Mizzou Legislative Network
2008 Legislative Platform
The University of Missouri serves a unique role as Missouri’s largest public research, land-grant University. Reinvesting in the powerful economic engine represented by Mizzou will be critical to the future of our state and the well being of our 120,000 alumni in Missouri, as well as all their fellow citizens. We believe the stage is set to ensure quality higher education for today’s students, improve accessibility and affordability for tomorrow’s students and provide the support that will attract further outside investment in research to improve the lives of all Missourians and fuel our state’s economy in the changing times ahead.
Top-notch faculty are integral to students’ success and to the research enterprise and, thus, are the heart of our institution. The Mizzou Legislative Network supports the budget requests below to help ensure the global and national competitiveness of Missouri’s only public AAU/Research University by providing the support necessary to ensure student success and further growth of problem-solving research through the recruitment and retention of the very best faculty.
Ø The Mizzou Legislative Network supports a continued reinvestment in the operating budget for the University of Missouri.
We support and encourage the funding of the core operating budget to $431 million. We support funding a minimum inflationary increase for compensation ($13.84 million) and a matching program to increase salaries of ranked faculty ($3.55 million).
Over the past nine years, MU ranks last of 34 members of the Association of American Universities (AAU) in growth of faculty salaries. We support the continuation of the Governor’s three-year plan in FY2008 to increase funds at a minimum of 4.2 percent each year to return higher education operating levels to FY2002. This is the second increase. The University would use this to fund a 4 percent increase in the salary pool for merit increases and for rising benefits costs. We support a matching program for ranked faculty designed to bring salaries to the median of peer institutions and help attract and retain top faculty utilizing a 1-1 match with University funds over a three-year period.
Ø The Mizzou Legislative Network supports the $38 million “Preparing to Care” initiative.
This initiative is designed to increase enrollment in health care programs to meet shortages in the state. Missouri faces a shortage in health care professionals in many fields: 95 percent of counties are underserved by physicians; 93 percent of counties have shortages of dentists; a shortage of 700 pharmacists is predicted by 2012; and a shortage of almost 20 percent of nurses is predicted by 2015. This plan includes expansion of enrollments in medicine, nursing, health professions, pharmacy, optometry and dentistry at programs across the state and represents a collaboration of public two- and four-year institutions. This proposal is supported by the Council on Public Higher Education and recommended by the Department of Higher Education for FY2009.
MU would receive $9 million in funding to increase enrollments as follows: 16 medical students; 27 nursing students including bachelors, Masters and Ph.D’s; 10 occupational therapy students; 10 physical therapy students; 9 health diagnostics students; and 3 students each in communication disorders, medical tech, and respiratory therapy.
Ø The Mizzou Legislative Network supports supplemental funding for Ellis Fischel State Cancer Hospital and the FY09 capital improvements request.
We support the Governor’s commitment to appropriate $31 million for the Ellis Fischel State Cancer Hospital in Columbia via the supplemental appropriation process. Ellis Fischel was one of the two projects that were not funded last year as part of the Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative.
We also support MU’s fiscal year 2009 capital request of $47.8 million for the reconstruction and addition to the College of Engineering’s Lafferre Hall.
Ø The Mizzou Legislative Network supports the appropriation of $500,000 to fully fund and implement the Large Animal Veterinary Medicine Loan Forgiveness Program.
MU is the only option for veterinary medicine education in the state and there is a shortage of graduates who practice large animal medicine. This loan program will provide an economic incentive to encourage students to major in large animal medicine at MU, and to stay in Missouri to practice in the field after graduation. This program in included in the State Department of Agriculture’s budget request.
Ø The Mizzou Legislative Network supports an appropriation of $1.5 million to enhance Missouri’s research and development technical assistance efforts.
This appropriation would enhance Missouri’s research and development technical assistance efforts through the Federal and State Technology Partnership (FAST), the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), and the Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC). The state’s $1.5 million investment would be matched with $1.5 million in federal funds and $1.5 million in local match to leverage $2 for every state dollar. This program would be funded through the Department of Economic Development.
