By Jeff Murphy,
October 31, 2017
WARRENSBURG, MO – Utilizing his years of university leadership experience, University
of Central Missouri President Charles Ambrose has received an appointment that allows
him to collaborate with higher education leaders and stakeholders from a 12-state
region. Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has appointed him to a five-year term on the Midwestern
Higher Education Compact (MHEC) Board of Commissioners, effective Oct. 26, 2017 through
Jan. 1, 2021.
MHEC is one of four nonprofit interstate compacts that were created statutorily in
1991 to provide greater higher education opportunities and services aimed at furthering
regional access to, research in and choice of higher education for individuals who
reside in states served by each compact. The MHEC serves citizens of Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota,
and Wisconsin.
“I’m grateful that Gov. Greitens has provided an opportunity for me to represent UCM
and other public higher education institutions throughout the Midwest through the
MHEC,” said Ambrose. “The MHEC offers a collective voice to help ensure higher education
remains a great value proposition for students and their families, an objective that
aligns perfectly with our priorities at UCM. I look forward to supporting these efforts
on a regional level.”
According to MHEC’s website, among its statutory charges, the organization seeks to
improve access to many different high-quality postsecondary education programs for
individuals who want to enhance their knowledge, skills and training. This objective
is achieved through collaboration and utilization of the collective expertise of policymakers,
practitioners, and researchers who also seek to maintain college affordability and
help students and taxpayers maximize the return on their investment in higher education.
The MHEC looks for opportunities to help member states to leverage colleges and universities
and their programs as strategic assets to advance economic and community development
to help improve the lives of the region’s citizens. It also has established initiatives
such as group purchasing to allow institutions in one state to pool their resources
and expertise with institutions in other states to gain cost-saving marketplace advantages
that may not otherwise be possible.
Each state participating in the MHEC appoints five individuals to serve as part of
a 60-member governing body that includes legislators, higher education leaders, and
governors’ representatives. Program fees paid by member states, as well as foundation
grants, finance MHEC activities and support initiatives that lead to outcomes that
could not be achieved if institutions acted alone. MHEC estimates that the annual
savings for its member states that resulted from its services totaled more than $123
million for Fiscal year 2017.
MHEC will host its annual commission meeting and policy forum on affordability Nov.
13-14 in Overland Park, Kan.
An untiring advocate for servant leadership and engaged learning, became UCM’s 15th
president in 2010, where he has built innovative partnerships between higher education,
public education, government and industry. His dedication to new approaches in higher
education to accelerate the time it takes for students to complete a degree, reduce
college debt load, and provide experiential learning led to the establishment of The
Missouri Innovation Campus in 2012. Prior to joining UCM, Ambrose served as president
of Pfeiffer University for 12 years. His career in higher education administration
also took him to Carson-Newman College, Western Carolina University, Furman University,
and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, where he served as
executive assistant to the president.
President Ambrose earned a bachelor’s degree from Furman University, master’s degree
at the University of Louisville, and doctorate at the University of Georgia.
