Latest news with #MelanieStinnett
Forbes
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Missouri Passes Bill Ending U. Of Missouri's Exclusive PhD Authority
The Missouri General Assembly has passed a bill reducing the University of Missouri's exclusive ... More authority to grant PhD degrees. The Missouri General Assembly has passed legislation that ends the University of Missouri's exclusive right to grant research doctoral degrees in the state, giving permission to Missouri State University to award PhD degrees in subjects other than engineering. Under current Missouri law, the University of Missouri system with its four campuses in Columbia, St. Louis, Kansas City and Rolla has been recognized as the state's only public research university with the authority to grant PhDs and other postgraduate professional degrees. Earlier in this year's legislative session, Republican Senator Lincoln Hough from Springfield, the home of Missouri State University, had introduced Senate Bill 11, which would have repealed the University of Missouri's status as the sole public university that could grant research doctorates and first-professional degrees in fields like dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine. Hough's bill also would have removed the requirement that engineering degrees could be conferred only by the University of Missouri or another public university in collaboration with it. A similar bill was proposed in the Missouri House by Rep. Melanie Stinnett. The legislation that passed this week did not go so far as to repeal these restrictions. Instead, it granted an exception just for Missouri State University to 'have the power and authority to grant doctor of philosophy degrees in disciplines other than engineering and to grant bachelor of science degrees in veterinary technology.' The final vehicle for the legislation — House Bill 419 — was originally introduced by state Rep. Don Mayhew (a Republican from Crocker), as a measure to give military personnel and their families in-state status for the purposes of tuition charges. However, Hough added the MSU provision in the Senate, giving Missouri State University the right to offer PhDs, except in engineering fields. The House passed the Senate substitute for Mayhew's bill, which included other higher education amendments, by a vote of 149-7. It passed in the Senate by a margin of 27-4. It now goes to Governor Mike Kehoe for his consideration. (The same provision was also contained in Senate Bill 160, another higher education bill approved by the General Assembly.) Tension between the University of Missouri, the state's flagship institution, and Missouri State University stretches back for decades and has focused on the educational footprint and identity of MSU. Starting in the 1980s, what was then Southwest Missouri State University began to lobby the legislature for an expanded mission and name change. Those efforts were blocked by MU until 2005, when the Missouri General Assembly passed a bill that changed the name of Southwest Missouri State University to Missouri State University. Governor Matt Blunt, a native of Springfield, signed that bill into law, but it came with strings attached — namely that MSU would not offer doctoral or engineering degrees on its own. Since then, the two institutions have successfully partnered on joint degree programs. In 2006, the Missouri S&T-Missouri State University Cooperative Engineering Program was launched, allowing students in the Springfield area to earn bachelor's degrees initially in civil and electrical engineering, and later in mechanical engineering, from Missouri S&T in Rolla (in full disclosure, I was the president of Missouri State University who signed that agreement). Several years later, MSU teamed up with the University of Missouri at Kansas City to offer UKMC's PharmD program in Springfield. Despite those agreements, MSU and other public universities in the Missouri have sought more autonomy in their ability to offer doctoral degrees. In 2022, Missouri's Coordinating Board of Higher Education approved a new mission for Missouri State University that included conferring professional doctorates. However, the restriction on research doctorates and engineering programs remained in place. Former MSU president Clif Smart, who retired in 2024, argued that Missouri was the only state that limited engineering programs to its flagship university, and that it's also the most restrictive state in terms of giving one public university system a monopoly over research doctorates. As a result, Smart claimed that Missouri students often leave the state to study elsewhere, resulting in an avoidable brain drain and a hardship for area employers seeking to hire and retain workers with graduate credentials. His successor at MSU, President Richard Williams, has continued a similar theme, testifying that Missouri State University needed more flexibility to address regional and statewide workforce needs. 'This is relieving restrictions so we can be nimble,' Williams testified to lawmakers. As in years past, the two universities waged competing lobbying efforts over the latest turf battle. Advocates for ending the degree-granting restrictions claimed it was unfair for the state to grant the MU system full exclusivity over research doctorates degrees and also impose restrictive partnerships on other programs. Defenders of UM System's exclusive doctoral degree authority included the University of Missouri Flagship Council, which argued that the change would stretch the state's resources too thin and would be costly to students who would likely see tuition increases as a result. 'The bottom line is that starting doctoral programs at public universities without research funding will need to be propped up with significant state support,' wrote Chuck Brazeale, chair of the Flagship Council's board of directors. In the end, after conversations with MSU's Williams and MU President Mun Choi, a compromise was reached that did not completely end the University of Missouri's statewide control over doctoral degrees, but carved out a expanded role for Missouri State University instead. "That's how this process is supposed to work,' Senator Hough told the Springfield Daily Citizen. 'Two sides are supposed to get together and work out differences and figure out a compromise. Now, did that bill pass as was filed by myself? No. Did Mizzou get everything that they wanted? No. Did I get everything that I wanted for Missouri State? No. Is it in a better place, and does it offer more educational opportunities in higher ed than previously? Yes. So all in all, I think it's a good step in the right direction.'
