Missouri’s community colleges, universities agree to freeze tuition

Gov. Jay Nixon announced a proposal Monday to increase state funding for higher education in an effort to keep tuition costs low.

“All the presidents met with the governor yesterday and he announced that he was going to put in his budget request a 6% increase for higher education”, said Dr. Alan Marble, MSSU President.

UM System President Tim Wolfe attended the conference and expressed his support for the funding increase. The full announcement can be seen here.

“We can make recommendations, but at the end of the day the Board of Curators of the University of Missouri System will decide whether or not to hold tuition flat”, Wolfe said. “Because the less debt students take on when they’re in school, the more they can spend when they graduate – buying a auto , starting a business, and pursuing their dreams”.

Nixon’s proposal also states that $9.2 million of the additional $55 million will go towards supporting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs.

“That’s where the fastest growing, higher earning jobs are, so we’re putting more money toward helping students earn degrees in these fields”, Nixon said.

Haug said state funding for public colleges and universities reached a high of $968 million in fiscal year 2002, before a series of cuts.

Of course, the General Assembly and college boards must approve the plan.

Gian Goff is a student at the University of Missouri and said there should be a more affordable education option for students and families.

Nixon says this is the fourth time since 2009 that Missouri has been able to freeze tuition year-to-year. “Anything we can do to help our students is a great thing”. Politicos quickly took to Twitter questioning the Governor’s timing, not only due to recent tension between the legislature and the UMSystem, but also due to a lack of Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Consensus Revenue Estimate (CRE) and Medicaid numbers.

In the current budget year, the Legislature appropriated a $12 million increased based on performance funding. Last year, the budget was approved and sent to the Governor in early May.

“Now we’ll have some flexibility to invest in the areas that we would have preferred to invest in previously”, Wolfe said.