Presidential Updates

Clif’s Notes for Dec. 21, 2021

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Last week Jim Baker announced that he will retire June 30.

Jim came to MSU with President John Keiser in 1993 as assistant to the president. Since then he has served in a variety of important roles at the university — as director of the Ozarks Studies Institute, interim vice president for administrative services, chancellor of the Mountain Grove campus, director of the office of China programs, and, most recently, vice president for research and economic development and international programs.

Jim has left a clear mark on Missouri State. He was heavily involved in creating IDEA Commons, the university’s urban innovation park. IDEA Commons would not be as successful as it is without Jim’s dedication and leadership.

Jim was involved in many pivotal successes for MSU over the past 28 years — securing our statewide mission in public affairs, getting our name changed to Missouri State University, removing statutory degree restrictions and advocating for mission-critical appropriations.

Jim has also left a clear mark outside of our university, serving boards for the Missouri Technology Corporation, the Missouri Biotechnology Association, Springfield Innovation, Inc., and St. John’s Medical Research Institute, Inc.

Jim’s leadership is world renowned. In 2012 he received the National Friendship Award in Beijing — the highest honor the Chinese government confers to foreign experts.

Jim has been one of my strongest and most trusted advisors. I’ve always been able to depend on him for advice and support. I am grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to work with Jim, and I’ll miss him tremendously.

Renaming a division

Last week we also renamed the division Jim leads from the Division of Research and Economic Development and International Programs to the Division of Community and Global Partnerships.

While we have changed its name, we have not reorganized the division. All of the offices, units, staff and operations that were previously part of the Division of Research and Economic Development and International Programs remain part of the Division of Community and Global Partnerships.

National search for Baker’s successor

We will conduct a nationwide search for a new vice president to lead the division with a goal of selecting a new vice president before Jim’s retirement. Details about that search will be announced early in the spring semester.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for June 15, 2021

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This Friday, June 18, we will host a celebration of Juneteenth on campus. The event will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the Plaster Student Union Theater and will feature a presentation by Dr. Lyle Foster on the historical significance of Juneteenth and the traditions surrounding its celebration.

The community gospel choir, led by Robert Gibson, will perform at the celebration.

Snacks will be available at no cost to attendees.

I want to encourage all faculty and staff to attend this celebration. Similar to the Staff Appreciation Picnic last month, I encourage supervisors to facilitate attendance by employees in your area.

Springfield campus closing at 3 p.m. Friday

Last month, on the Friday of Staff Appreciation Week, we closed the university from 3 to 5 p.m. We will do that again June 18.

Following the Juneteenth celebration, we will close the Springfield campus from 3 to 5 p.m.

Issues related to essential personnel, time reporting, and compensation for this closure are addressed in section 2.15 of the Employee Handbook. Supervisors will work with their staff on how to coordinate coverage if coverage is required.

IDEA Commons continues to evolve

I also want to take a moment to update you on new developments in IDEA Commons.

The Student Exhibition Center is transitioning to new gallery space at 326 N. Boonville, just south of Brick City and the Roy Blunt Jordan Valley Innovation Center.

The university has a contract to sell the old building on Walnut Street that has housed the Student Exhibition Center for the past 35 years. The proceeds from that sale will fund a portion of the construction cost for the John Goodman Amphitheatre.

The expansion of the Roy Blunt Center is underway, and tenant commitments are in place for a large portion of the new space. Brewer Science made a major gift to the university, resulting in the expansion being named the Brewer Science Innovation Annex.

The General Assembly appropriated $1.8 million to establish the Missouri Cybersecurity Center of Excellence in the annex.

The second-floor expansion of the efactory is complete with all of the eight new offices leased. The third-floor flexible conference and event space is also complete and ready to meet various programming and business needs.

Former Missouri Senator and current member of our Board of Governors Jay Wasson made a major gift to the university, resulting in a portion of the new efactory space being named the Jay Wasson Idea Loft. We recognized Sen. Wasson and dedicated this space last week.

Finally, the City of Springfield has unveiled phase one of its plan to daylight Jordan Creek. You can find additional information about these plans on the Renew Jordan Creek website or in relevant news reports.

We have been actively engaged with city and community leaders on this project. The project involves property currently used by the university, and we have collaborated to make this property available for daylighting the creek while minimizing impact on the university’s operations.

The university stands to lose some parking spaces to the Jordan Creek daylighting project. The university will replace these spaces by constructing new parking on other university property in IDEA Commons.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Dec. 17, 2019

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The Board of Governors met last week.

The board approved more than $400,000 in equity salary increases for 125 employees. These are pay raises that cost centers on campus have agreed to fund by reallocating money from their existing budgets.

This is the first time staff and administrators have been eligible for these kind of equity adjustments in more than a year. We went through a similar process in the spring for faculty, and the board approved more than $500,000 in equity salary increases and promotions for 88 faculty members in June.

The board also approved more than $70,000 in raises that we are centrally financing for 48 employees to comply with changes to Fair Labor Standards Act regulations.

Moving forward with JVIC expansion

The board also approved a letter of intent laying out the terms of our public-private partnership with The Vecino Group to expand the Jordan Valley Innovation Center. Under this agreement, Vecino will construct a $14.4 million 30,000 square foot white box addition to JVIC. The university will have the option to purchase the facility for no more than $6.2 million in seven years.

