Northwest Missouri State University’s Board of Regents during its regular meeting Thursday unanimously approved the University’s 2022-23 budget, which consists of its Education and General Budget and Auxiliary Services Budget, totaling nearly $130 million.

The University’s budget – which is based on guiding principles of student success and affordability, people and well-being, and strategic investments – includes scholarship funding to assist students as well as investments in employees through cost-of-living adjustments, a $15-per-hour base pay for eligible employees, and health and retirement benefits. The budget also reflects projected enrollment increases and state appropriations approved by the Missouri legislature.

Presenting the budget proposal to the Board, Vice President of Finance and Administration Stacy Carrick said the budget uplifts Northwest’s core competencies of being safe, trusted, invested and resourceful. She noted the University engages leaders throughout the institutions including Faculty Senate and Staff Council leads throughout its budget preparation.

As the University looks toward the future, Carrick said one of Northwest’s goal is to invest in employees while remaining viable. She noted Northwest is one of the few institutions in the state and region that weathered the COVID-19 pandemic without implementing furloughs, reductions in force or retrenchments.

With regard to affordability, Northwest’s tuition rates, which are in the top 23 percent of most affordable in the nation, include a textbook and laptop rental program that saves students an average of $6,800 during the course of a four-year degree program. Additionally, according to a report released by the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development last year, Northwest is the most efficient among Missouri colleges and universities for state appropriations per degree and certificate granted.

“We want to try to stay competitive, but we also want to stay viable,” Carrick said. “That’s what our leadership team talked a lot about this year.”

Presidential search process

With Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski departing the University June 30, the Board on Thursday took its first steps toward hiring the institution’s next full-time president and approved a search process.

Board Chair John Moore outlined the process, which is already underway through a request for proposal issued to attract potential search firms, and said the Board expects to select a search firm by mid-July.

In the meantime, the Board is forming a search committee to help it narrow candidates and select a president. The Board has the responsibility of selecting the president based on a recommendation of the search committee.

Moore, Roxanna Swaney, Jason Klindt and Mel Tjeerdsma will represent the Board on the search committee. Moore proposed that four regents serve on the search committee, consisting of the chair, vice chair and its two committee chairs. Klindt chairs the Academic and Student Engagement Committee, and Swaney chairs the People, Finance and Operations Committee. However, because Swaney also serves as the Board’s vice chair, regents elected Tjeerdsma on Thursday to serve as their fourth search committee representative.

The search committee also will include representatives of Faculty Senate, Staff Council, Student Senate, the Northwest Foundation Board of Directors, the Northwest Alumni Association and the city of Maryville. Additionally, Moore said, members of the Northwest Leadership Team will be involved in the process, although they will not be members of the search committee.

Once formed, the search committee will develop a list of qualifications for the University’s next president during a period that will include gathering public input. Moore proposed having a final list of qualifications ready for approval when the Board convenes for its September session.

Additional information will be posted to the Northwest website to help keep stakeholders informed of the process and the search timeline.  

“We want there to be a process whereby anybody who has an interest has the ability to suggest what should be included in the qualifications – whether that person works for the University, attends the University as a student, or just has other interests in the University,” Moore said.

Beginning July 1, Dr. Clarence Green will serve as Northwest’s interim president until a full-time president is appointed.

Other business

In other business, the Board of Regents approved the appointments of 232 full-time faculty for the 2022-23 academic year.

Per its bylaws, the Board conducted its biennial election of officers, reelecting Moore as chair and Swaney as vice chair.

Additionally, Regents appointed Diane Hargrave, executive secretary in the Office of the Provost, as Board secretary and reappointed Carrick as Board treasurer. On behalf of the Board, Regent Deborah Roach also expressed appreciation for Melissa Evans, who recently resigned from her role as executive assistant to the president and had served as Board secretary since 2018, for her years of service to Northwest and the Board of Regents.

The Board of Regents is responsible for sound resource management of the University and determining general, educational and financial policies.