Latest news with #UMSystem
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
University of Missouri System implementing hiring restrictions, spending slowdown
University of Missouri President Mun Y. Choi gave his State of the University Address in March 2022 (photo courtesy of the University of Missouri). In response to economic uncertainty, the University of Missouri System is imposing immediate hiring restrictions, purchasing controls and slowing spending. The cost-saving measures, which aim for a minimum $16 million in savings for fiscal year 2025, were presented Thursday at the Board of Curators meeting in Rolla. While the system 'remains well positioned with a strong balance sheet,' broader pressures on the higher education sector are spurring such cuts, said Ryan Rapp, UM System executive vice president for Finance and Operations. One of the key concerns is potential cuts to federal research funding, such as those from the National Institutes of Health. 'NIH is the largest funder of university research throughout the United States. And so to replace the level of funding that potentially can be at risk is very significant,' UM System President Mun Choi said. 'We will continue to make the case to NIH and other agencies and educate them on the value of our research so that the funds will continue to flow to the University of Missouri.' Part of the system's financial strategy, Rapp said, is keeping administrative spending low and maintaining current academic spending. The system spends just over a quarter of its labor budget on administration, Rapp said, compared to a 38.5% benchmark average. Additionally, 56.8% of its labor budget is allotted to academics, exceeding the 52.5% average at peer institutions. The University of Missouri has also cut educational expenses per degree awarded by 20% since 2017, according to Rapp's report. More 'moderate' tuition increases are expected, with state appropriations projected to rise by 1.5%. The curators increased tuition by 5% for all undergraduates in May 2024, and will vote on tuition and fee rates for fiscal year 2026 at its May meeting. Even amid the UM system's economic stress, Choi boasted increased application rates for fall 2025 at all four universities. First-time college applications showed double-digit increases with MU at 12%, the University of Missouri-Kansas City at 15%, Missouri University of Science and Technology at 15% and the University of Missouri-St. Louis at 5%. 'We are very proud of the work that our faculty, staff and administrators have done to share the message that we provide a very high-quality, affordable education at our universities,' Choi said. The curators also approved two new degree programs at the meeting: a doctoral program in human development and family science at MU and a masters in geospatial engineering at Missouri S&T. MU's Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory building was officially renamed the Dr. Dan Brown Building, in honor of the late veterinarian and former state senator. Board Chair Todd Graves highlighted recent system milestones, including the April 2 ribbon cutting for a 47,000 square foot addition to the MU's research reactor and the Wednesday groundbreaking of a 127,000-square-foot Bioplex research hub at Missouri S&T. This story originally appeared in the Columbia Missourian. It can be republished in print and online.
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.
