Some repairs will take longer than others. We appreciate your patience as we complete this work.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Feb. 23, 2021

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The Board of Governors met last week.

The board approved a new tuition model. In-state undergraduate students currently pay tuition of $228 per credit hour for seated classes and $299 for online classes.

In 2021-22, in-state undergraduate students will pay a blended rate of $257 per credit hour for all classes. We anticipate this will result in no tuition increase for most students.

Missouri’s public universities have traditionally increased tuition each year by inflation. By approving the new tuition structure, we will break with that tradition and not increase tuition by CPI next year.

The change is revenue neutral. In 2020-21, in-state undergraduate students paid $87,630,000. Under the new model, students would have paid $87,605,000 — $25,000 less.

A large majority of students with which we interacted supported this change. It is fairer and allows students to better estimate the cost of their education. It allows the university to schedule classes, and students to decide which classes to take, without cost being a factor.

The new model also recognizes that the line between seated and online classes has blurred with many “seated” classes having a substantial online component.

CARES Act funds

The board also approved distributions of federal funds to students.

After all pending CARES Act allocations are received, the university will have $2.3 million of funds remaining from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund established by the CARES Act. Given the compliance requirements for these funds, the board determined that the best use of the Springfield campus allocation of these funds is to refund a portion of online tuition paid by qualifying students on the Springfield campus in the fall 2020 semester.

The remainder of the West Plains campus allocation will be distributed as emergency financial grants to students on the West Plains campus.

We are still calculating the exact amount of the distributions, but we anticipate the online tuition refund will be between $25 and $28 per credit hour. These refunds will be automatically applied to students’ accounts.

The board also approved the first distribution of funds from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA). The federal government has required that we distribute to students about $7.4 million of the funds we received under CRRSAA. The board approved the framework for our plan to distribute these funds as emergency financial aid grants with Pell students receiving a higher amount than other qualifying students.

We will finalize and communicate details about the CRRSAA student distributions in the coming weeks.

Refinancing approved

The board approved resolutions related to the university’s plans to refinance two sets of bonds that were originally used to finance JQH Arena, the O’Reilly Clinical Health Sciences Center, the Davis-Harrington Welcome Center, and to amend the bond issue for the purchase of Brick City Buildings 1, 3, 4 and 5. By refinancing these bonds, the university will save more than $4 million.

The board also approved an intent resolution to preserve the right to issue revenue bonds up to $25 million to finance the acquisition of the new residence hall.

Other board actions

The board approved the receipt of property (located at 326 N. Boonville) from the MSU Foundation, which will be used to house an art gallery for the Judith Enyeart Reynolds College of Arts and Letters. The board also approved the sale of property the university no longer needs located near the Bull Shoals Field Station in Taney County. The board also approved changes to the consulting contract for the Kampeter Hall project.

The board approved a new behavioral support assistant associate degree program in West Plains and an occupational therapy doctorate program in Springfield. The board also discussed the university’s new test optional scholarship package.

The board received two presentations about the university’s academic programs. In the Programs and Planning Committee, Rachel Heinz presented information about the Bear POWER program, and the board interacted with a panel of students enrolled in the program.

In the regular meeting, Dr. Nancy Gordon presented information about the university’s work in online education, and the board discussed emerging opportunities for new learning modalities. The board also interacted with a panel of four faculty members: Damon Basset, Natalie Curry, Dr. Seth Hoelscher and Dr. Margaret Weaver.

Finally, the board approved changes to its meeting schedule. These changes will allow us to have five socially distanced graduation ceremonies spread over two days in May.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Jan. 19, 2021

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I have positive budget news to share.

In July, Gov. Mike Parson withheld $11.9 million of our state funding.

In October, Gov. Parson released $1.7 million. The board used this revenue to fund a $600 across-the-board pay increase for full-time faculty and staff hired on or before Nov. 30. The pay increase will begin this month for 12-month employees and in February for 9- and 10-month employees.

Earlier this month, Gov. Parson released the remaining $10.2 million of withheld state funds. When he released the funds, he directed that we spend $8.4 million on maintenance and repair projects.

I want to thank Gov. Parson for once again prioritizing higher education and Missouri State University when making decisions about which funds to release as the FY2021 state revenue situation came into focus.

Planning maintenance projects

The Executive Committee of the Board of Governors will meet later this week to discuss what projects to prioritize with the funds recently released by Gov. Parson.

I will recommend that the board invest $8.4 million in maintenance and repair facility projects as directed by Governor Parson and hold the remaining funds in reserves. These remaining funds — approximately $1.7 million — will then be available to allocate for FY2022, which will begin on July 1.

State FY2022 budget recommendations coming soon

These developments place us in a strong financial position as we begin to develop the university’s FY2022 budget. That budget process will begin soon.

We anticipate receiving Gov. Parson’s budget recommendations in late January. Our Executive Budget Committee will then meet in mid-February to begin assembling budget recommendations for the Board of Governors.

COVID-19 vaccination update

I also want to update you on our work regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.

The State of Missouri authorized vaccination for people in Phase 1A a few weeks ago. This group includes healthcare and long-term care facilities.

Last week and earlier this week, the state authorized vaccination for everyone in Tiers 1 and 2 of Phase 1B. This includes people 65 and older, people with certain co-morbidities, first responders, emergency services and public health infrastructure.

Unfortunately, vaccination has not yet been authorized for higher education. In the meantime, I would encourage all members of our campus community who are in Phase 1A and Tiers 1 and 2 of Phase B to get vaccinated.

The state’s decision on who can be vaccinated is only one piece of the puzzle. The other piece is the state’s decision on how to physically distribute the vaccine. Vaccine supplies are very limited.

We learned last week that we will receive a small number of COVID-19 vaccines early this week. These vaccines will be available through Magers Health and Wellness Center for employees who are eligible to be vaccinated (currently meaning they meet the requirements of Phase 1A and Tiers 1 and 2 of Phase B).

Eligible employees will sign up for this vaccination through My Missouri State online, similar to how employees sign up to receive the flu vaccination.

The university continues to work to obtain additional vaccine. As we receive additional vaccine and as additional groups of employees become eligible to be vaccinated, we will let you know through Inside Missouri State and the vaccination webpage on the COVID-19 Information Center.

View the town hall recording

Thanks to all who attended the town hall meeting last Friday. For those unable to attend, a recording of the presentation is available online.

If you have questions about the subjects discussed at the town hall meeting or any other topic, feel free to email them to me at president@missouristate.edu.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!