At its March 30 meeting, the Missouri State University Board of Governors voted to raise tuition and fees for students systemwide. It also approved the membership of the 20-person presidential search committee.
Search committeeThe MSU Board of Governors voted to move forward with the search for the university's 11th president by approving the members of a 20-person search committee.
Great Southern Bank President and CEO Joe Turner has been named chairman of the search committee, with Jim Anderson, president of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, serving as vice chairman. They are two of five members from outside of MSU, including Pat Sechler, senior vice president of Liberty Bank and current member of the MSU Foundation Board of Directors; Kelby Stuckey, an attorney for the city of Springfield; and Jann Dye, a retired educator and volunteer community leader and former member of the MSU Board of Governors, according to a news release.
Gordon Elliott, CEO of Elliott Lodging and current president of the MSU Board of Governors, is one of three members chosen from the board to serve on the search committee.
The committee also includes six faculty members, one academic administrator, two staff members, two students and one West Plains campus representative. Wes Pratt, equal opportunity officer for MSU, will serve as a nonvoting ex-officio member.
“I have described this committee as a ‘blue-ribbon’ group, and I truly believe that is the case,” Elliott said in the release. “The group collectively brings a variety of viewpoints, experiences and perspectives which will serve us well.
"It is a balanced and diverse group, with the common denominator being that all members have deep feelings for Missouri State University."
The university's top post became vacant last summer after the
sudden resignation of James Cofer after less than a year on the job. MSU general counsel Clif Smart has served as president in the interim and has thrown his hat in the ring as a candidate for the position.
The search committee's timeline calls for the university to announce the new president by Dec. 15 and have the chosen candidate take the reins no later than July 1, 2013, according to the release.
Tuition and feesThe board also approved slight increases for students' tuition and fees for academic year 2012-13, including courses and room and board. Students' costs at the West Plains campus, as well as as Greenwood Laboratory School, also are marked to rise.
Undergraduate fees for in-state students at the Springfield campus will rise to $200.48 per credit hour from $194 per credit hour, while out-of-state students will see an increase in credit hour costs to $418 from $388, according to a separate news release from the university.
For its upper level courses, the College of Business Administration will implement an additional $25 per credit hour fee. The purpose of the fee, according to the release, is to improve the education experience for business majors through improved services and capital improvements.
Basic fees for graduate students will move to $242 per credit hour from $227 for resident students, while nonresident students will see a rise to $484 from $454.
Several graduate programs in the College of Health and Human Services will see a rise in fees: $267 from $252 for resident students and $509 from $479 for nonresidents, the release said.
The MSU Board of Governors voted to raise room and board costs by an average of 4 percent. The board also voted to install a required declining balance plan through which students can purchase food at on-campus retail locations.
In the release, Earle Doman, vice president for student affairs, said the increases were needed because of rising food costs, increased wireless access expenses and costs associated with facility maintenance and facility upgrades, including the remodeling and expansion of Garst Dining Center.
For West Plains students, basic fees will increase to $111 per credit hour from $107 for Missouri residents, and fees will increase to $222 from $214 for out-of-state students. At Greenwood, 2012-13 tuition for K-8 students will increase to $5,000 from $4,717, while annual tuition for grades 9-12 will increase to $5,190 from $4,806, according to the release.[[In-content Ad]]