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill advances removing University of Missouri's exclusive right to certain degrees
The iconic columns of the University of Missouri-Columbia campus (University of Missouri photo). A Missouri House committee advanced an amended Senate bill Monday that would end the University of Missouri's exclusive permission to grant doctoral degrees. The new provision is tacked onto Senate Bill 150, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Jill Carter of Granby, which originally established a fund to reimburse tuition and book fees for students in community colleges and technical schools. It passed the Senate last month. A substitute version of the bill adopted Monday by the House Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee consolidates six smaller education bills, including provisions ranging from expanded financial aid opportunities to increased requirements for universities to accept transfer credit. Among these consolidated bills is one sponsored by Republican state Rep. Melanie Stinnett if Springfield which would remove statutes that grant the University of Missouri and other UM System campuses exclusive license to offer certain doctoral degree programs. The UM System is the only public university system permitted to grant research doctorate and professional degrees. Other state universities are allowed to partner with the UM System to offer similar degree programs but cannot do so independently. The amended version of the bill passed Monday out of committee would repeal this provision, specifically to allow Missouri State University to offer programs that compete with those on UM System campuses. Proponents of the bill say that the exclusivity granted to UM System campuses makes doctoral degrees less accessible to those who do not live near a campus. 'When I look at that, if that is a space that someone is interested in, we really shouldn't be limiting that for people just because they can't travel to a specific area of the state,' Stinnett said in a committee hearing last month. Missouri State University President Richard Williams testified last month that his university simply seeks more flexibility. Missouri State currently offers 10 doctorate programs but is required by state law to do so in partnership with UM System campuses. 'This is relieving restrictions so we can be nimble,' he said. Opponents to ending UM System's exclusive power include the University of Missouri Flagship Council, which said in February in a Missourian guest commentary that tuition increases would likely follow as a result. 'The bottom line is that starting doctoral programs at public universities without research funding will need to be propped up with significant state support,' Chuck Brazeale, chair of the Flagship Council's board of directors, wrote. The bill passed through the House committee Monday by a vote of 10 to 1, with only state Rep. Bill Allen, a Republican from Kansas City, dissenting. This story originally appeared in the Columbia Missourian. It can be republished in print or online.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers debate new constitutional amendment banning abortion in Missouri
State Rep. Melanie Stinnett, a Springfield Republican, is sponsoring a proposed constitutional amendment that would again ban abortion in Missouri (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications). Missouri Republicans formally began the push to reinstate a ban on abortion Tuesday night, with a proposed constitutional amendment outlawing the procedure with limited exceptions for victims rape and incest. A Missouri House committee heard four hours of testimony on legislation filed by GOP state Rep. Melanie Stinnett of Springfield that seeks to overturn an abortion-rights amendment approved by voters in November. The previous ban, which was in place for two years, only permitted abortions in medical emergencies. Under Stinnett's legislation, voters would be asked to include exceptions for fetal anomalies and cases of rape or incest, as long as the crime was first reported to police and the abortion is performed prior to 12 weeks gestation. It would also ask voters to ban gender-affirming health care for minors. Missouri voters approve Amendment 3, overturn state's abortion ban Those who traveled to the Capitol from all corners of the state to oppose Stinnett's legislation included nurses, women who had miscarriages, women who had abortions and survivors of rape. Each argued lawmakers must respect the will of the voters. 'Amendment 3 passed in Missouri. There is no reason why I had to drive eight hours round trip to testify against an abortion restriction,' said Jessica Piper, a Democratic activist and former legislative candidate who lives on a farm on the Missouri-Iowa border. 