By Jeff Murphy,
January 22, 2018
WARRENSBURG, MO – In a press conference Monday, Jan. 22, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens
announced his Fiscal Year 2019 budget recommendations calling for across-the board
cuts of 7.72 in gross appropriations for post-secondary education. His recommendation
was part of a total reduction for higher education of $62.8 million.
This would mean approximately $5.6 million less in funding for the UCM during the
next fiscal year. Total gross state appropriations are expected to be $50.1 million,
of which 10 percent will be set aside and made available upon the institution’s success
in meeting performance funding goals.
The amount of state support UCM will receive in FY19 drops to a level of funding last
received in 2004, and continues a recent decline in net appropriations. For FY18,
UCM received $52.7 million in state appropriations, considerably below the $57.9 million
budgeted net appropriation for FY17. UCM’s forecast for tuition and state appropriations
in FY18 – the bulk of its revenue – was approximately $138 million. This compares
to an initial budget of $152.3 million for tuition and state appropriations for FY17.
In a letter to the campus community Monday, UCM President Charles Ambrose said, “This
is a very important starting point for state appropriations, not only for UCM but
for all colleges and universities across Missouri. We look forward to working with
the administration and the legislature to hopefully mitigate the loss and make the
case higher education funding is required for the future of the state.”
He told faculty and staff,, “Our campus leadership will continue to work with all
of you on the budget to address the impact this reduction in funding will have on
the university, and additional information will be forthcoming as we move through
our budget planning process for FY19.”
While the decline in state appropriations will impact the university financially,
UCM’s focus on student success continues to mean finding ways to keep students from
shouldering the impact of these revenue declines which also means keeping tuition
as low as possible while still maintaining a quality education. This has consisted
of a 1.39 percent average annual tuition increase over the past seven years, consistently
below the Consumer Price Index. UCM also had the most aggressive completion agenda
among its competitor institutions, maximizing opportunities to create public K-12-higher
education-business partnerships such as The Missouri Innovation Campus and Innovation
Track programs that reduce the time to degree completion and students’ debt. The university
also was the first institution in Missouri to implement the 15-to-Finish Scholarship
concept as a way to keep students on track toward timely degree completion. This makes
UCM’s 15-to-Finish program the only one of its kind in Missouri to actually pay students
to graduate in four years. Such measures have helped the university to reduce the
need for financial aid by 19.1 percent over a three-year period.
While UCM attracts students from all socioeconomic backgrounds, the university seeks
to reduce financial barriers and find ways to ensure qualified students who desire
a higher education degree have the opportunity to achieve one. Meeting this goal includes
serving many first-generation, low-income students who are pioneering the education
trail with little family backing. About 40 percent of UCM students are eligible for
Pell grants. UCM has the highest graduation rate for first generation students among
its competitors.
“While our state faces budget challenges, higher education continues to be an exceptional
asset in helping to meet economic goals, and we will collectively work together in
cooperation with other institutions across the state to make sure our legislators
hear this message,” Ambrose said. “Our priority at UCM will continue to be student
success and making education as accessible and affordable as possible. This mission
and our position with the region allows us to grow and maintain momentum within the
challenging environment we are addressing.”
