含羞草社区鈥檚 operating funds per student, when adjusted for inflation, have declined by up to 18 percent in the last four years, according to a report from a nationally recognized financial consultant.
鈥淪ome key functions of the university have been fiscally starved and need to be addressed, including filling some critical vacant positions, salary adjustments and facility maintenance,鈥� according to the report from Dr. James McGill, retired senior vice president for finance and administration at Johns Hopkins University. He was contracted by Missouri Western to review the university鈥檚 financial status, assess its administrative efficiency, and offer recommendations.
The report notes that operating revenues have increased about 11 percent from 2008 to 2012, from $48 million to $53 million. But full-time-equivalent (FTE) student enrollment has grown 19 percent in that time, so revenues per FTE student have declined 7 percent. Adjusted for inflation, which ranged from 10.5 to 18 percent 鈥� depending on the measure used 鈥� the per student expenditure decrease has been 15.5 to 18 percent.
McGill鈥檚 report says the financial picture isn鈥檛 likely to change soon, with continuing reductions in state appropriations, limits on tuition increases, and a continuing upward push on costs. So he recommends Missouri Western consider:
- Advocacy. 鈥淸P]ublic higher education in Missouri must continue to articulate the importance of higher education with respect to the state鈥檚 future economic and social health 鈥� as MWSU receives the lowest state appropriation per FTE student among all the public universities, and given its special role as an open enrollment institution in northwest Missouri, its advocates should continue to argue for additional state funding.鈥�
- Further operating cost reductions. 鈥淔rom the available data, MWSU operates very efficiently 鈥� MWSU has significantly fewer staff per dollar billed and collected than national averages for similarly sized institutions. Despite these facts and the substantial reductions in MWSU expenses that have been made in the last few years, the University has an obligation to continue to find ways to reduce its operating costs.鈥� McGill recommends pursuing a buying consortium to purchase supplies, outsourcing selected administrative functions and seeking an energy audit.
- New or Expanded Initiatives. Solving Missouri Western鈥檚 long-term funding problem will require the development of new revenue streams, the report says. Among the possibilities are expanding student recruitment outside of Missouri, increasing graduate school enrollments, expanding online programs, adding fund raising staff, and further emphasis on the unique entrepreneurship opportunities in the Craig School of Business.聽 Other initiatives include developing a master鈥檚 degree program in the biological sciences in support of the regional animal health sciences initiatives, enhancing the presence of the Kit Bond Science and Technology Incubator, and considering land development.聽 It is recommended that some of the University鈥檚 small reserves be used for a 鈥渟trategic initiatives investment fund鈥� to pay for some of these initiatives.
- Review the support infrastructure and governance structure of the MWSU Foundation.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very grateful to Dr. McGill for his analysis,鈥� said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western鈥檚 president. 鈥淢any of his recommendations are things we鈥檝e been working on, and it鈥檚 good to get an outside, objective opinion that we鈥檝e been making good decisions and are headed in the right direction. He鈥檚 also suggested some new avenues that we look forward to exploring.鈥�
Dr. McGill was senior vice president for finance and administration at Johns Hopkins University for 12 years. Prior to that, he served as executive vice president in charge of finance, budgeting, facilities, endowment investment, human resources and other administrative functions for the four-campus University of Missouri system; vice president of Oregon Health Services University; and associate vice chancellor for the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago.
含羞草社区 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. Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .