Presidential Updates

Clif’s Notes Vol. 4, No. 7

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Clif's Notes

In this issue of Clif’s Notes, I highlight the University’s achievement of its performance-based funding measures, provide information about the hiring of Coach Stec as our new head football coach, recap items discussed at the December Board of Governors meeting, summarize the CBHE’s coordinated planning process, and provide information about the University’s new weekly newsletter called Inside Missouri State.

Social work studentsState performance measures

This is the third year of Missouri’s performance-based funding model. In the past two years, Missouri State met all five of its performance measures at both campuses. We recently received confirmation that we have once again met all five of our performance measures for fiscal year 2014 on the Springfield and West Plains campuses. This means that if the General Assembly funds the performance-based funding model during the upcoming legislative session, we will receive the maximum available increase to our operating appropriation

Meeting these performance measures requires everyone at the University to work hard and achieve positive results. Thanks to everyone who helped Missouri State realize this significant success.

Coach StecHead football coach

On Sunday, December 14, Missouri State hired Dave Steckel as its new head football coach. Coach Stec (he prefers to be called “Stec”) has spent the last 14 seasons with the University of Missouri, completing his tenure as associate head coach and defensive coordinator. He was the only defensive coach among the five finalists for the 2014 Frank Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach.

We have a five-year agreement with Coach Stec with a base salary of $270,000. Though this salary is $120,000 higher than the prior head football coach’s salary, no new University funds will be committed to the athletics department for Coach Stec’s salary. Sixty thousand dollars will come from salary savings due to the elimination of a position in the athletics department through attrition. The other $60,000 will be raised through private contributions from donors. You can find more information about Coach Stec in the official press release.

This is an exciting time for Missouri State’s football program. Please join me in welcoming Coach Stec to our University.

Missouri State Seal

Board of Governors actions

The Board met on Friday, December 12. I want to summarize four topics that were addressed at the meeting.

First, Governor Hoven, next year’s Board chair, announced his committee assignments for 2015. Governors Carmichael, Fry, Hofherr and Hoven (ex officio) will serve on the Executive Committee. Governors Hofherr (chair), Doyle, Miller and Seal will serve on the Programs and Planning Committee. Governors Fry (chair), Carmichael, Hoven, Kimbrough and Tergin will serve on the Finance and Facilities Committee.

Second, the Board discussed the University’s broadcast services. Tammy Wiley, general manager of KSMU and Ozarks Public Television (OPT), gave a multimedia presentation to the Board. I have received positive feedback about the presentation and about the important services KSMU and OPT provide to our region.

Third, the Board approved Faculty Senate’s nominations of Elise Crain and Tom Strong for honorary Doctor of Public Affairs degrees to be award at the May 15, 2015, commencement ceremonies. Ms. Crain and Mr. Strong have served as significant volunteer leaders to the Missouri State community and to our region. Ms. Crain’s passion for education and children provided the foundation for her work as one of the founders and volunteers for the Ozark Care to Learn program, providing new clothing, shoes, hygiene kits and access to medical care for children. Mr. Strong’s notable volunteer leadership at Missouri State has included serving as president of the Alumni Association, co-founder and charter member of the basketball booster club, member of the Board of Governors, and president of the Missouri State University Foundation. Ms. Crain and Mr. Strong are very deserving of this honor, and I want to personally congratulate them.

Finally, the Board passed resolutions honoring Governors Miller, Kimbrough and Tergin for their service to the University. The terms for these governors expire at the end of the year, but each of them will continue to serve on the Board of Governors until resignation or until the Governor nominates a replacement and the Senate confirms the nomination.

A few days after the Board meeting, on Tuesday, December 16, the United States Senate confirmed Governor Bough as a Federal District Court Judge for the Western District of Missouri. Accordingly, Governor Bough has resigned from the Board of Governors.

I want to say thank you to Governors Bough, Miller, Kimbrough and Tergin. I have enjoyed working with each of you and you will be greatly missed.

Students on campus

CBHE’s coordinated planning process

Missouri’s Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE) recently began a process to develop a new coordinated plan for the state’s higher education system titled Preparing Missourians to Succeed: A Blueprint for Higher Education. CBHE anticipates that the plan will focus on accessibility, affordability, quality and completion with regard to the state’s higher education system.

To facilitate the planning process, CBHE has appointed a steering committee and scheduled hearings throughout the state to receive testimony from higher education leaders, employers, business leaders and others. Dr. David Russell, commissioner of higher education, has appointed me to the steering committee, and I will actively participate in the hearings. Missouri State will have an opportunity to testify as part of this process during a June 2015 hearing scheduled to take place in Springfield.

Please feel free to send any comments you have about this process to my office.

