Newly elected Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens came into office promising to cut spending. That promise meant that balancing the state budget would require a lot of cost-cutting, and he announced $146 million in cuts on Jan. 16. Higher education is bearing the biggest brunt, with MU alone losing $20 million.
Cuts are being made to MU programs across the board, and the university’s general operating budget itself is being cut by $13.7 million. This comes after a promise from former Gov. Jay Nixon that the university’s budget would receive a $9 million boost to make up for a tuition shortfall following decreased freshman enrollment for the 2016-2017 academic year. So now, it seems that boost will not be coming, and the university will have to deal with cuts on top of the lack of promised funds.
It is unclear so far how these budget cuts will affect students. MU spokesman Christian Basi said the university will determine how to deal with these shortfalls in the coming weeks. University departments had already been mandated to make a 5 percent reduction in spending across the board, and MU is still in the midst of a hiring freeze. And Greitens’ cuts might only be the beginning: He said that $700 million total needs to be cut, which means MU isn’t out of the woods yet.
As students, it is concerning to see so much money taken from public universities. Public education is supposed to be for the good of the people. In fact, the motto of MU is, “Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law.” With higher tuition every year, and talk of even removing the tuition cap to make up for state funding cuts, some students who decided to attend school in Missouri are worried. Cuts are also being made to scholarships such as Bright Flight, which puts Missouri students in more financial uncertainty, too.
While the budget is a complex issue, it seems hypocritical for higher education cuts to be coming from Greitens. His platform page says, “We can improve education for all Missourians.” It does not seem like the most logical move for someone who claims to support education to cut the most money from higher education.
Substantial cuts to university funding put the future of our education and our financial well-being in flux. When politicians promise funding and dedication to education, they need to prove it and commit to improving education for Missourians instead of just approaching it as a line item in the budget to slash.