The Standard

Issue date: 2/9/10 Section: News

Media Credit: Matt Kile

Closing universities, increasing class sizes and eliminating athletic programs are all part of a financial storm that could be coming to public universities in Missouri in 2012.

Due to a $1 billion deficit, the state will have to reduce state funding to public higher education by as much as 15 to 20 percent in fiscal year 2012, Missouri Department of Higher Education commissioner Robert Stein said in a memo to university presidents and chancellors.

The department is looking at several options that would trim the budget, deputy commissioner Paul Wagner said.

"We're having informal conversations with people looking at the budget situation saying, 'If it comes to pass that we have to cut major amounts of money, what kinds of things would we have to look at to make that work?'" Wagner said.

Requiring students who don't graduate to repay financial aid, increasing faculty workloads and privatizing institutions were among the potential cutbacks listed in the memo.

However, details about those possibilities are not known at this time, Wagner said.

"One suggestion is we might have to close a school with those kinds of budget deficits," he said, "but there are no specifics as far as what school or how many or anything like that."

The lack of details about cost-cutting measures has led Missouri State to take a wait-and-see approach, President Michael Nietzel said.

"Commissioner Stein's memo about possible higher education funding cuts in fiscal year 2012 deserves careful consideration in due time," Nietzel said in an e-mail. "At this point, Missouri State University has planned for the necessary budget cuts in fiscal year 2011, and we have begun to evaluate what 2012 might hold for us.



"Without more definitive information than we have at this time, it is premature to offer anything more specific."

However, it's clear that institutions will have to find ways to increase revenues because they are unable to increase tuition amounts in the near future, Stein said in the memo.

According to a news release, university presidents reached an agreement with Gov. Jay Nixon to freeze tuition through the 2010-2011 academic year. In exchange, Nixon agreed to maintain higher education state funding at about 95 percent of the appropriated amount.

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