Carrington HallInside Missouri State

This will be the last issue of Clif’s Notes that you will receive directly from me. Beginning next semester, all faculty and staff will begin receiving a weekly employee newsletter called Inside Missouri State. The newsletter will come out on Tuesdays and is intended to replace most campus wide emails.

Inside Missouri State will become the primary means of communicating with employees on a University-wide level. It will incorporate regular communications that currently go out by individual offices, including:

  • Clif’s Notes
  • Provost Communiqué
  • Diversity Perspectives Newsletter
  • Employee Wellness Newsletter
  • Human Resources announcements

Inside Missouri State will also include:

  • Featured events
  • Information on University benefits and perks
  • Information about promotions, new hires, office name changes and retirement receptions
  • News about faculty and staff accomplishments
  • Featured blog posts

I hope you will take time each week to read Inside Missouri State. I also hope that you will help us reduce the number of campus wide emails by submitting items for campus distribution to University communications.

Information pertinent only to a certain college, department or division should continue to be sent by existing methods of communication. Notices that are required by law or policy to be sent to employees will continue to be sent by individual email.

Conclusion

I hope all of you have a good holiday break and come back to campus ready to accomplish big things in the spring semester. I plan to read; see the new movie “Unbroken,” which will be released on Christmas day; enjoy family and travel to Florida for a few days. I hope your days off are also filled with joy and happiness. Thanks for all you do for Missouri State University.

Clif Smart

—Clif

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Telling the Missouri State story

The Missouri State University Board of Governors designated six students as the 2014-15 Citizen Scholars at their meeting last week. These students were selected for their dedication to the public affairs mission of the University through course work, activities and service-learning opportunities.

18016-5067-TMSS-Citizen-Scholar-Awards

2014-15 Citizen Scholars

  • Jared Bajkowski, a senior entrepreneurship major from Lee’s Summit, Missouri
  • Brittany Donnellan, a senior international business major with a Spanish minor from Springfield, Missouri
  • Jordan McGee, a senior economics and organizational communication major from Ellisville, Missouri
  • Samantha Nichols, a senior religious studies major with an Ozarks studies minor from Stilwell, Kansas
  • Konnor Temple, a senior international business major with minors in Mandarin Chinese and logistics and supply chain management from Springfield, Missouri
  • Jared Cates, a graduate student in the student affairs in higher education master’s program from West Plains, Missouri

Each student received a crystal globe in recognition of the award, and their names have been added to the Citizen Scholar wall in Plaster Student Union.

Please join me in recognizing the accomplishments of these remarkable Missouri State students.

Clif’s Notes Vol. 4, No. 6

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Clif's Notes

In this issue of Clif’s Notes, I give an update on the visioning project, provide information about the University’s educational programs related to the Ferguson situation, provide an update on the head football coach search and summarize the University’s priorities for the 2015 legislative session.

Students on campusMissouri State Vision: Our Passion for Excellence

As you know, we are working on a visioning project titled Missouri State Vision: Our Passion for Excellence. The visioning steering committee has met three times to set the parameters for the project and establish task forces. The steering committee has broken down the project into the following six topical areas:

  • Funding
    Envisioning the long-term financial vitality of the University and positioning the University to deal with changes and challenges that might be anticipated in the next 10-12 years
  • Academic profile
    Envisioning alignment of the University’s array of academic programs, strategic partnerships and research emphasis to help ensure the next generation of students/learners succeeds
  • Infrastructure
    Envisioning a campus infrastructure – facilities, technology, environmental sustainability – that supports academic programs and research initiatives and contributes to the University’s overall operational efficiency
  • Diversity
    Envisioning a campus community that embraces diversity in all aspects of campus learning/life
  • Globalization
    Envisioning integration of globalization in all University endeavors in order for the campus community to compete, function and succeed in the worldwide environment/economy
  • Student experience
    Envisioning a rich, memorable and distinctive educational experience that helps ensure success for students

The committee established task forces for each topical area and selected external and internal members for each task force. All task force members have been instructed to reach out to the members of our University community as they move forward, so there will be many opportunities to participate in the visioning project for those who were not selected for task force membership. You can find more information online about Missouri State Vision: Our Passion for Excellence, including complete task force rosters. Please send us your comments.

Ferguson dialogueFerguson dialogue

Before the Grand Jury reached its decision regarding the Michael Brown shooting, the University established a series of educational programs intended to allow students and the public to engage in facilitated dialogue about the Ferguson situation. A number of these programs have already taken place, and more events are scheduled.

For more information about these programs, contact the Multicultural Resource Center at 417-836-5652.

