<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1588204354013.jpeg" alt="Missouri Western State University/Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Missouri Western State University/Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostMissouri Western State University’s Board of Governors has
given unanimous approval to a proposal from President Matt Wilson to cut $6 million
dollars from the university’s annual budget.Majors will be dropped affecting 322 students and 61 faculty
positions will be eliminated; 20 tenured and 31 non-tenured.Board chair Deborah Smith sums up the feeling of the board
before it gives its okay to the cuts. “These are very hard choices and very difficult choices and
even very heart-breaking,” Smith tells colleagues. “But, I believe it’s a decision
that’s going to position this university for a successful future.”The cuts will be phased-in over a three-year period.They are intended to close an annual budget gap of $2-to-3 million
in Missouri Western’s $56 million annual budget by eliminating majors which
graduate 10 or fewer students each year.Wilson tells board members a drop in student enrollment forces
him to make the proposal. Missouri Western has nearly 1,000 fewer students than
it did 10 years ago, even as it has added faculty and staff.“So, as we talk about a drastic measure and we talk about the
elimination of programs, it’s something that I take incredibly serious,” Wilson
says. “This is something that I’ve never been faced with in my professional career.
It’s something that I didn’t anticipate. It’s something that rips my heart out,
but for the benefit of the institution to make sure that it’s strong so that it
can survive, we need to make changes.”Wilson says that by concentrating on core courses, the
university can come out of the budget cuts a stronger institution. He says
other universities in Missouri have come to grips with a changing environment;
coping with fewer students on campus and less money coming from the state.Board member David Liechti tells colleagues this move is about
the survival of Missouri Western.“It’s very clear to me that higher education today is not what
higher education looked like five, 10 years ago, 20 years ago,” Liechti says. “And
I think the key word here is be nimble and I think you have to have vision and
you have to be nimble to survive in this environment.”

Missouri Western Board of Governors approves drastic budget cuts