MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University President Dr. John Jasinski has been appointed to serve on the Missouri Higher Education Coordinated Plan Steering Committee to develop a new coordinated plan for higher education in the state.

The Missouri Department for Higher Education will spend the next year developing the plan “Preparing Missourians for Success: A Blueprint for Higher Education.” A final plan will be presented to the coordinating board for approval in December 2015.

“Higher Education in Missouri is quickly evolving to meet the needs of our state and its students,” said Dalton Wright, chair of the coordinating board. “It is vital that we have a plan in place that reflects today’s higher education environment, makes good use of our available resources and produces the highly-skilled graduates needed for economic growth.”

The steering committee of members representing commerce and industry, education and government will assist with the development of the plan. The department will gather input from steering committee members and the public during a series of nine meetings. The plan will focus on the topics of accessibility, affordability, quality and degree completion.

State law calls for the coordinating board to design a coordinated plan for higher education in Missouri. The current plan, “Imperatives for Change,” was adopted in 2008.

Public meetings will take place throughout the state, beginning Dec. 11. More information is available atdhe.mo.gov/blueprint.php.

Jasinski, who began his presidency at Northwest in 2009, also serves as chair of the Council on Public Higher Education, the organization consisting of CEOs from Missouri’s public four-year universities.