A Freeze For A Cut

A tuition freeze coupled with a 5 percent cut -- That's the deal that's been hammered out between Governor Jay Nixon and 4-year public colleges and universities in Missouri.

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 10 REPORT HERE

It would be the second straight year students and parents see no tuition or fee increase.

The Governor also said he'll have to cut higher education spending by about 5 percent, or $42 million dollars, for the 2011 fiscal year.

Gov. Nixon made the announcements in St. Louis and Springfield Tuesday.

"Over the past ten years, tuition in Missouri increased by an average of 7.5 percent a year. We have worked to buck that trend. And together we're making it happen," Nixon said.

OTHER REACTION:

MSU President Michael Nietzel: "This is really great that students in Missouri will be able to say they have not faced a tuition increase for a second year. I doubt whether there's any other state that's going to be able to say that."

MSU Senior Mindy Dilley: "Me, personally, my family helps me pay for it and I always feel like I'm kind of a burden on them, so this is amazing."

MSU Professor George Connor: "The costs at the university aren't going down and they're not staying flat, so ultimately the university is losing money."

House Speaker Ron Richard: "We appreciate the Governor’s tuition proposal and will put it through the normal process, along with any other budget recommendations from the Governor."

House Budget Chair Allen Icet to KBIA: "We really don't know the 2011 budget picture that well. Although I would say most people would anticipate, and I would be one of those, that the revenue picture for 2011 will be worse than what it is in 2010." But Icet told the Kansas City Star, "the legislature is apt to accept it."

***

PLUS: THE VID

Asked If He Expects To Continue Deals Throughout His Term:

"We're Doing These One At A Time"

AND: Could Better Economy Lead To Tuition Hike?

*WATCH IT*

Poll: 50% Greene County Residents Believe Missouri Heading in Right Direction

A new Missouri State University poll shows Greene County residents are a bit more optimistic about their financial futures than you might think.

And a plurality believe the state is heading in the right direction.

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 10 REPORT HERE

QUESTION: Do you think that a year from now, you and your family will be better off financially than you are now, worse off, or about the same as you are now?

BETTER OFF 38%
WORSE OFF 10%
ABOUT THE SAME 47%

QUESTION: Do you think things in Missouri are generally heading in the right direction or wrong direction?

RIGHT DIRECTION 50%
WRONG DIRECTION 32%
NOT SURE 17%

Both polls based on 591 responses from Greene County residents between Sept. 26th and Oct. 11th. The margin of error is 4%.

PLUS: MSU POLLING DIRECTOR CALFANO ON WHAT RIGHT DIRECTION NUMBER MEANS FOR GOV. NIXON:



"I also think it might be a welcome sense of relief for Governor Nixon."

*WATCH CLIPS ABOVE*

MORE from the polls:

Future Economic Thoughts:
38% Democrats believe they'll be better off; 44% of Republicans
60% 18-34 year olds believe they'll be better off; Just 21% of those 55 & Older

State of Missouri Right Direction/Wrong Direction:
REPUBLICANS: 50% Right Direction, 34% Wrong Direction
DEMOCRATS 60% Right Direction, 27% Wrong Direction
MALES 47% Right Direction, 36% Wrong Direction
FEMALES 53% Right Direction, 29% Wrong Direction

MSU President Nietzel To Step Down

"I want and need a change . . ."

Missouri State University president Michael Nietzel is resigning.

He won't depart until December 2010, but the announcement surprised the school's Board of Governors and faculty. It comes at a time when Missouri State is struggling with a bleak budget picture and is considering furloughs and early retirements.

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 10 REPORT HERE.

Board of Governors member Gordon Elliot said Nietzel assured the board he wasn't leaving to pursue another University post.

Board of Governors member Mary Sheid tells Ky3 News Nietzel's wife is battling throat cancer and that she's "completed treatment."

"She's had extensive treatment and I don't think all her problems are completely resolved at this point," Sheid said. "I just think the culmination of trying to balance everything did take its toll."

Why Nietzel's departing now & What It Means . . .

On Ky3 News @ 10

Poll Shows Marginal Support For Pension Sales Tax

TOO CLOSE TO CALL

Less than a week before Springfield's big decision on a police and fire pension tax, a new poll released exclusively to Ky3 News shows a closely divided contest.

