Presidential Updates

Clif’s Notes for July 26, 2022

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We have long enjoyed a strong town-gown relationship.

From top to bottom, people at MSU work openly and regularly with city and county officials to coordinate our activities and ensure that we are jointly meeting the needs of our campus and the broader community.

Our strong relationships with city and county leaders came into focus over the last few weeks.

Braider facility supports emerging industry

The Greene County Commission allocated $1.455 million to partially fund the construction of a braider facility at the Roy Blunt Jordan Valley Innovation Center. This funding is an economic game changer for southwest Missouri.

The project matches university research with an industry partner to plant a state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing facility in an emerging industry right here in Greene County.

The funding from Greene County, along with a state MoExcels grant, will fund approximately 90% of the costs to construct the facility.

I want to thank Presiding Commissioner Bob Dixon, Commissioner Rusty MacLachlan and Commissioner John Russell for supporting this project.

I also want to thank County Administrator Chris Coulter and County Grant Administrator Lyle Foster (who is also a member of our faculty) for facilitating this funding.

Significance of Grand Street underpass project

Last night, Springfield City Council allocated $750,000 to partially fund the Grand Street underpass project.

We have a lot of exciting projects underway at the university.

  • Renovations to Kampeter Hall and the construction of the Goodman Amphitheatre are near completion.
  • We will begin work on Temple Hall in the fall.
  • Advocacy work is underway to identify funds to renovate Cheek Hall.

To use these exciting new facilities, students, faculty, staff and visitors must be able to safely move from the 1,350 parking spots south of Grand Street to the campus amenities north of Grand. This makes the project to rebuild the Grand Street underpass as important as any of the other facility projects we have underway.

The City also realizes benefits from the project, because the underpass must be extended for the City to expand Grand Street. The project also includes significant sewer and storm sewer upgrades and improvements in the area.

Funding from the City of Springfield, combined with state funds designated for maintenance and repair, will fund approximately half of the project.

I want to thank Mayor Ken McClure and the members of City Council — Heather Hardinger, Craig Hosmer, Andrew Lear, Richard Ollis, Monica Horton, Abe McGull, Mike Schilling and Matthew Simpson — for supporting this project. I also want to thank City Manager Jason Gage and his staff for facilitating this funding.

Supporting the ASCEND program

The Howell County Commission has not yet completed its process for distributing federal ARPA funds.

Tonight we will formally request that the commissioners allocate funds for important priorities for the West Plains campus, including the ASCEND program, an initiative that seeks to provide support and services to college students with autism.

Our goal is to fully fund the ASCEND facility and startup costs for the program with federal, state and local funds.

We continue to advocate for this program, and preliminary indications are that our request has been well received by the Howell County Commission.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

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!

General Assembly approves $10 million equity boost for MSU

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Missouri State University would like to acknowledge the work of the Missouri General Assembly in passing a $10 million equity increase to the university’s state operating appropriation.

This adjustment is the largest appropriations increase the university has received in at least 20 years.

Missouri State currently receives less state funding per student than any other university in the state. The $10 million equity adjustment eliminates the disparity between MSU and the next lowest-funded university.

This increase will allow the university to expand academic programs, keep tuition affordable and fund long overdue cost-of-living pay adjustments for employees.

During its May 16 meeting, the Board of Governors will discuss the university’s budget for next fiscal year, including changes to the tuition increase authorized by the state and approved at the April 17 Executive Committee meeting. A final budget will be approved at the June 21 board meeting.

Special thanks to Rep. Elijah Haahr and Sen. Lincoln Hough who led the equity increase efforts in the house and senate. Rep. Cody Smith and Sen. Dan Hegeman chaired the committees that supported Missouri State’s equity increase throughout the budget process. All members of the General Assembly — particularly our area legislators from southwest Missouri — were very supportive.

Clif’s Notes for Jan. 24, 2017

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Clif's Notes

As many of you are aware, Governor Greitens announced a $146 million spending restriction to make up for a projected revenue shortfall. The amount apportioned to the Missouri State University system is approximately $6.3 million.