Through a financing model that utilizes $9 million in federal New Market Tax Credits as well as conventional financing, the university will pay $530,000 in annual lease payments. The university anticipates that new revenues the university will receive from JVIC tenants will cover these lease payments.

The university and the Missouri State University Foundation will pay up to $4.6 million when the contract closes (less if additional New Market Tax Credits are secured before closing). The university and foundation will work to recuperate as much of these funds as possible by selling $3 million in state tax credits allocated by the Missouri Development Finance Board for the project and by advocating for funding from the state through the MoExcels program.

This model will allow the university to receive a $14.4 million building for between $7.5 million and $10.8 million. We initially explored this project with a goal of developing additional JVIC space for a substantial discount. I am pleased to report that we are poised to accomplish this goal.

The board is excited to move this project forward. We know this arrangement is not without risks, but the potential impact on the university’s economic development footprint and the development of areas surrounding our downtown campus is outstanding.

Darr gift will grow agriculture programs

The board also approved an agreement to establish a Springfield Public Schools agricultural magnet school and to construct a small animal education facility at the university’s Darr Agricultural Center. These projects will be funded with a $6.5 million gift from the Darr Family Foundation to the Missouri State University Foundation.

The generosity of Mr. Darr and his family through this and other gifts have truly transformed the College of Agriculture and Missouri State University as a whole. Please join me in thanking them for this transformative gift.

Recognizing outstanding students

The board also awarded this year’s Citizen Scholar Award to six high performing students:

  • Cassidy Cunningham
  • Seth Hadley
  • Rachel Prather
  • Robbyn Rose
  • Niyati (Mia) Sethi
  • Stephanie Urich

You can find more information about the award and this year’s recipients in the news release.

The board also approved a commendation to William Miller for his service on the board as student governor. It has been a pleasure working with Governor Miller in this role, and he will be greatly missed.

The board received a strategic enrollment management plan update, viewed a presentation about the Darr College of Agriculture, received a report on the Onward, Upward foundation campaign, viewed a demonstration of the university’s variable data marketing initiative and virtual tour, discussed the Springfield and West Plains campus key performance indicators, and announced and approved board committee assignments for next year.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for March 20, 2018

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Last summer we announced that we were collaborating with the Springfield Business Development Corporation and The Vecino Group to evaluate the feasibility of an expansion of IDEA Commons through a public-private partnership.

Over the past several months we have worked to develop a model for two projects that will transform IDEA Commons.

Renovate, expand JVIC’s Building 4

The first project will involve the renovation and expansion of Building 4 of the Jordan Valley Innovation Center (JVIC). Building 4 is currently rundown and unoccupied, and the remainder of JVIC is fully leased. By renovating and expanding Building 4, we will create 30,000 additional square feet that can be leased to JVIC tenants.

It would be very difficult (likely impossible) to finance these changes to Building 4 if the university completed the project independently. By working with The Vecino Group, a tax credit financing tool can be used to cover a portion of the project costs. With the tax credits, we believe the project can be financed in such a way that lease payments will cover the anticipated debt service. The result is that the project will have no impact on Missouri State’s operating budget.

Develop land south of JVIC

The second project will involve the development of outdoor amenities and a commercial building on land south of JVIC. The exact business structure for this project is still a work in progress, but the building will likely consist of commercial office space owned and operated by The Vecino Group. The university currently uses some of this land for parking, so the project will need to include a structure that provides ample space for university parking.

In a time of fiscal constraints, the potential to expand JVIC and transform IDEA Commons without impacting university operations is very attractive. I hope you are as excited about this project as I am.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for July 25, 2017

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Last week the Governor’s Innovation Task Force met on our campus. This was one of five roundtables the task force is holding throughout the state.

MSU’s role in workforce development

Governor Greitens established the Innovation Task Force to bring together private and public sector leaders from across the state in a non-partisan effort to ensure that Missouri’s strategy to promote innovation and new technology start-ups is informed by the best minds from business, nonprofits and government.

I was privileged to get to meet with Governor Greitens, Drew Erdmann (the Governor’s Chief Operating Officer and the chair of the task force) and the other members of the Innovation Task Force. I advocated for the university and for our economic development initiatives and assets like the Jordan Valley Innovation Center and The eFactory. The Governor assured me that he is aware of our success at Missouri State University, and he supports our mission and work.

We were able to host these meetings and engage with the Governor because of our investments in economic and workforce development. It is important that we continue to focus on developing the state’s workforce and investing in the state’s economic infrastructure. The IDEA Commons project I discussed in last week’s note is one way we can do this as we move the university forward.

Hill Hall renovation

Last week the Board of Governors awarded the contract to renovate Hill Hall to Carson-Mitchell, Inc. In addition to submitting the lowest bid, Carson-Mitchell, Inc. is the general contractor for the Ellis Hall project.

The project will enhance the overall learning environment in Hill Hall. It will also improve accessibility, replace old mechanical systems and improve the life safety components of the building. The project also relocates offices on the fourth floor to allow for new classroom space and renovates the old pool area into a student lounge, meeting rooms and a computer lab. The work is scheduled to be completed by fall 2018.

No university reserves will be used to fund the budget for this project. Rather, $9.5 million will be funded with bond proceeds received from the state. The remaining $1.5 million will be funded with allocations for maintenance and repair and classroom upgrades.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!