The Missouri State University poll shows a slight, but barely measurable edge for those supportive of a pension sales tax.

"I'm not that surprised," said polling director Brian Calfano of the results. "I would've been more surprised if it looked like a blow out on either end," he said.

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 10 REPORT HERE

Missouri State Preparing For $5.5 M Cut in 2011

"A Bottom Line We Can't Ignore"

Missouri State University President Michael Nietzel is asking faculty and staff to consider early retirements and voluntary furloughs in anticipation of a $5.5 million dollar budget cut next year.

Nietzel held a townhall meeting on campus Wednesday to discuss cost-cutting measures with employees and students. With federal stimulus dollars running out and state general revenue on a double-digit decline, Nietzel said the university must prepare for "a bottom line we can't ignore."

*WATCH HIS DESCRIPTION OF THE BLEAK BUDGET PICTURE ABOVE*

Nietzel said he'd like to have some decisions made by January. Nietzel said cutting $5.5 million dollars now is necessary to head off steeper cuts in 2012.

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 10 REPORT HERE

Missouri State Students Begin Political Polling

A Missouri State University political science class has begun political polling on a variety of issues in Greene County with high hopes of delving into Congressional and U.S. Senate races next year.

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 10 REPORT HERE

Right now, students are in the process of polling 500 residents on the police and fire pension tax that will face voters in November, as well as right direction/wrong direction numbers for the state, and economic and education questions.

The students hope to have the calling completed by this weekend, and then will break down and weigh the data. Under the supervision of professor Brian Calfano, the class hopes to be ready to release the data by the end of the month.

*WATCH COMMENTS FROM MSU SENIOR KELBY DICKENSHEET ABOVE*

Nixon Touts Pharmacy Agreement for MSU

Governor Jay Nixon announced an agreement between the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Missouri State University Tuesday that will allow students in Springfield to earn a degree in pharmacy.

It's a satellite program that will allow classrooms at UMKC to link up with Missouri State.

"It'll provide more pharmacists for this area, which is so dire in need of additional healthcare resources," Nixon said. "And two, it'll provide a career path for outstanding students, right here at Missouri State."

*WATCH CLIP ABOVE*

Get more HERE.

Nixon Visits the Troops

Gov. Jay Nixon and Brig. Gen. Stephen Danner will visit Missouri National Guard soldiers at Camp Clark Tuesday as they prepare to deploy to Afghanistan.

Nixon and Danner are expected to view training exercises of the 203rd Engineer Battalion during their 1 p.m. visit near Nevada.
***
EARLIER IN THE DAY: The Governor plans an 11 a.m. stop in Springfield at Missouri State University to tout an announcement regarding "graduating more health professionals in Missouri."

Kit Bond Makes It Rain

Sen. Kit Bond announced that he's secured $38 million dollars in transportation and economic development projects in two spending bills cleared by the Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday.

Included for the Ozarks:

• $1 million in Greene County for the Route 160 and Route 60 Interchange Improvements in -- for widening Route 160 and adding lanes to interchange ramps at Route 60.
• $1 million in Osceola for the Highway 13 interchange. Funds will construct a grade-separated interchange.
• $500,000 for the Jordan Valley Community Health Center in Springfield - Funds will help pay for the construction, renovation and equipment costs for two of Jordan Valley Community Health Center’s clinics. Expected to help boost capacity by 45%.
• $1 million for Missouri State University - Funds will purchase equipment and technology for an agricultural research program critical to improving distance learning in the region.

The Senate must now reconcile the bills with the versions passed by the House of Representatives before the President signs them into law.

Kinder Concerned About Funding for College Training Program

Says he's "heard" some universities may be feeling "intimidated" into Gov. Nixon's program

MSU: "We're full steam ahead. We think it's a great idea."

School Says It Plans to Stretch Out Money Over At Least 2 Years

Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder strongly suggested Monday that some colleges and universities feel like they are being "forced" and "intimidated" into implementing a program that would help higher education institutions train Missouri students to fill the shortage of healthcare workers in the state.

At issue is Governor Jay Nixon's Caring for Missourians initiative -- a $40 million dollar pot of money that will go schools to educate and train an additional 916 healthcare graduates. More than 80 percent of the state is designated as having a shortage of healthcare professionals.

