http://ozarkspub.vo.llnwd.net/o37/KSMU/audio/mp3/missourist_1411.mp3
In his annual address to the campus community, Missouri State University President Michael Nietzel noted that enrollment and minority recruitment are up, so are private gifts and grant funding for research. At the same time, state funding for higher education is lagging behind the national average. KSMU's Missy Shelton reports.
In his annual address to the campus community, Missouri State University President Michael Nietzel noted that enrollment and minority recruitment are up...So are private gifts and grant funding for research. At the same time, state funding for higher education is lagging behind the national average.
About 200 people gathered at Plaster Student Union today to hear Nietzel deliver a speech today entitled Imagining and Making Missouri's Future.
While increases in higher education funding from the state are behind the national average, Nietzel noted that Missouri's public universities have kept tuition increases in line with the national average.
In response to a question from the audience, Nietzel said he and the other university presidents have been meeting with lawmakers to discuss the funding needs of higher education.
Faculty welcomed news that higher education could get a funding boost next year that's bigger than the two percent increase it got this year.
Art Spisak is director of the Honors College and a member of the faculty in the Modern and Classical Languages Department.
He says Nietzel has done a good job working with the legislature to get additional state funding.
In addition to funding, Missouri State President Michael Nietzel talked about enrollment.
Numbers are up for the Springfield campus but down in West Plains.
One of the areas on which Nietzel has focused during his first year at Missouri State is recruiting more minority students.
During his address he noted that minority enrollment is up.
Assistant Vice President for Multicultural Programs Charlotte Hardin.
If you would like to hear the address from Missouri State University President Michael Nietzel, tune in to KSMU this evening at 7 when we will broadcast today's speech.