The Board of Governors met on May 9, the day before commencement. There were several important votes, walk-on resolutions and a lot of awards.
Award recipients
The 2024 Board of Governors’ Excellence in Public Affairs awards were presented. The faculty winners are Dr. David Cornelison, Dr. Alan Tinkler and Dr. Rebecca Woodard. The staff winners are Jennifer Johnston and Juli Panza.
Margaret Keister was awarded an honorary Associate of Arts in General Studies from MSU-West Plains.
The board also approved 2024 Wall of Fame inductees. Faculty honorees are Dr. Jack Knight, Dr. Rhonda Ridinger and Dr. Belva Worthen Prather. Staff honorees are Cindi Barnett, Julie Ebersold and Nancy Schanda. They’ll be inducted on Oct. 18 during Homecoming.
Provost Dr. John Jasinski presented faculty excellence awards to Dr. Nichole Busdieker-Jesse, School of Hospitality and Agricultural Leadership in the Darr College of Agriculture; Dr. Natasha DeVore, department of chemistry and biochemistry; Dr. Seth Hoelscher, department of finance, economics and risk management; Dr. Cyren Rico, department of chemistry and biochemistry; Kimberly Roam, School of Teaching, Learning and Developmental Sciences in the College of Education; and Dr. Suzanne Walker-Pacheco, department of sociology, anthropology and gerontology.
A significant MoU
A very important action was the board approval of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the university and the Missouri State Foundation. As you may be aware, the foundation is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization and a separate entity from the university. The foundation’s Board of Trustees is the oversight body for the foundation and the Board of Governors is the oversight body for the university.
It can get a little confusing since the foundation employees are university employees. And, the foundation’s role is to raise money for the university. The two entities have worked seamlessly since the foundation’s inception in 1981. But in today’s world, it’s important to legally memorialize the relationship, operations and commitments between the two entities to prevent any future disruption. So, an MoU was drafted and signed by the university’s Board of Governors and the foundation’s Board of Trustees. This is considered a best practice in higher education.
The 2025 budget
The board also endorsed the fiscal year 2025 operating budgets for both Springfield and West Plains campuses, contingent upon budget outcomes from the Missouri legislative session. I’m pleased to share the Missouri budget bills were passed and sent to Gov. Mike Parson for his signature.
The budget included favorable outcomes for Missouri State.
- 3% ongoing core increase
- Full funding for MoExcels projects
- $1.85 million (one time) for MSU-WP nursing and allied health
- $17.5 million for the Reynolds Complex
- $15 million for the Alliance for Healthcare Education
- $5 million for the MSU-WP cultural heritage center
- Full funding for scholarship and student aid programs
- Full funding for the Missouri Returning Heroes Act
As the semester ends, I hope everyone has an opportunity to relax and reflect on a successful academic year.
Thanks for all you do for Missouri State.
Clif