In a conference call with statewide reporters Monday, Kinder said he is not against the concept of the program, but wants universities to be "keenly aware" that "funds may not be available next year."

"The issue is how this program will be funded today and going forward," Kinder said, adding that he's worried Nixon's plan might "only create a new financial burden on universities."

Kinder suggested that slagging general revenue could force universities to cut back in other areas such as scholarships and staff in order to keep the healthcare initiative afloat beyond the first year.

House Budget Chairman Allen Icet joined Kinder on the call to deliver the gloomy financial forecast. "2010 is going to be a bad year," Icet said. "It is not a good time to create a new program. It's time to batten down the hatchets now," he added.

Kinder did not specifically name any colleges or universities that have expressed concern about the financial solvency of the program's future, but said the goal of his call was to "heighten the profile of the issue and discussion."

He said he did not want to "have anyone forced into and intimidated into this program," and has heard unconfirmed "third-party" chatter that those concerns are out there.

When asked why he didn't reach out to colleges and universities before holding the call, Kinder said: "Because I didn't see it as part of my due diligence. I'm not going to make 15 calls and run it down."

He said that was the job of reporters.

Missouri State University Chief of Staff Paul Kincaid told The Notebook that the university has always been supportive of the healthcare training initiative. Under the program Missouri State will receive $2.2 million; Ozarks Technical Community College is slated to get $471,224.

"It's full steam ahead for us," Kincaid said. "We think it's a great idea. We understand that it's one-time money. But we think we may have some ways to phase it in and make it work beyond the first year," he explained. "We're planning to stretch it out maybe to 2 years."

Asked if the university felt pressured to accept the one-time funding, Kincaid responded, "absolutely not." "We felt this was a great idea from the beginning," he said.

Kincaid did not rule out the option of shifting funding from other programs to keep the expansion of healthcare training in place. "It's too early to tell," Kincaid said. He said he would hope lawmakers would see the merits of the program and provide more extensive funding in the future.

Spokesperson Scott Holste of Gov. Nixon's office said that "anyone who understands the critical need for healthcare professionals in Missouri supports this measure."

"The Governor and officials from the state’s public universities have been working since January to craft this measure," Holste said. "The universities recognize that there is a demand for health care professionals that they are not able to meet, so that’s why they have been working cooperatively with the Governor on this for several months," he said.

Nixon Touts Funds For Healthcare Students

Missouri State University will receive $2.2 million dollars from next year's state budget to help the institution beef up a program designed to attract and train health care professionals.

Governor Jay Nixon stopped by MSU Thursday to tout a program that he says is critical to help meet the needs of a state where 79 counties fall short of the health workers they need, according to federal guidelines.

*WATCH A CLIP OF NIXON'S COMMENTS ABOVE*

The program provides $40 million dollars to state universities. Missouri State said the funds would help increase enrollment in its nursing program by 41 students; 10 in physical therapy and 9 in physician assistant/audiology programs. Ozarks Technical Community College will receive $471,224 for its program.

MORE HERE: The AP notes: "It contains no scholarship money and does not it require the new health care graduates to stay in Missouri. And Nixon acknowledged that many hospitals, particularly in rural areas, don't have the money to hire any new workers."

MSU Officials Worried About Conceal & Carry on Campus

A move to allow concealed weapons on college campuses is dividing administrators and their students.

The State House is on its way to clearing a provision to allow college students to carry guns on campus, with a conceal and carry permit.

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 10 REPORT HERE

MSU STATEMENT on HOUSE VOTE:
"The consensus of experts is that allowing handguns on campus is inconsistent with campus safety," said President Michael Nietzel. "We concur with that assessment. Removing the ban on concealed weapons on campus is not wise, it is not necessary, and will not promote greater safety," Nietzel said

"It can make those campuses safer because there's a possibility that a student can help assist in taking care of the issue before more people are killed or hurt," said student Nathan Starmer, a college Republican who supports the change. Starmer said the ban ignores reality, because anyone who wants a weapon, will carry one.

MSU Won't Raise Tuition

FROM THE A.P . . . Missouri State University will not increase tuition in the coming school year.

The Board of Governors voted Friday to keep tuition flat for 2009-10, citing an agreement between the state's four-year colleges and universities and Gov. Jay Nixon.

