Latest entries in Live blog: June 2010 Board of Curators meeting
Follow The Maneater's coverage as the UM system Board of Curators meets at MU on Thursday and Friday. The board is the governing body of the four-campus university system, which includes MU, UM-Kansas City, UM-St. Louis and Missouri University of Science and Technology.
June 11, 2010
Forsee, curators remain tight-lipped on conference realignment
UM system President Gary Forsee takes questions on MU's possible move from the Big 12, after the Board of Curators meeting Friday. Forsee gave few details on the conference realignment, but pledged MU's "continued loyalty" to working with Big 12 members.
UM system President Gary Forsee and Board of Curators Chairwoman Judith Haggard addressed conference realignment concerns at a news conference Friday after the curators' public meeting. Haggard said there has been no update in Big 10 discussions since Thursday.
“Our people are doing their very best to represent the university,” Haggard said. “That’s about all I can tell you.”
Forsee also refused to comment on details of MU's possible departure from the Big 12. The UM system president said they have stayed on top of national conference developments since talks first surfaced last year.
“We have done our homework on the University of Missouri’s standing nationally,” Forsee said.
Both Haggard and Forsee said the only hard fact available to the Board of Curators was the University of Colorado’s announcement of its move to the Pac-10 on Thursday.
“The lack of information really shouldn’t be a surprise at the end of the day,” Forsee said.
Forsee said, as a fan, he understands the frustration, but that MU still has to abide by contractual obligations to the Big 12. He also said he refused to speculate on the future of the Big 12 and said MU has strong relationships with other members of the Big 12.
“We have relationships at multiple levels,” Forsee said.
The conference concluded with discussions on the lack of salary increases for faculty and staff. For the third consecutive year, compensation will not see an increase, but Forsee said it remains one of their highest priorities.
The remaining board members met in executive session during the press conference.
Curators pass 2011 budget without increases for faculty salaries
UM system faculty and staff will have to wait another year for increases in compensation. The Board of Curators passed the fiscal year 2011 budget, which lacks an increase in funding for faculty and staff salaries, with little discussion Friday morning. This will be the third consecutive year without increases for faculty compensation.
UM system President Gary Forsee and Board of Curators Chairwoman Judith Haggard are taking questions on Big 12 conference realignment in a news conference. Follow The Maneater's coverage through our live video stream here http://www.livestream.com/themaneater.
Deaton addresses fund raising, enrollment figures
MU Chancellor Brady Deaton began his address to the Board of Curators by mentioning the construction that has blanketed the campus this summer.
“The progress (of MU) is evidenced by the construction,” Deaton said. “We’re proud of that.”
Deaton moved on to discuss MU’s fund raising campaigns. Work has begun on MU’s next major fund raising campaign.
“It will be larger than the one before,” Deaton said. “It will have a very concerted, analytical based approach.”
For the academic year though, MU set a goal to raise $100,000. More than $90,000 has already been raised.
“We fully expect to exceed that by the end of the month,” Deaton said.
He concluded his address by giving an overview about enrollment and graduation figures.
More than 4,000 bachelor’s degrees were awarded during commencement weekend.
The class of 2014 is projected to include 5,952 students, with a significant increase in first-time college students.Total enrollment will be up between 500 to 800 students.
“With the distance education work, we’re going to be able to continue to serve the growing number of students both on and off our campus,” Deaton said.
Forsee addresses budget cuts, faculty salaries
The UM system has reduced spending by 10 percent in the last ten months, UM system President Gary Forsee said at the Board of Curators meeting Friday morning.
Forsee said this shows significant progress for necessary cutbacks across the university.
"After two years of developing processes on our campuses for controlling expenses like travel, we’ve done a good job of keeping an eye on that," he said. "We’re working closely with the governor’s staff and the general assembly in regard to the next year's budget."
With funding for faculty compensation not likely to increase in the next year's budget, Forsee said the university administration will need to make salaries for staff and faculty a priority.
"One of the biggest questions regards what we’re doing with faculty and staff salaries," he said. "We’ve really had our hands tied in the last two years, but this is something that is very much a concern for the next year."
Forsee also touched on last month's announcement of IBM's new location in Columbia, assuring that MU would work with the company to benefit the university.
"The IBM announcement in Columbia was one of those game-changers," he said. "Some 800 jobs created in Columbia and the opportunity for our campus to be integrated with IBM, it’s a unique opportunity."
The UM system chancellors will speak before the curators vote on a variety of issues, including the fiscal year 2011 budget.
June 10, 2010
Deaton says he 'won't speculate' on Big 12 realignment
Chancellor Brady Deaton said commenting on the university's possible conference realignment would only "add speculation to speculation" after leaving the Board of Curators executive session early around 5:15 p.m.
Although he refused to discuss what details of conference realignment the curators were discussing in their closed session, he did confirm the board is talking over all the options regarding MU's possible departure from the Big 12. He also said rumors that the Big 12 is all but dead are exaggerating.
"The Big 12 is certainly well," Deaton said. "We're just minus one right now."
Curators discuss budget, faculty compensation for 2011, 2012
The UM system Board of Curators debated asking the state to restore funding the university has lost in the last year due to cuts to Missouri's higher education budget during its finance committee meeting today.
Appropriations from the state requested by the university for fiscal year 2011 are 30 percent more than the state funding the UM system received in the last fiscal year, said Nikki Krawitz, vice president for finance and administration.
Curator Wayne Goode said he didn't see the logic in asking for more than the amount the university needed in the next year in the current economic state.
“I think we have an obligation to the university, the students and the state to ask for what we need,” Goode said. “At the same time, I’ve never seen the situation play out where you’ve taken a cut because of the state’s economic situation and then you request even more than you need for the coming year.”
UM system President Gary Forsee said asking for the state to restore the funds the university hasn't received in the last year would be sensible.
“We made a deal with the governor to keep tuition flat,” Forsee said. “We could have decided not to do that, but we’re trying to balance our own funding with affordability to students. I think it’s completely fair to ask for restoration of the cuts we’ve faced, given the fact that we’ve foregone tuition increases.”
Board Chairwoman Judith Haggard said her biggest concern regarding the budget is the lack of increases for compensation for faculty and staff.
"I know salaries are something we hear a lot about, and a lot of people are worried we're going to lose a lot of good people because we can't give them what they deserve," Haggard said.
Krawitz said compensation for faculty and staff is a priority, but that the UM system is in better shape than many institutions making significant cuts to funding for compensation.
"We may not be able to gain ground, but we won't lose ground, certainly," said Betsy Rodriguez, UM system vice president for human resources.
The curators will vote on the budget for fiscal year 2011 Friday.
Curators convene behind closed doors, review state legislative session
Despite an ultimatum to MU from the Big 12 regarding the university's loyalty to the conference, possible conference movement isn't on the agenda for the UM system Board of Curators meetings today and Friday.
The curators began today's meetings with an executive session behind closed doors and moved into the Academic, Student and External affairs meeting at 12:50 p.m. The board discussed the past state legislative session, reviewing the 5.2 percent cut to higher education funding from the state budget.
"The budget in the past year was certainly frightening," curator Warren Erdman said. "I don't yet know how we'll do it in future years, but it's certainly a relief to have the past year taken care of."
Curator Bo Fraser remained optimistic.
"This was a successful year for the university," said Fraser, former board chairman. "There are a lot of things to be thankful for, especially in the economic times that we're in. It feels like we have friends in Jefferson City right now, and that is a good thing. "