Presidential Updates

Clif’s Notes for Sept. 24, 2019

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The public affairs conference is next week.

The conference theme is “The 21st Century Digital World.” Participants will explore how digital technology has influenced all aspects of our lives.

The featured speaker is Bobby Bones. Bones is an award-winning radio broadcaster and vice-president and creative director of iHeartCountry. His show broadcasts to almost 140 stations and is the No. 1 country morning show with millions of weekly listeners. Bones’ keynote presentation is scheduled for Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Juanita K. Hammons Hall.

The full schedule is available on the Public Affairs Conference webpage. Highlights include:

All sessions of the conference, including the keynote presentation by Bobby Bones, are free and open to the public. No registration or tickets are required to attend.

As in prior years, employees may use up to two hours of their work time, in coordination with their supervisors, to attend the conference. I encourage you to attend, and I encourage supervisors to facilitate attendance by individuals in your offices or divisions.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for March 26, 2019

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On April 2, 2019, we will have several important candidates and issues to vote on. I urge each of you to research the candidates and issues and put the public affairs mission into practice by voting.

Learn about the local candidates

Municipal elections are on the ballot for several southwest Missouri cities. In Springfield, we have two contested council races. We also have uncontested races for mayor and three other council seats. You can learn about the candidates through the News-Leader’s January article.

Tax to fund priority projects

Voters in the City of Springfield will also decide whether to renew a ¼-cent sales tax to fund capital improvements. City leaders utilized a citizen survey to help them identify 20 high priority projects to complete in the first five years if the tax is renewed.

The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce has endorsed the tax renewal. You can find more information about this ballot measure online.

Thomas-Tate among SPS board candidates

School board elections are also on the ballot. Springfield Public Schools has three candidates running for two available seats on the board. Two of the candidates are incumbents. The third candidate is a new voice in local politics, Dr. Shurita Thomas-Tate.

Dr. Thomas-Tate is an associate professor in our communication sciences and disorders department. The Springfield News-Leader ran an article in December highlighting Dr. Thomas-Tate and why she decided to run for school board.

You can learn about the candidates for Springfield Public School board through Claudette Riley’s News-Leader article published earlier this month.

Improving local schools

Voters in the Springfield School District will also decide whether to finance 39 high-priority school improvements with an 18-cent increase to the property tax debt-service levy.

Projects include:

  • Secure entrances at 31 schools, with double-entry points, intercoms, cameras and electronic locking controls
  • Extensive renovation of Hillcrest High School, Sunshine Elementary and Williams Elementary
  • New facilities for Boyd Elementary, Delaware Elementary and Jarrett Middle School
  • Expanded classroom space for preschool education throughout the district

The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce has endorsed the proposal. You can find more information about this proposal online.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Oct. 30, 2018

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The general election is next Tuesday, Nov. 6. I encourage each of you to become educated on the candidates and issues and cast your vote.

In addition to elections for U.S. Senate, state auditor, Greene County presiding commissioner, and other federal, state and local offices, there are several issues on the ballot:

  • Constitutional Amendment No. 1 would change the way boundaries for legislative districts are drawn. It would also establish a series of changes to the state’s ethics laws.
  • Constitutional Amendments Nos. 2 and 3 and Proposition C would modify or remove the state’s prohibitions on medical marijuana. Each issue is slightly different than the others, so it would be worthwhile to research each of these medical marijuana ballot issues before you vote. News-Leader reporter Steve Pokin gave thoughtful analysis in a column he wrote recently on these three ballot measure, which you can find here.
  • Constitutional Amendment No. 4 would modify laws that limit bingo games.
  • Proposition B would incrementally change Missouri’s minimum wage each year until it reaches $12 per hour.

Why I support the fuel tax

I would encourage you to carefully consider one ballot issue in particular. Proposition D would increase the motor fuel tax by two and one half cents per gallon annually for four years. Proponents of this measure worked to put it on the ballot because:

  • Missouri significantly underfunds its transportation system, and this threatens the safety of our roads.
  • Missouri has the 7th largest highway system, but the state’s motor fuel tax is 49th in the United States.
  • The motor fuel tax has not been increased since 1996. During that 22-years, inflation has eroded 60 percent of the tax. Today the 17-cent tax approved in 1996 has 7 cents of purchasing power.

Proposition D would address these concerns by generating $28 million in funding for roads and bridges and $124 million for city and county transportation projects.

While I recognize that none of us like to pay more taxes, I have been vocal about my personal support for Proposition D. You can find my letter to the Springfield News-Leader about Proposition D online.

In addition to all the reasons cited above, I will be voting for Proposition D because each year Missouri State University faces significant competition for state funds. If the transportation gap is not funded with designated revenue under a proposal like Proposition D, state funding for critical transportation projects will make it ever more difficult to receive funding for higher education.

You can see the full list of candidates and issues that will be on the ballot in Greene County on the county clerk’s webpage.

Cast your vote at Welcome Center

We will be partnering once again with the Greene County clerk’s office to utilize the Davis-Harrington Welcome Center as a central polling location. If you are registered to vote anywhere in Greene County, you can vote in the Welcome Center instead of at your regular polling location.

The Welcome Center will be open for voting 6 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Nov. 6.

The Greene County clerk’s office anticipates a large volume of voters on Election Day, so plan accordingly and, if you don’t want to wait in a long line, avoid heavy traffic times (right before the workday, the noon hour and right after the workday).

Convocation speaker shares experience

This year’s Public Affairs Convocation will be at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 at Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. This year’s speaker is Fredi Lajvardi. Lajvardi captivated the country when he led a team of disadvantaged teenagers in a university-level underwater robotics competition, where they defeated leading schools, including top-ranked MIT.

I encourage all members of the Missouri State community to attend this year’s Public Affairs Convocation lecture and be inspired to put the public affairs mission into practice.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Sept. 18, 2018

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As we settle into the fall semester, I want to encourage you to put the public affairs mission into practice by attending two upcoming events.

Naturalization Ceremony

We will host a United States Naturalization Ceremony at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow in the PSU Theater.

Naturalization ceremonies provide a unique opportunity to share in the excitement of immigrants to the United States who will take their oath of allegiance and complete the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. There will be a variety of speakers along with a performance by Missouri State students of the national anthem and “America the Beautiful.”

First fall Public Affairs Conference

This year’s Public Affairs Conference starts Sept. 24 and continues throughout the week.

The conference theme is “Unity in Community.” Participants will explore divisive issues that concern our communities — not only the geographic areas where we live, but also the tribal, interpersonal, intellectual and digital communities where we exist.

The featured speaker is Jenna Bush Hager. Hager is a contributing correspondent on NBC’s “Today Show,” an editor-at-large for Southern Living magazine, a New York Times best-selling author, chair of UNICEF’s Next Generation initiative, and daughter of former U.S. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. Her presentation titled “Making a difference: How the power of compassion changes lives” is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25 in Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts.

The full schedule is available on the Public Affairs Conference webpage. All sessions of the conference, including the presentation by Hager, are free and open to the public. No registration or tickets are required to attend.

As in prior years, employees may use up to two hours of their work time, in coordination with their supervisors, to attend the conference. I encourage you to attend, and I encourage supervisors to facilitate attendance by individuals in your offices or divisions.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

Clif’s Notes for Oct. 31, 2017

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Next Tuesday is election day. Two important issues will be on the ballot in Springfield.

Understanding the Level Property Tax

The first is the renewal of the City of Springfield’s current Level Property Tax. If the renewal passes, the revenue will be used to fund high-priority public improvements for public safety, storm water management and city facilities.

Continuing the Level Property Tax will not increase or change any tax rates because it is a renewal of an existing tax. Projects to be funded with the tax include:

  • Fire stations
  • Police cars
  • Improvement of our storm water infrastructure

Additional information can be found in the recent Springfield News-Leader article about the renewal and on the City of Springfield’s webpage.

The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and numerous other community groups support the City of Springfield’s Level Property Tax renewal.

Learn more about the Greene County proposed tax

The second is a new sales tax proposed by Greene County. If passed, sales taxes in Greene County would increase by a half-cent. The revenue from the tax would be used to help expand the jail, implement services to reduce jail population growth, reinstate Animal Control, meet environmental funding needs and provide financial assistance to municipalities. Additional information can be found in the recent Springfield News-Leader article about the tax and on Greene County’s webpage.

The half-cent sales tax proposed by Greene County has not received the same support as the City of Springfield’s tax renewal. Concerns were raised at the very beginning of the process, and the Greene County Commission split their vote on the proposal (with Commissioners Cirtin and Bensch voting in favor and Commissioner Hough voting against).

After debating the measure at length, the Board of Directors for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce voted not to take a position on the County’s proposal.

It is important that each one of us put the public affairs mission into practice by becoming educated on these tax proposals and voting Nov. 7.

Join me at the Public Affairs Convocation

Will Allen will deliver this year’s Public Affairs Convocation lecture at 7 p.m. on Nov. 2 in Hammons Hall.

Allen is the son of a sharecropper, former professional basketball player, ex-corporate sales leader, and now a farmer and the author of this year’s Common Reader — “The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People and Communities.” Allen is widely considered the leading authority in the expanding field of urban agriculture. Please make plans to attend.

Changing pensions

This summer several laws changed that impact pensions for some of our faculty and staff. Those changes include:

  • For staff hired in 2011 or later, the pension vesting period is reduced from 10 years to 5 years.
  • For faculty enrolled in the College and University Retirement Plan (CURP), the employer contribution rate will be set at a firm rate of 6 percent.
  • Faculty hired on or after July 1, 2018 and enrolled in the CURP plan will be required to make an employee contribution of 2 percent.

The university and MOSERS are in the process of sending additional notifications to those affected. Details can be found on the human resources blog.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!