The governor recommended to the state legislature that the institutions receive the same state appropriations in fiscal 2010 as they did in fiscal 2009.

In return, the colleges and universities agreed not to raise tuition and fees.

Undergraduate fees will remain at $186 per credit hour for in-state students and $362 per credit hour for out-of-state students.

Previously, the board voted to increase room and board costs by 4.2 percent to 4.7 percent, depending on the type of residence.

Nixon Back For Another Friday Springfield Stop

TGIF

Governor Jay Nixon will hold a 2:30 p.m. news conference at Missouri State University to offer more details about his higher education funding agreement.

He's also expected to detail a second component of the agreement, focusing on "job training and workforce development."

The news conference is slated to be held at Plaster Student Union.

ALSO: NIXON'S 2nd WEEK GRADE

DEVELOPING . . .

Fuzzy Math

CLIMBING OUT OF THE RED?

Governor Jay Nixon's higher education funding deal to keep funding flat raises new questions about the size of Missouri's budget deficit and what could be on the chopping block.

HIGHER ED CHAIR SEES "NO WITHHOLDS"; ICET NOT SURE

2-YEARS ALSO INCLUDED IN DEAL; NOT YET SAYS NIXON'S OFFICE

HIGDON: $340 M DEFICIT NO LONGER CORRECT

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 10 REPORT HERE

A deal between Missouri's new Governor and higher education institutions could possibly save schools from any cut in funding next year. In early December, Jay Nixon's top budget adviser projected a $340 million dollar deficit by June.

But the rollout of this agreement coupled with comments from Missouri lawmakers and higher education officials seem to indicate that Missouri's financial picture might not be as bleak as originally thought.

On the other hand, maybe not.

And that raises the question of, if not higher education, then what?

Nixon's agreement received cautiously optimistic praise from some key House Republicans Wednesday. House Higher Education Chair Gayle Kingery said he's hearing good feedback from schools. "I like the concept, it's a good trade-off in these tough economic times," Kingery said.

Kingery seemed bullish on the budget picture that Missouri faces, doubting that the state would have to "do withholds," meaning holding back some funding during the current fiscal year. "I think we can come out even, on target," Kingery said. "I don't anticipate any big withholds. The last numbers I saw showed we're about even."

Kingery said he expects a negative third quarter, but thinks by June, "we're going to be doing all right." He credits "good fiscal management" over the past three years by former Governor Matt Blunt and the G.O.P. legislature. "We're in better shape than anybody surrounding us. You've got to realize, when Governor Nixon took office, he inherited a $300 million dollar reserve, Blunt inherited a billion dollar deficit," he said.

House Budget Chair Allen Icet said he was a bit surprised by Nixon's announcement, but "liked the part about not passing the bill onto parents." Still, Icet has questions. He said he wants to know if Access Scholarships are included under Nixon's higher education umbrella. Those scholarships are controversial among some Democrats because they provide money to private colleges.

"Is this truly feasible for 2010," wondered Icet in an interview, noting that he's still unclear if Nixon's decision is based on potential withholds for 2009. "The devil's in the details."

While Nixon did not come to Springfield Wednesday, Missouri State University president Michael Nietzel held a media availability and acknowledged current year withholdings could be a possibility. "It's conceivable that at some point, the state may say, we're going to have to take a little back this year to make it work. If that occurs, we'll deal with it," Nietzel said.

Another question that arose was whether 2-year and community colleges were included in this no cuts for no hikes deal. Ozarks Technical Community College president Hal Higdon told KY3 that his school has the "same agreement as the 4-year institutions."

Higdon, who spoke to us after a day of lobbying lawmakers in Jefferson City, said, "anything that is not a cut is a good thing."

Nixon spokesperson Scott Holste would not confirm that a 2-year agreement had yet been reached, but said the Nixon administration was working on it.

But Higdon also indicated that he believes the $340 million dollar deficit projected last month is no longer a relevant number.

"The projections are looking much better. I don't believe it's anywhere near that. I think if there is a withholding, it'll be much less than that," Higdon said.

The caveat? Revenue over the next few months. "We're only in January," Higdon cautioned. "The devil's in the details."

Yes, and right now the details on Missouri's budget projection seems fuzzy.

