Presidential Updates

Clif’s Notes for July 11, 2017

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Last month I presented the board with our Report on Action Plan for 2016-17 and highlighted our work and accomplishments over the past year. Thanks to all of your hard work, we had a very good year except in the state funding arena. Of course, that is a very important matter as we all know.

Breaking records

We graduated a record number of students, awarding 4,401 degrees and 299 certificates. We also added new academic programs in areas of critical workforce needs, including a master’s in agriculture, master’s in computer science, master’s in athletic training and master’s in early childhood special education.

We set enrollment records with 26,000 students in the system and 24,116 on the Springfield campus. We enrolled 1,782 new transfer students in fall 2016, making Missouri State the number one transfer student destination in the state of Missouri.

We set records for enrollment of underrepresented students. We expect additional growth in the coming year, making 2017-18 the first year Missouri State has enrolled more than 3,000 domestic underrepresented students. With retention initiatives like designated GEP 101 sections and restructured scholarships, the university increased the retention rate for first-time full-time freshman to 79 percent, a four point increase over a two year period. St. Louis Graduates and the St. Louis Regional Chamber recognized Missouri State as one of five Missouri colleges (only three of which were public) for “leadership in graduating low-income students, first-generation students and students of color with less debt.”

Making improvements

Aerial view of campus

We increased the diversity of our faculty and staff to 12.8 percent (up from 11.5 percent just one year ago), and we once again met our target of 20 percent of new hires being from diverse backgrounds. We also instituted many campus and community diversity training programs, including diversity training for the board and senior administrators and classroom cultural consciousness training for all new faculty and academic administrators.

We made significant facilities investments, including work on Ellis Hall, the Professional Building (third floor), Cheek Hall (computer labs), Blair-Shannon House (bathrooms), Glass Hall, the Health and Wellness Center and Hass-Darr Hall in West Plains.

We improved safety on campus by completing an IACLEA LEMAP assessment in Springfield and West Plains, reallocating money to hire a manager of emergency preparedness, completing a hazard identification risk assessment, revising emergency response plans and policies, increasing campus cameras to 472 digital and 92 analog, and enhancing our information security protections.

We expanded our entrepreneurial activities, completed a second cohort of the business accelerator program, and kicked off several new initiatives and activities like Rosie, the Springfield Entrepreneurial and Innovation Network, and customized corporate innovation events. We received numerous accolades for our entrepreneurial activities, including Entrepreneur Magazine ranking The eFactory third in its national list of “seven incubators that can help your startup.”

We received significant external support with grants and sponsored contracts and private contributions through the Foundation each topping $19 million. We won four conference championships in athletics with our athletes earning the highest overall grade point average in history.

The list of great things we were able to accomplish this year goes on and on.

I want to thank all of you for your commitment to Missouri State. These accomplishments are possible only through the combined effort of our entire team of faculty and staff.

Keeping an eye on the budget

We spent a lot of time last year working on the budget in light of state funding cuts. Before the new fiscal year began on July 1, the governor announced a new set of spending restrictions that will impact Missouri State. In essence, the state intends to fund Missouri State and all other public universities and community colleges using the 9 percent reduction that the governor initially recommended rather than the 6.58 percent reduction passed by the legislature.

The university’s budget assumes a 9 percent reduction, so we will not have to make any immediate adjustments. However, unless the governor lifts the spending restrictions in the near future, it will be difficult to move forward with a mid-year compensation package.

Work has already begun to develop strategies to fund strategic investments in next year’s budget. One such investment will be a compensation package for employees. I will update you when this work materializes into a plan.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for June 21, 2016

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Clif's Notes

Early in the fall I told you about the Nine Major Goals for 2015-16 that the Board of Governors and our senior administrative team developed. Those goals were publicized on the university’s website, and they guided our efforts over the past year.

Missouri State University seal in front of Carrington HallAccomplishments noted in all goal areas

At the Board of Governors meeting earlier this month, I presented the board with the report on this year’s goals. I would encourage you to take a moment and look through the report.