The percentage increase in state revenue this year to date is only 2.2 percent vs. a projected increase of 4.1 percent. This comes after the state revenue for last year increased by 0.9 percent vs. a projected increase of 2.8 percent. Consequently, the state must close the gap.

What this means to Missouri StateCarrington after ice

The university expected spending restrictions given the state’s revenue shortfall. Because of our enrollment growth and the work we have done to increase efficiency and quality at Missouri State, we have the ability to manage through this readjustment of funds using reserve funding. We are not expecting more restrictions on the current fiscal year’s budget.

State annual appropriations are paid monthly to the university. The $6.3 million restriction is the equivalent of withholding one month’s payment. This withhold will be spread over the next 5 months making it more manageable. To fully understand the impact, Missouri State was awarded a 4.5 percent budget increase for fiscal year 2017, which runs from July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017. The $6.3 million is approximately 7.1 percent of our current appropriations, so not only are we “returning” the 4.5 percent increase, but also an additional 2.7 percent from the prior year which takes us to a funding level below our Fiscal Year 2015 budget.

However, if these cuts become permanent, or if additional cuts become part of next year’s budget, we will have difficult decisions to make in the coming weeks and months about raising tuition and fees and reducing services. We could essentially be returning permanently to state appropriation levels from fiscal year 2014 or 2015. We’ll have a better understanding after the Governor releases his proposed budget for the state in early February.

Moving forwardSnow-covered walkway

Our goal for the immediate future is to develop principles and priorities to guide us in the process so that we are organized, rational and consistent in our consideration of budget adjustments for fiscal year 2018, which begins on July 1. The Executive Budget Committee and our Chief Financial Officer will lead us through this process.

Shortly after the state budget is released, we will hold a town hall meeting to share information, receive input and review the process set up to make tough decisions on how to handle the short-term withholding and the potential long-term budget reductions.

It is more important now than ever that we continue to move the university forward. Stay positive; developing a bunker mentality will not help us solve these funding problems. We must remain committed to our goal of increasing the number of graduates through growth in enrollment and by increasing retention and graduation rates and enhancing the campus climate.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Sept. 20, 2016

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Clif's Notes

Last week the Missouri legislature held its veto session. The General Assembly overrode the Governor’s vetoes on 13 bills.

Construction workers on Glass Hall renovation projectPartial funding for Glass Hall renovations restricted

Two of the bills will result in an anticipated loss of more than $50 million in tax revenue for the state. The Governor has announced that because of this lost revenue, he will be restricting additional appropriations from the state’s budget.

These restrictions will have a significant impact on K-12 public education and higher education. The restrictions include more than $24 million in ongoing funding for education at all levels and more than $6 million for higher education capital projects.

One of the restrictions will have a direct impact on our campus. The Governor has withheld $1.875 million of the $5 million appropriated for the Glass Hall project. The $33.8 million project is being funded by revenue bonds, gifts to the Missouri State University Foundation, university reserves and capital appropriations. We will deal with this $1.875 million restriction by modifying the work to be completed and minimizing construction deviations. This is unfortunate, but responsible stewardship requires that we respond appropriately.

The Governor has indicated it is unlikely the restricted funds will be released this fiscal year. However, we will continue to work with the current Governor and the Governor-elect in November to advocate that the Glass Hall funds be released. In the event the funds are not released, university reserves and foundation gifts will make up any shortfall after modifications to the project have been made.

Bikers on campusFirearm legislation does not change campus policy

You may have seen media reports on one other bill— a firearm bill (frequently referred to as “constitutional carry”). The General Assembly overrode the Governor’s veto on this bill.

We have received several inquiries regarding the firearm bill. Despite what you may have heard, this bill does not prohibit public universities from regulating possession of firearms on campus, and the Board of Governors still has the power to adopt such regulations.

We are currently reviewing all of Missouri’s firearm laws to ensure that our existing firearm policy complies and best protects the university community. Missouri State’s existing firearm policy, which prohibits unauthorized possession of firearms on campus, will remain in place unless our Board of Governors changes it.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!