MSU holds on tuition, creates diversity officer

Missouri State University's Board of Governors voted Friday not to raise tuition for in-state students, consistent with an agreement between the state's public colleges and the governor's office.

Gov. Jay Nixon announced in November that the state's two-year and four-year public institutions will receive 5.2 percent cuts in state appropriations, and in return the schools agreed not to raise tuition or academic fees for in-state students in the 2010–11 school year.

Tuition for in-state undergraduate students remains at $186 per credit hour, according to a university news release. The board did decide to put a $5 per hour increase on the books if the state's appropriations are reduced by more than 5.2 percent. Out-of-state undergraduate fees will increase to $372 from $362.

Graduate student fees will increase to $224 from $214 for state residents and to $428 from $418 for nonresidents. Fees for the West Plains campus will hold steady at $102 per credit hour, and annual tuition for Greenwood Laboratory School will increase to $4,450 from $4,366.

Room and board plan costs will increase between 6.5 percent and 6.8 percent, according to the release.

"Access remains a priority for Missouri State University,” MSU President Michael T. Nietzel said in the release, “so we are pleased to keep the resident undergraduate tuition rate the same for next year."

Also at its Friday meeting, the board voted to create a chief diversity officer position. The vice president-level position is responsible for "coordinating university efforts to establish diversity as a core value throughout all aspects of the university community," according to a separate news release.

Leslie Anderson, an associate professor in the department of counseling, leadership and special education, will serve in the role on an interim basis for the 2010–11 school year. A national search is planned for a permanent chief diversity officer.

"If Missouri State is to continue to thrive, we must be an education and employment destination for people of all colors and economic backgrounds," board member Orvin Kimbrough said in the release. "This position will help us achieve that goal.”