Review Report on the Nine Major Goals for 2015-16

Highlights include:

  • We developed a report on the university’s progress under the 2011-16 long-range plan, completed the strategic visioning project and developed a 2016-2021 long-range plan
  • We successfully completed the Higher Learning Commission accreditation process
  • We set overall, freshmen class and underrepresented student enrollment records
  • We implemented the new Bachelor of General Studies program, resulting in over 40 graduates
  • We increased the first time freshman retention rate from 75.22 percent to 78.24 percent
  • We submitted over 300 applications resulting in more than $22 million in grants and sponsored research
  • We partnered with Mercy to develop the MSU Care Clinic, a low income primary care facility, on campus
  • We secured a $1.3 million grant to address poverty in northwest Springfield through Missouri State’s Center for Community Engagement
  • We executed a five-year agreement for $1.4 million each year to provide educational services through the International Leadership and Training Center for the Ningxia Province
  • We provided a 2 percent cost-of-living pay raise to all fulltime employees and targeted other high-performing and underpaid employee groups for additional compensation through a staff pool and the Full Professor Salary Incentive Program
  • We met our 20 percent diversity hiring target
  • We obtained a historic level of state appropriations for Missouri State University

We have much to be proud of, but we’re not done. At our administrative planning retreat in early July, the administrative team will begin to develop action plans and priorities for 2016-17, using the 2016-21 long-range plan as the foundation for implementation.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

 

Clif’s Notes for Sept. 1, 2015

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Clif's Notes

Each year we set goals for the University to achieve. This year the goals include planning for the next five years.

Goals include strategic planning for 2016-21

Before the start of the fall semester the Board approved the University’s Nine Major Goals for 2015-2016. You’ll note that this year’s goals follow the same basic format as last year’s goals. Our focus this year will be to build on the initiatives and programs we’ve established in the last few years as we chart a course for moving the University forward.

One major heading was added to this year’s goals—Strategic Planning. 2015-2016 will be a planning year. We will develop a report on the University’s progress under the existing long range plan. We will complete the visioning project and develop a new long range plan, both of which I have highlighted in prior Clif’s Notes. We will evaluate opportunities to improve the University’s mission statement and develop a visioning guide that supports the University’s new long range plan. We will also create and grow a reserve fund for strategic initiatives.

Highlights of 2015-16 goals

Several other initiatives and programs are highlighted in this year’s goals, including

  • Continue to improve compensation for faculty and staff by providing a cost-of-living raise, continuing the third year of the Full Professor Salary Incentive Program, and implementing programs to target other high-performing and underpaid employee groups for additional compensation.
  • Begin construction and renovation of Glass Hall, Ellis Hall, the West Plains life safety improvements and the Sunvilla West FEMA safe room.
  • Develop a primary care clinic on campus in collaboration with Mercy.
  • Provide services and opportunities for underrepresented individuals through initiatives funded by the Springfield Project 2025 (Lumina Foundation grant).
  • Develop and deploy a comprehensive rebranding creative campaign.
  • Create an online option for the Bachelor of Science in psychology program.
  • Implement a target of at least 80 percent of ADPs including a goal related to diversity.
  • Establish an employee resource group for young professional staff.

I look forward to working with you to achieve the University’s goals in the coming months.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Jan. 27, 2015

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Clif's Notes

In this issue, I focus on the governor’s proposed budget.

18136_1520-Ellis-HallGovernor’s State of the State address

On Jan. 21 the governor gave his State of the State address. He also released his executive budget for next fiscal year. You can find more information about the governor’s address on the governor’s website and about the governor’s executive budget on the Office of Administration Division of Budget and Planning website. Highlights include:

  • The governor included capital appropriations of revenue bond proceeds in his supplemental budget. These appropriations include four maintenance and repair projects at Missouri State totaling approximately $19 million: Ellis Hall, Missouri Hall, Hill Hall and life safety improvements on the West Plains campus.
  • The governor included an increase of 1.3 percent to operating appropriations for public higher education.

These highlights make clear that we are off and running on our legislative priorities for 2015. We appreciate the governor’s support for Missouri State’s capital projects. We also appreciate the governor’s willingness to include an operating appropriation increase for higher education.

We will use the governor’s executive budget as a starting point to articulate to our elected officials the need for a larger increase to our operating appropriation, the need to release withheld appropriations and the need to keep the $1,325,000 appropriation for our health initiative programs in the budget.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!