Board Action Items Include FY 2021 Operating and Capital Appropriations Requests

By Jeff Murphy, June 26, 2019

WARRENSBURG, MO – Approval to submit requests for Fiscal Year 2021 state operating appropriations and for capital appropriations were among items approved by the University of Central Missouri Board of Governors when it met in plenary session June 21. The board also approved a request for media planning and buying services and for library subscription services during the session while naming board officers for Fiscal Year 2020.

The Missouri Department of Higher Education requires public colleges and universities to submit their projected funding needs for preparation of the consolidated FY 2021 budget for Missouri higher education. The request approved by the UCM board is approximately $60.2 million, which includes a funding equivalent to the FY 2020 base and performance funding; a 3 percent increase to core for mandatory and inflationary cost increases; $800,000 for unfunded contribution increases to the Missouri State Employees Retirement System (MOSERS); $91,371 for Missouri Returning Heroes; $200,000 debt offset tax authority; and $2.1 million to address other new funding decision item requests.

If MDHE should change its guidelines for submittal of the FY 2021 operating appropriations request, a special meeting of the board will be requested prior to the due date.

MDHE also requires institutions to submit capital improvement project priorities, applications for matching funds from the Higher Education Capital Fund, and other supplemental appropriation requests. This will help MDHE to establish a list of statewide priority capital needs. The board approved submitting a list of UCM capital appropriation priorities that include new construction and renovation projects. Included among eight deferred facility projects are the roof replacement and facade restoration of the Ward Edwards Building, Humphreys Building and Administration Building, which are considered priorities. Each of these projects is projected to cost over $4 million apiece. Seventeen proposed new construction and renovation projects are on the list. MDHE has not yet set the deadline for submissions.

The board approved the award of a contract for library subscription services to EBSCO Information Services for an initial one-year contract period, beginning July 1, 2019 at a cost of $435,000. The cost includes subscriptions to aggregated collections of journal and reference content (databases), and more than 300 single-title journal subscriptions from third-party publishers, brokered by EBSCO. UCM has utilized these subscription services for 10 years. This contract will be funded by the UCM Library Materials Fund.

A contract for media planning and buying services was approved with Walz Tetrick Advertising (formerly  Ruth Burke & Associates) in Mission, Kansas, for an initial one-year contract period, July 1, 2019-June 30, 2020, with two additional one-year renewal options. The university benefits from use of these professional services because agencies specialize in media planning and buying. Among many benefits for the university, the media planning and buying service has extensive resources to conduct in-depth media research, and leverage their buying clout with media vendors in order to obtain lower prices and bonus media coverage.
 
In other business, the board announced its officers for Fiscal Year 2020. John Collier, Weston, will serve as president; Steve Abney, Warrensburg, vice president; and Mary Dandurand, Warrensburg, secretary.