NEOSHO, Mo. – Gov. Jay Nixon today visited Crowder College in Neosho to discuss the importance of higher education, and his proposal to again freeze tuition for undergraduates next year at all of Missouri’s public colleges and universities.
“Missouri leads the nation in holding down tuition increases at public universities, helping to put a college education within reach for more students and their families,” Gov. Nixon said. “The Senate Budget Committee has moved forward with my proposal to fund higher education at a level that ensures a tuition freeze this fall. In the coming weeks, it is imperative that legislators include these needed investments in the final budget so that we can continue making college more affordable for students and families across the state.”
The Governor’s budget for Fiscal Year 2017 includes an increase of $56 million in performance funding for the state’s public colleges and universities in exchange for a tuition freeze. Earlier this week, the Senate Budget Committee agreed with this recommendation for a 6 percent increase in higher education performance funding. By contrast, the budget approved earlier this month by the Missouri House included no increase in general revenue for higher education performance funding.
The most recent report on pricing trends by The College Board found Missouri once again leading all 50 states in holding down tuition increases at public universities over the last seven years.
The Governor said Missouri’s colleges and universities also have been able to hold down costs for students because of the resources they can dedicate for capital improvements through the Building Affordability initiative. Gov. Nixon proposed the initiative in collaboration with public colleges and universities, and it was subsequently passed with bi-partisan support in the General Assembly in 2015.
Through Building Affordability, Missouri is investing $200 million in higher education campuses throughout the state, including at Crowder College. The additional investments by the state are helping colleges and universities make needed renovations and improvements to their campuses without raising tuition to cover the costs of these projects.
At Crowder College, Building Affordability is facilitating nearly $2 million in improvements including repairs to the career and technical center building and two classroom and lab buildings, repairs to exterior masonry and windows at Newton Hall and McDonald Hall, as well as upgrades to classroom and lab space at the Nevada Campus.
As a result of this emphasis on affordability, Missouri is now a top 10 state for increasing the percentage of adults with a college degree and last year more than 50,000 students earned a degree from one of Missouri’s public institutions, an increase of 36 percent since 2008.
