MARYVILLE, Mo. – More than $6.8 million in improvements are coming to Northwest Missouri State University.
The announcement was made by Gov. Jay Nixon Wednesday during a visit to Northwest.
“We are proud to invest in higher education through Building Affordability so that Missouri colleges and universities can make needed improvements without raising tuition,” Gov. Nixon said. “The bipartisan $200 million Building Affordability initiative will help make sure students are learning in state-of-the-art facilities that prepare them for the jobs of the future, while keeping Missouri a leader in college affordability.”
At Northwest Missouri State University, Building Affordability will provide $6,884,126 to make needed upgrades and improvements to electrical systems in several academic buildings, including Brown Hall, Martindale Hall and the Fine Arts building, as well as at Owens Library and the Rickman Center. To improve energy efficiency and increase safety, windows will also be replaced in the Administration Building, Colden Hall, Brown Hall and the historic Gaunt House, which was built in 1875.
“Here at Northwest Missouri State University, our outstanding faculty and staff provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in today’s global economy,” said Dr. John Jasinski, Northwest Missouri State University President. “We appreciate Gov. Nixon and the legislature for making this considerable investment in our campus so that we can continue to provide students with an outstanding education at an affordable price.”
Building Affordability is a component of Build Missouri, a capital improvements initiative that will fund nearly 500 projects in every corner of the state through bond proceeds and other sources. Build Missouri includes bond proceeds for repairs and renovations at state facilities, veterans homes, state parks and higher education campuses, and for the completion of a new state-of-the-art mental hospital in Fulton, as well as non-bonding sources for other projects, including conservation areas, highway patrol facilities, and other facilities.
Through Building Affordability, Missouri is investing $200 million in higher education campuses throughout the state. These additional investments by the state will help colleges and universities make needed renovations and improvements to their campuses without raising tuition to cover the costs of these projects.
Over the past six years, the Governor’s administration has paid down hundreds of millions of dollars in state debt. Based on current projections, after the implementation of Build Missouri, state government will still have lower levels of state-issued bonding debt than when the Governor first took office.
Earlier this year, as a result of a strong record of fiscally responsible budget management, Missouri’s AAA credit rating was reaffirmed by the rating agencies. This allows the state to benefit from low interest rates, and makes long-term capital investments more affordable.
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 six years. In September, Gov. Nixon and the leaders of the state’s public four-year universities and two-year colleges announced an agreement to freeze tuition for Missouri undergraduates for the 2016-2017 school year.
In addition, Gov. Nixon’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget will include an additional $55.7 million – a six percent increase – in performance funding for higher education, which will bring total state funding for higher education to a record $985 million next year.