Missouri State University Chief Financial Officer Eric Schick said they’re facing a possible 10% drop in state appropriations in fiscal year 2028. That would mean a decrease of $11 million in the university’s budget.
Speaking at a university town hall Wednesday, Schick said state appropriations have been stagnant for the last three years. At the same time, tuition revenue is down – this year it was 4.5% less than what MSU had budgeted or about $5.9 million. He pointed out that they’re down 4,000 students compared to the fall of 2017. He asked each department to be sure that they’re hitting their operating budget and to review any open positions.
He wondered if department heads might consider whether they can come up with a solution to not have to fill an opening when someone leaves. "Is there a way that we can redistribute the workload within our departments to make up for that so that we don't have to do any drastic cuts in fiscal year 2027?" he asked.
Dr. Dawn Medley, vice-president for enrollment management at Missouri State, is tasked with increasing the student population. She said they’re working to recruit students and keep them on track to graduation once they start school. And she said they need to have a good mix of students. The university has seen decreases in both undergraduate and graduate students and an increase in dual credit, "and that is not a sustainable mix for us. It doesn't mean that we want to decrease dual credit because that's a really good pipeline," said Medley. "What it does mean for us is we need to continue to strive to increase our first year, our transfer and our grad enrollments, because that's where we need to be with that full time."
She said the demographic cliff is one reason for the decline in student numbers. According to Medley, Missouri is a declining birth rate state. Other reasons are the economy and competition in Missouri. And she said more young people are choosing not to attend college. That’s why Missouri State is recruiting from states like Texas, which Medley said has a larger population of high school graduates seeking a college experience.
Mo State Provost Dr. Clarenda Phillips encouraged faculty and staff members to take time to help students as they navigate their first year of college.
"And that may mean just giving an encouraging smile, seeing a student and saying, hey, can I help you? You know, when students look lost in my GP 101 class, the students said today, you know, success for them is that they no longer have to use GPS to find their classroom, right? But I would hope that they don't have to use GPS to find their classroom because one of us came alongside them and said, let me help you find your classes," she said. "We create an environment in which students feel cared for, and we build their confidence so that they can make a difference in their family's lives and in the communities in which they will become successful professionals."
Phillips said there are around 20 people from various areas on campus that serve on the University Student Success Council, which is looking at data to examine ways to target certain student populations to help them graduate.
She said there will be opportunities for others to provide input on what's being called the Student Success Quality Initiative, funded through the Higher Learning Commission's Quality Initiative Program. The goal is to identify and implement strategies that improve student success across Missouri State University.