Deadline Day For Higher Ed

Thursday is the deadline set by Missouri's Department of Higher Education for colleges and universities across the state to submit their "impact statements" if funding is cut 15%, 20% or 25%.

A Missouri State University spokesperson says President Michael Nietzel plans to address media outlets tomorrow. MSU's Don Hendricks stresses, "no cuts have been made and no specific plans have been requested."

***

Ozarks Technical Community College President Hal Higdon predicts the "Access Missouri" program will be a hotly debated issue as money for education shrivels up. Read the rest of his thoughts in our latest installment of NIXON'S CHALLENGE.

Springfield House Democrat Sara Lampe, who expects to be the only southwest Missouri lawmaker back on the Budget Committee, also thinks state money that ends up going to private colleges and universities needs to be examined.

***WATCH MORE OF LAMPE BELOW***

"We always seem to withhold money from higher education on a balancing of budget, why wouldn't we do that on tax credits, why wouldn't we do that on ethanol subsidies,?" asks Rep. Lampe.

ALSO: REFERS TO "POWERHOUSE" COMING OUT OF SOUTHWEST MISSOURI THIS SESSION