Nixon green lights $10M for MSU MOHELA projects

Funding for two of three Missouri State University capital improvement projects are a go under the state's Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative, the governor said last week.

MSU's Jordan Valley Incubator and Siceluff Hall renovations already under way are on Gov. Jay Nixon's safe project list, a group of 18 public university projects funded through the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority. A third MSU project - the first phase of the school's Facilities Reutilization Plan - is among 12 campus projects announced Feb. 13 that are on hold while the governor reviews MOHELA's finances.

The MOHELA fund is $107 million short of completing the 30 proposed projects, and fund managers have failed to make several quarterly payments to the state's Lewis & Clark fund as required by state law, Nixon's office said.

Project funds were supposed to come from selling portions of MOHELA's loan portfolio, which consists of loans to non-Missouri students, according to www.ded.mo.gov/lcdi. MOHELA was created by the General Assembly in 1981 to provide a secondary market for buying college loans from Missouri banks, according to the site.

With a current fund balance of $118,319,642, completion of the green-lighted projects would leave a balance of $266,888. The suspended projects - 10 of which are at University of Missouri - will not move forward until MOHELA makes additional payments or new funding sources are identified, the release said.

Below are the 30 MOHELA projects.

Funded (remaining balance):

• Missouri State University - Siceluff Hall ($7,170,597)

• Missouri State University - Jordan Valley Incubator ($2,686,579)

• Harris-Stowe State University - Child & Parent Education Center ($9,252,803)

• Linn State Technical College - Heavy Equipment Technology Building ($4,393,526)

• Lincoln University - Jason Hall ($983,406)

• Missouri Southern State University - Health Sciences Building ($14,301,775)

• Missouri Western State University - Agenstein Science & Math Halls ($25,112,770)

• Northwest Missouri State University - Plant Biologics Center ($12,896,195)

• Missouri University of Science & Technology - Engineering Building ($1,138,249)

• University of Missouri-Kansas City - Dental Equipment ($249,075)

• University of Missouri-Kansas City - Pharmacy and Nursing Building ($9,487,485)

• Community college maintenance & repair ($790,171)

• University of Central Missouri - Morrow & Garrison Building ($12,081,895)

• Southeast Missouri State University - Autism Center ($2,427,856)

• University of Missouri-Hundley-Whaley Center ($184,721)

• University of Missouri - South Farms ($2,395,651)

• University of Missouri - Plant Science Building, Mexico (partial funding) ($2,500,000)

• Truman State University - Pershing Hall (partial funding) ($10,000,000)

On hold:

• Missouri State University - FREUP Phase 1

• Southeast Missouri State University - Incubator

• University of Missouri-St. Louis - Benton & Stadler halls

• University of Missouri - Delta Research Center

• University of Missouri - Southwest Education & Outreach Center

• University of Missouri - Graves-Chapple Facility

• University of Missouri - Horticulture & Agroforestry Center

• University of Missouri - Wurdack Farm

• University of Missouri - Thompson Farm

• University of Missouri - Greenley Learning & Discovery Park

• University of Missouri - McCredie, Midwest Clayplan

• University of Missouri-Columbia - Ellis Fischel