'Why can't you just accept the will of your constituents?' State Rep. Jamie Gragg, an Ozark Republican, defended the GOP's decision to put another constitutional amendment on the ballot, saying those who supported Amendment 3 'weren't given the full picture.' Gragg on several occasions argued that legislators were not trying to pass a bill banning abortion, but rather putting the decision back in voters' hands. Stinnett said she spoke with law enforcement when drafting the legislation, who she says advised her that sexual violence victims could file a police report by going to a police station or by having police come to them. She said the survivor would then need to bring a copy of that report to their medical provider in order to access abortion. Democrats were quick to push back on this barrier to abortion care. 'There are many reasons someone would not necessarily report sexual violence,' said House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Democrat from Kansas City. Aune listed off a number of examples of individuals who might not be able to go to the police, such as child victims of incest. 'How do we help those people under this bill?' asked Aune, who told the committee that she is a rape survivor herself. ' … 12 weeks is simply not grace or empathy for survivors.' Stinnett said the reason for the deadline is to prevent someone from 'claiming rape to get an abortion if that hasn't occurred.' Asked how she determined the 48 hour reporting requirement, Stinnett said the idea was to give a physician time 'to do due diligence' and make sure the police report was legitimate. Though she added she's willing to consider other timeframes. Rep. Becky Laubinger, a Republican from Park Hills, said she supported the reporting requirement, adding that 'abortion makes rape a continued secret.' 'My heart goes out to victims of sexual violence. It is horrific. It should not happen,' she said. 'I do struggle with the idea that abortion is the only compassionate hope for the many women that I personally know who have suffered sexual violence.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE In November, Missourians narrowly voted to codify the right to reproductive health care — including abortion up until the point of fetal viability — in the state constitution. It's been two months since the new law went into effect, but the procedure remains inaccessible in Missouri. This is because an ongoing court case will decide which 'targeted regulation of abortion providers' laws, also known as TRAP laws, are unconstitutional under the amendment. While a Jackson County judge temporarily struck down a number of TRAP laws in December, Planned Parenthood clinics in Missouri say they cannot restart medication or surgical abortions until all of the TRAP laws are deemed unconstitutional and can no longer be enforced. Meanwhile, anti-abortion lawmakers returning to Jefferson City for the 2025 legislative session in January have been vocal about pushing forward a new constitutional amendment. The hope is to approve an amendment that could go before voters as soon as this year. Stinnett's legislation was the product of a working group of House Republicans tasked with selecting and prioritizing one proposed amendment among the dozens that were filed. State Rep. Brian Seitz, a Branson Republican, told The Independent prior to Stinnett's bill being referred to committee that while he believes life begins at conception, 'we also have to provide legislation that actually would pass.' 'Those that voted for Amendment 3 primarily were thinking about rape, incest and life of the mother,' said Seitz, a member of the working group. Jennifer Driver, senior director of reproductive rights with State Innovation Exchange, a nonprofit focused on promoting progressive policies, said Missouri isn't the first state where Republican lawmakers tested the limits of abortion legislation before taking incremental steps reversing it in response to backlash. 'Adding in exceptions does not work. It is a way to kind of pander to a base so that the bills and these measures don't seem so extreme,' Driver said. 'But we know the overwhelming number of people don't actually report.' Two out of every three sexual assaults are not reported to police, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. In a research letter published last year in JAMA Internal Medicine, one group of researchers estimated that since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, more than 65,500 women and girls in the 14 states with abortion bans in place became pregnant after being raped. Numerous pieces of research point to a myriad of reasons why survivors may not report their assault immediately, if ever. Among the most prevalent concerns cited are often fears of retaliation, of not being believed and of getting involved with law enforcement and the criminal justice system. One woman from Columbia spent her two minutes Tuesday night telling lawmakers about how she was raped at a party in college. While the assault didn't result in pregnancy, she said the reporting process was too much to handle. She had to undress in front of law enforcement to have her bruises photographed, and later police asked her to call her rapist to attempt to get him to admit what he did. 'Rep. Stinnett's (legislation) lacks the rigor that the women in Missouri deserve,' she said. The committee did not take action on the bill Tuesday. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