Missouri State Bears football team Head football coach

The University has decided not to renew its contract with head football coach Terry Allen. Coach Allen’s contract will expire at the end of January 2015, which means that no buyout is required. We have created a search committee to vet potential candidates for our new head football coach. The committee is chaired by Kyle Moats, director of athletics, and includes the following members:

  • Ryan DeBoef, chief of staff
  • Fred Harle, community member
  • Casey Hunt, senior associate director of athletics
  • Dr. James Hutter, associate professor, school of agriculture
  • Tom Strong, community member

The committee has already begun its work. I have asked the search committee to pare down the list of applicants. Kyle Moats and I will then make the final decision on which applicant to hire. You can find more information about the University’s decision not to renew Coach Allen’s contract and the ongoing search for our next head coach in the University’s press release.

I am excited about the future of Bears football. I firmly believe that this hiring opportunity will allow us to build on the momentum of our renovated facilities and reinvented game day experience to put the football program on a path toward success. I want to publicly thank Coach Allen again for the good work he has done during the past nine years and for his commitment to our community, the University and his players.

Missouri's capitol building Legislative priorities

The Missouri General Assembly’s 2015 legislative session will begin in January. Missouri State has established the following legislative priorities for the upcoming session:

  • Obtain a capital appropriation for maintenance and repair projects including Ellis Hall (($7,581,818) and Hill Hall ($9,575,669) on the Springfield campus, Missouri Hall on the West Plains campus ($1,547,890) and life safety equipment throughout the West Plains campus ($220,000).
  • Combine the $1,325,000 operating appropriation for particular health programs (including the occupational therapy program on the Springfield campus and allied health programs on the West Plains campus) with Missouri State’s ongoing core appropriation.
  • Obtain an increase in Missouri State’s ongoing operating appropriation.

You can find more information about the University’s goals this legislative session. Please advocate for these goals as appropriate when you interact with our state legislators.

Conclusion

I hope each of you had a good Thanksgiving break and are ready for the sprint to the finish line over the next two weeks. Plan to come by my holiday open house at 2 p.m. Dec. 9 in the JQH Arena Prime Overtime Club. Thanks for all you do for Missouri State University.

Clif Smart

—Clif

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Telling the Missouri State story

Dr. Shawn Wahl, communication department head
Dr. Shawn Wahl, communication department head

Department of communication receives national recognition

The department of communication has received the distinction of “Strong Program” by the National Communication Association (NCA) President’s Task Force for the Advocacy of Communication in the Academy. The mission of the NCA Task Force “…is to identify information and resources that will prove useful to communication programs of all types as they advocate for their interests on campus.”

There were several factors that contributed to this recognition, including department affiliation with the professional discipline, faculty teaching and research profiles, presence of a solid general education course (COM 115: Public Speaking) and disciplinary leadership. For many years, the department has made significant contributions to basic communication course innovation, teaching assistant training, peer-reviewed research, national leadership in the communication discipline and civic engagement.

It is an honor to be recognized by this task force, and I hope you join me in congratulating the department on a job well done!

Clif’s Notes Vol. 4, No. 3

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Clif's Notes

In this issue of Clif’s Notes, I summarize the legislature’s actions during veto session, recognize this year’s recipients of the Professor Salary Incentive Program, provide information about the newly created Center for Community Engagement, discuss the Bill R. Foster and Family Recreation Center’s award of LEED silver certification, provide information about Family Weekend activities and encourage the University community to attend the Bears’ first home football game and pre-game tailgate.

Missouri CapitolVeto session

As you know, Governor Nixon restricted a number of appropriations pending the fate of his vetoes of ten sales tax exemption bills and general revenue collections. Three of the restricted appropriations, totaling approximately $7.8 million ($5.5 million in operating funds and $2.3 million in capital), directly benefited Missouri State.

The legislature finished its veto session early yesterday morning. Two of the ten sales tax exemption bills became law as a result of legislative overrides, but these two bills are anticipated to have only a modest fiscal impact. Additionally, the legislature overrode Governor Nixon’s line item veto of the Missouri Scholars and Fine Arts Academies, restoring funding used by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to support the Missouri Fine Arts Academy at Missouri State.

Yesterday afternoon, Governor Nixon announced that he will immediately release the higher education performance funding appropriation.  Missouri State’s portion of that appropriation totals approximately $4.2 million (less the ordinary 3% holdback).  Whether Missouri State will receive the other restricted appropriations will depend on general revenue collections in the coming months.

This is very good news for Missouri State and vindicates our decision to move forward with the budget approved by the Board of Governors, which I summarized in a prior issue of Clif’s Notes.

Our team interacted extensively with Governor Nixon’s office and the legislature on the sales tax exemption bills and the restricted appropriations. We will continue to engage with our elected officials on the remaining restricted appropriations and remain hopeful that we will ultimately receive some or all of those appropriations before the end of the fiscal year.

