The Board of Governors at Missouri Western State University adopted operating and auxiliary budgets for the fiscal year that begins July 1, but it also looked further into the future by approving proposals to prepare a campus master plan and a comprehensive energy savings plan.
The operating budget for 2014-2015 totals approximately $51.7 million, up slightly from the current year’s budget of $51.1 million. The auxiliary budget totals approximately $12.1 million, down slightly from the current budget of $12.4 million.
The budget includes a 1.74 percent tuition increase for in-state undergraduate students, or $3.35 per credit hour. The Board had previously approved the tuition increase in the event that state appropriations didn’t rise. Gov. Jay Nixon announced this week that he would withhold a $43 million increase for colleges and universities approved by the General Assembly, including approximately $645,000 for Missouri Western.
“We’re always reluctant to raise tuition, and in fact have frozen tuition for in-state undergraduate students for four of the previous 10 years. However, given the current state appropriation circumstances, we had little choice,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western’s president. “Obviously, we hope the governor is able to release the additional funds after the legislature’s veto session in September.”
Even with the tuition increase, the cost of attending Missouri Western remains one of the lowest among the state’s public universities.
The budget includes a 2 percent salary increase for faculty and staff, and anticipates an increase of up to 15 percent in health insurance premiums.
Master Planning Services
The Board of Governors accepted a proposal from architectural firm Clark-Huesemann of Lawrence, Kan., to develop a campus master plan that will guide Missouri Western’s physical growth.
“A campus master plan will establish a framework for the physical growth and evolution that can be anticipated over the next 10 years,” said Jerry Pickman, vice president for university advancement and executive director of the Missouri Western State University Foundation. “This will be an essential tool to help guide the university’s decisions regarding new construction and renovation, traffic patterns, accessibility, environmental stewardship, parking, land development and space utilization.”
A selection committee invited five firms to campus to make presentations and answer questions. After that initial review, two firms were invited back to campus to make summary presentations to the committee, President Vartabedian and Leo Blakely, chair of the Board of Governors. Clark-Huesmann was unanimously chosen based on a combination of its presentations, scope of services offered, areas of expertise, experience with similar institutions, timeline, expected deliverables, and overall fit with the university.
A master plan is especially important as a long-term land lease bill that passed the General Assembly might present the campus with new opportunities, Pickman said. Current state law includes a sunset clause which prevents most universities from leasing their land beyond 2017. House Bill 1206, which removes that sunset clause, awaits the governor’s action.
“If the bill becomes law, there may be some opportunities to enter into long-term leases for some of our 723 acres, and a master plan will help ensure that any of these leases are compatible with our overall mission and possible future needs,” Pickman said.
The initial cost of the campus master plan is $188,600, with a contingency budget of $11,400.
Energy Savings
The Board of Governors accepted a proposal from Schneider Electric to provide an energy conservation program. Schneider will analyze campus energy usage and design, install, maintain, monitor and arrange the financing of a comprehensive energy conservation program.
“Missouri Western has dealt with rising utility and operational costs for years,” said Cale Fessler, vice president for financial planning and administration. “It is our hope that Schneider Electric will help us bring those costs down. One nice feature of the contract is that if we implement the company’s proposed changes and our energy savings fall short of its guaranteed benchmark, Schneider Electric will pay to cover the shortfall.”
Schneider was selected after a lengthy evaluation process by a five-member selection committee. The committee reviewed proposals from seven energy service companies, and then invited four firms to campus to make presentations.
Schneider Electric says its process typically does not require upfront capital, using guaranteed energy and operational savings to provide improvements. The leveraging of guaranteed energy savings will provide vast improvements to the university’s heating, air conditioning, lighting, water fixtures and other infrastructure needs.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university, providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high-quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.