By Jeff Murphy,
June 16, 2016
WARRENSBURG, MO – Senate Bill 997, legislation that Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said is
good for students, education institutions, and the state’s economy, was signed June
16 during a press conference conducted by the governor at the University of Central
Missouri.
While signing the legislation during a brief ceremony in the Ward Edwards Building
atrium, Gov. Nixon also recognized UCM for its efforts to create innovative programs
that will help students graduate faster and with less debt. The signing took place
with the governor joined by UCM President Chuck Ambrose, Board of Governors President
Marvin “Bunky” Wright, Provost and Chief Learning Officer Deborah Curtis, and the
bill’s sponsor, state Sen. David Pearce, R-District 21.
The omnibus higher education bill, SB911, will help more undergraduates complete their
degrees through provisions that enable students to take dual credit courses while
they are in high school, make it easier to transfer college credits between public
higher education institutions, and require the development of additional policies
and pilot programs to encourage degree completion.
“Over the last several years, Missouri has become a national leader to enable students
to complete their higher education degrees, and this bill helps us continue to lead,”
the governor said. “These provisions are good for our students, they’re good for our
colleges and universities, and they are good for our economy – because education is
the best economic development tool there is.”
In introducing the governor, Ambrose talked about how SB 997 helps to address issues
in higher education that were outlined by education and government leaders who participated
in the higher education summit commenced by the governor in six years ago. The event
took place only weeks after Ambrose began work at UCM.
“It was August 2010 at a meeting in Jefferson City when Gov. Nixon set an agenda for
higher education in the state of Missouri…The University of Central Missouri has been
a direct beneficiary of the primary points that were delivered to public education
on that August day. Since that time, we’ve grown by 27 percent in our student body,
produced 23 percent more graduates, held cost below inflation three of those six years
since the summit having no tuition increase at all for our students,” Ambrose said.
He added, “There’s been a confluence of impact of these factors which has allowed
our aggregate student loan debt to go down $10 million over the last two years. That’s
what happens when policy and education meet leadership, and that’s what the governor
of this state provided for Missouri. Since August 2010, he’s worked diligently on
each of these issues moving forward.”
During the press conference, the governor noted that under Senate Bill 997, Missouri’s
Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE) will work with the state’s public colleges
and universities to develop a 42-credit-hour block of foundational courses that can
be transferred to any other public higher education institution in the state. This
will allow students to get college credit for classes they have already taken.
SB 997 also creates a scholarship fund to help low-income students take dual credit
courses while they are still in high school, thereby giving them a head start on their
higher education while helping to reduce their college costs.
Additionally, the bill requires the CBHE and public colleges and universities to jointly
develop more policies and pilot programs that assist students in degree completion,
such as encouraging full-time enrollment and helping students map out a pathway to
attaining their degrees. These policies will include “15 to Finish,” which focuses
on keeping students on track for a degree by giving them a strong start on taking
the needed number of credit hours per semester in order to graduate in four years.
The governor praised UCM for taking a leadership role in the area of degree completion.
The university established a “15-to-Finish Scholarship” program in 2013 at the same
time it developed its Learning to a Greater Degree contract for student completion.
Designed to help students graduate in four years and reduce the cost of their education,
“15-to-Finish Scholarships” are awarded to students who began their studies at UCM
the summer of 2013 or later. Students who meet eligibility criteria are awarded this
scholarship during their final semester at the university. The scholarship consists
of a $1,000 award for students who began their education at UCM as freshmen and a
$500 award for students who became UCM students as new transfers.
“We are grateful to Gov. Nixon for signing Senate Bill 997, and legislators who helped
make it possible,” Ambrose said, “knowing the ’15 to Finish Act’ will promote on-time
degree completion, and ultimately help all students in Missouri to reduce their college
debt burden.”
UCM’s Learning to a Greater Degree initiative with the “15-to-Finish Scholarship”
has had a positive impact on the campus. Here are just a few examples of the types
of progress being made:
When the Learning to a Greater Degree program began in fall 2013, UCM’s fall to fall
retention was 69.25 percent. As of fall 2014, it has increased to more than 70 percent.
The largest successful impact UCM has experienced related to “15-to-Finish” is the
increase in completion of 15 credit hours. Since the program was initiated, the university
has experienced almost a 14 percent increase in the number of students completing
15 or more credits each semester from 56.63 percent in fall 2012 to 70.57 percent
in fall 2015.
Since the program’s inception in 2013-2014, UCM has awarded more than $85,500 to 148
students who have completed the “15-to-Finish” requirements.
Moving into the 2016-2017 academic year, UCM has an additional 740 students (522 students
who are first time freshmen and 218 transfer students) who will be eligible for “15-to-Finish
Scholarships.” This gives UCM the potential to award $630,000 in scholarships, if
all students graduate in either fall 2016 or spring 2017.
Gov. Nixon also recognized UCM for its leadership in collaboration with businesses
and public education institutions. As an example, he cited The Missouri Innovation
Campus (MIC), which opened in 2012 and was recognized by President Barack Obama during
a visit to UCM in 2013 as an innovative way to control college costs. The governor
supported the partnership effort that includes the university, Lee’s Summit R-7 School
District and its Summit Technology Academy, Metropolitan Community Colleges and numerous
business partners. He also supported legislation to make similar programs possible
in other parts of the state.