No Hikes, No Cuts

FREEZE

Governor Jay Nixon has reached an agreement with Missouri's 4-year colleges and universities that would keep funding flat for 2010 in exchange for a pledge not to raise tuition.

"While students in many other states are likely to face double-digit tuition increases next year, Missouri students can rest assured that their tuition rates will stay the same. It will take more of these innovative, collaborative agreements to get our economy moving in the right direction," said Governor Nixon in a statement Wednesday.

"This agreement is a real investment in Missouri’s economy and our future. I commend Gov. Nixon for bringing everyone to the table to develop a solution that puts Missouri’s students first." said Missouri State University President Michael Nietzel.

Lawmakers will have the final say when they craft the budget.

Nixon is touring the state today, but won't be in Springfield, to tout the agreement.

Nietzel held a media availability Wednesday afternoon.

DEVELOPING . . .

Higher Ed Cuts Could Mean More Than 100 MSU Layoffs

Missouri State University President Michael Nietzel will address the media Thursday afternoon to discuss the school's "statement of impact" should appropriations be reduced by 15, 20 or 25 percent.

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 10 REPORT HERE

The Impact Statement is already available on the University's website HERE.

"Reductions at any of these three levels are without precedent and would have an enormous negative impact on the university," writes Nietzel.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM NIETZEL'S REPORT:

• A cut of 25% would would exceed the total amount of scholarships and financial aid provided by the university to its students.
• No budget reduction of this magnitude could be accomplished without layoffs of staff and reductions in faculty.
• Faculty reductions could involve more than 100 full-time employees to accomplish the 20% and 25% budget cuts.
• Maintenance, Coaching personnel, health care coverage and travel budgets could also be slashed.
• Implications of cuts could result in a possible cap on student enrollment and an increase in tuition.
• If Missouri State sought to offset a 15% cut by an increase in tuition, the school would need to raise the resident rate by 13%, or $24 per credit hour.

"Budget cuts of any of these magnitudes would cause substantial pain and losses beyond the university . . . the economic adversity would spread in a number of negative directions," writes Nietzel.

The availability is scheduled from 3:30-4 p.m. in Carrington Hall.

DEVELOPING . . .

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

"The Situation Appears To Be Much Worse Now"

MSU GETS READY FOR THE AX

The Deputy Commissioner of the State's Department of Higher Education asks state universities for "impact statements" for core cuts of 15%, 20% and 25%.

A MSU Professor tells The Notebook: "Faculty is speculating in the hallways about layoffs. How else do you get to 25%?"

The Missouri Department of Higher Education memo, written by Deputy Commissioner Paul Wagner states: "As I had previously mentioned, the last time the state was in a deficit situation the request was for impact statements for 5%, 10%, and 15% cuts. Unfortunately, the situation appears to be much worse now. The request is for impact statements for core cuts of 15%, 20% and 25%."

Wagner adds: "This request is being made of all areas of state government, including grants and scholarships and higher education institutions, excluding only elected officials and public debt."

Asks for schools to submit their plans by December 18th

MSU President Michael Nietzel has sent an e-mail to Faculty:

"This exercise does not mean that such cuts will be implemented; it is being requested so that the Missouri General Assembly can evaluate the impact of any cuts that might be imposed."

ALSO: Nietzel will meet meet with other Presidents and Chancellors in Kansas City Wednesday about the request. He'll hold an Executive Budget Committee meeting this Friday. The meeting, Nietzel writes, is to begin talking about "how best to address this task, which obviously greatly exceeds the planning scenario we had already begun."

PLUS: Nixon's Office says the memo's assertion that Nixon will hold a press event tomorrow is NOT accurate.

Preparing For The Ax

MSU PUTS CONTINGENCY PLAN IN PLACE IN CASE OF HIGHER ED CUTS

University President Michael Nietzel outlines emergency plan in afternoon media availability

"At this point there are no cuts, we're simply asking the administration to develop plans that if they're were cuts, how would we respond."

***

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 5 REPORT HERE

53 percent of the school's $153 million dollar operating budget comes from state appropriations

Nietzel says he has had no conversations yet with Gov.-elect Jay Nixon about what to expect in the state budget, which is expected to be presented in late January.

***WATCH MORE CLIPS FROM NIETZEL BELOW***