Among Many Actions, UCM Governing Board Sets Tuition, Room and Board, Other Fees for FY 2025

From left, the University of Central Missouri Board of Governors recently recognized Professor Emerita Janice Putnam as recipient of the Governor's Award for Excellence in Education, and awarded emeriti status to Monica Huffman, executive assistant to the president, assistant secretary to the Board of Governors, and Cathy Clear, library assistant V.

WARRENSBURG, MO – In its March plenary session, the University of Central Missouri Board of Governors approved increases in student instructional tuition and general fees for fiscal year 2025 that were below the national rate of inflation. It also approved room and board rates, authorized increases in charges to cadets participating in the Central Missouri Police Academy program, and approved a new fee structure for the Kodály Certification Program for music educators. These board decisions were in addition to other action items related to future fundraising efforts by the UCM Alumni Foundation, athletics multimedia rights and ticket sales, and the expansion of UCM Bound Out-of-State Scholarships for Qualifying States.

Tuition and general fee increases that take effect for fall 2024 were approved following a presentation by Bill Hawley, vice president for finance and operations. Undergraduate resident tuition, regardless of modality, was set at $285 per credit hour, up 2.7 percent from the current rate ($277.50 per hour), and in-state graduate tuition was set at $366.50 per semester hour, an increase of 2.9 percent from this year’s rate ($356). The per-semester-hour cost for non-resident students, both undergraduate and graduate, will be double the resident rate.

Additional academic rate increases range from 0.5 percent to 3.3 percent for online and hybrid courses; courses taught at UCM-Lee’s Summit and Whiteman Air Force Base; courses for business graduates (all locations and modes); Computer Information Science and Computer Science graduate student courses (all locations and modes); and Extended Studies courses.

The board set general fees at the flat rate of $750 for students who are enrolled in nine or more credit hours. This is a total $45 increase over the FY 2024 flat rate. Students who are taking less than nine credit hours per semester will pay $50 per credit hour, which is a $3 per hour increase over the current rate. These fees cover university expenses related to athletics, facilities, Pertle Springs Recreation Area, student activities, technology, Elliott Student Union, Health Services, and Student Recreation and Wellness Center.

Hawley presented the board with proposed new room and board rates. The board approved this plan setting the campus residence hall double occupancy rate at $3,264 per semester, a 3 percent increase over the FY 2024 rate, and set the single occupancy residence hall rate at $3,959 per semester, up 2.99 percent. Rates for meal plans increased by 4.24 percent for the Silver Plan, 3.9 percent for the Gold Plan and 3.55 percent for the Platinum Plan. Apartment rate increases range from 2.96 percent to 3.04 percent depending on the facility.

After hearing a presentation by Tim Lowry, director of the Central Missouri Police Academy, the board approved a recommendation to increase the CMPA program rate from $6,210 to $6,560 per cadet, effective for the summer academy beginning July 8, 2024. CMPA is a state certified Class-A basic training academy that has been in existence for more than 50 years, and is currently part of the Missouri Safety Center. Cadets receive approximately 825-845 hours of training, which exceeds the minimum required for the Missouri Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) certification. The last increase in cost for the program was in 2019.

The board also heard a report from Eric Honour, chair of the School of Visual and Performing Arts, related to the proposed new tuition structure for the Kodály Certification Workshop. This measure was approved by the board. Beginning this summer, all participants will pay a workshop fee of $799, and, based on a participants’ preferences, graduate credit will be available from one to six credit hours offered at the board-approved limited cost tuition rate. This credit is applicable toward a UCM Master of Arts in Music and other UCM graduate degree programs as appropriate. The Kodály method of instruction is an internationally renowned and highly successful approach to elementary music education.

Honour also shared information about a proposed new program fee of $18 per credit hour for all visual and performing arts prefix courses (ART, DANC, MUS, THEA), and the removal of the existing $100 fee on private music lessons. Approved by the board, the new fee is expected to generate sufficient revenue to replace the fee currently charged for music lessons, according to Honour. The fee helps to cover additional expenses incurred due to equipment purchases and maintenance to serve student users in their classes and productions, and to help ensure UCM has faculty with expertise required to teach the wide variety of disciplines in the arts.

The board approved an expansion to the UCM Bound Out-of-State Scholarship Qualifying States program. Initially set in March 2021, the program extends the automatic grant of a scholarship equal to the non-resident portion of tuition to include residents of Louisiana and Mississippi. This decision aligns with the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith joining the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Conference on July 1, 2024, thereby adding Louisiana and Mississippi as border states. This expansion supports the university's strategic goal of enhancing student access and success by making education more affordable for a broader range of students.

At the request of the UCM Alumni Foundation Board of Directors, the Board of Governors endorsed the kick off of a comprehensive fundraising campaign starting July 1, 2024 with an initial goal of $50 million. This decision follows a feasibility study conducted by Gonser Gerber in summer 2023. This campaign will include a "quiet phase" beginning in July 2024.

The campaign's focus will be on raising funds to support capital project initiatives identified in the UCM Master Plan, garnering support for endowments through outright gifts, pledges, and planned gift commitments, and increasing support for the Central Annual Fund. The comprehensive campaign aligns with UCM's strategic goals of enhancing student access and success, raising brand awareness, and improving its reputation through increased philanthropy.

The campaign, which is the university's first of this scale, is seen as a crucial step in building a strong commitment to philanthropy and enhancing the university's reputation. The Foundation and University Advancement operating budgets will cover the initial campaign costs, with the possibility of additional funding from the university as the campaign progresses. 

In other business, Kristen Plummer, incoming executive assistant to UCM President Best, was appointed assistant secretary to the board.

Professor Emerita Janice Putnam, Ph.D., R.N., was recognized as the 2024 recipient of the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education. This awards program was established by the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education and provides an annual opportunity to recognize college- and university-level faculty members who have excelled in their profession. The Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education considers criteria such as effective teaching, effective advising, innovative course design and delivery, service to the university community, and commitment to high standards of excellence and success in nurturing student achievement.

The board also authorized emeriti status for the following employees, whose most current titles and dates of service to UCM are as follows: 
Cathy Clear (Oct. 3, 2005 – July 31, 2016), library assistant V; Monica Huffman (Nov. 1, 1999 – March 31, 2024), executive assistant to the president, assistant secretary to the Board of Governors.