Chris Barnhart with studenrProfessor Salary Incentive Program

Last year the University established the Professor Salary Incentive Program (PSIP) to recognize continued excellence by Missouri State’s professors.

A committee of faculty and administrators developed guidelines for the program and selection criteria. Committees evaluated applicants throughout the spring semester.

In May, the following faculty were named as 2014 PSIP recipients:

Congratulations to the 2014 PSIP recipients. Applications for the 2014–15 cycle are due Dec. 12, 2014. Materials to assist faculty members as they prepare their applications will be posted during the fall semester. Please feel free to contact Dr. Chris Craig or Dr. Julie Masterson in the provost’s office should you have questions about PSIP.

StudentsCenter for Community Engagement

The Board recently created the Center for Community Engagement (CCE). The CCE’s mission is to advance Missouri State’s public affairs mission by increasing the University’s involvement in local, regional and statewide efforts at community engagement. The CCE will work to increase the visibility and effectiveness of the University’s community engagement efforts by these tactics:

  • Community-based research and grant writing
  • Coordinating and facilitating University participation in community development initiatives by providing student volunteers and service-learning students with opportunities to strengthen their civic skills
  • Streamlining community engagement activities by working with the leadership of existing campus organizations
  • Tracking and maximizing the university’s civic footprint by collecting and analyzing data, providing an annual report, and making yearly recommendations on strategic priorities based on report findings
  • Establishing connections and securing partnerships with local, regional, state and national community engagement organizations

The CCE will be located in PSU 131.

Rec CenterGreen building leadership certification

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has awarded the Bill R. Foster and Family Recreation Center a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification. LEED is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. Achieving this certification was a big undertaking, and I want to thank our office of planning, design and construction for leading this effort.

Football BearsFamily Weekend and first home football game

Family Weekend is this Friday through Sunday, and we expect hundreds of Bears on campus. Weekend highlights include a Student Showcase and BBQ at 7 p.m. on Friday on the North Mall, a Family Weekend Welcome Breakfast Buffet at 9 a.m. on Saturday in Plaster Student Union and a Legacy Family Ice Cream Social at 1 p.m. on Saturday in the Duane G. Meyer Library. A number of University offices and student organizations will sponsor activities throughout the weekend. See the complete list of Family Weekend activities.

Our first home football game is at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13. I encourage the entire Missouri State community to come out and support the Bears as we play the University of North Dakota in the newly renovated Plaster Stadium. Students get into the game free by showing their BearPass card at the gate. Students may also purchase $5 bleacher tickets for their families and friends in person or on the phone by asking for the Family Day discount. Faculty and staff may purchase an unlimited number of tickets at half price ($10 for chairback, $8 for bleacherback and $5 for bleacher) by showing their BearPass card when they purchase tickets at any box office.

I also encourage all of you to join me in tailgating before the game in the new Hiland Dairy BearFest Village. We have changed the gameday experience this year by relocating BearFest Village. The new Bearfest Village will be located just north of Plaster Stadium (between the stadium and McDonald arena), and it will include games, music, spirit squads and more.

Conclusion

I look forward to continuing to work with you to accomplish great things at Missouri State this semester. Thanks for all you do for our University.

Clif Smart

—Clif

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Telling the Missouri State story

Umarov, Smart and LongEarly this semester, Missouri State welcomed His Excellency Kairat Umarov, the ambassador of Kazakhstan to campus. Congressman Billy Long was instrumental in arranging the visit. Our political science department also deserves recognition for helping host the event.

Ambassador Umarov was visiting southwest Missouri to learn about our region and meet with Springfield businesses to explore opportunities for collaboration in the areas of manufacturing, agriculture, education and new technologies.

It was also a terrific opportunity for the Missouri State campus to learn more about Kazakhstan and global affairs. At the event, the ambassador gave a brief presentation and a held a question and answer session. Given his diverse background and experiences, his presentation was well received by those who attended.

About Kazakhstan and Ambassador Umarov

For those who may not know, the central Asian nation of Kazakhstan is the largest of the former soviet republics that gained independence during the dissolution of the old Soviet Union. Ambassador Umarov is now serving his third stint as the nation’s ambassador in Washington, D.C.

Ambassador Umarov earned his undergraduate degree at the Almaty Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages in 1985, teaching there as well from 1987-88. He later received a Ph.D. in history at the Kazakh University of History, Archeology and Ethnography in 1989. He was chief editor of the Writers’ Union of Kazakhstan from 1989-91.

One of the many benefits of life on a university campus is learning from the experiences of people like Ambassador Umarov. I look forward to other opportunities as the semester moves forward.