For the second consecutive year, Northwest Missouri State University achieved all five benchmarks within the state of Missouri’s performance-based funding model. As a result, Northwest will receive 100 percent of the funding appropriated to the University within the state’s FY15 budget.

“This speaks to performance and such performance is not possible without all Bearcats – students, faculty, staff, alumni and the communities in which we operate and serve – pulling together and focusing on student success,” Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski said. “Our mission, which is very straight forward, focusing on student success – every student every day, ties into all of this. We’re focused on retention, graduation, keeping education accessible and affordable, and, most importantly, delivering that high quality education that Northwest students deserve and receive.”

Missouri’s public two- and four-year institutions were funded last year using a funding model based on specific performance measures across five categories and will be funded this year according to the same model.

Northwest’s performance measures are: freshman-to-sophomore retention rate; six-year cohort graduation rates; improvements in assessments of general education; percent of total Education and General expenditures expended on the core mission; and the percent of full-time, first-time, degree or certificate-seeking undergraduate students receiving institutional grant aid.

“Performance funding is part of the national mantra and this is about results,” Jasinski said. “We always have improvement opportunities and have some challenges to address, but we are proud of meeting all performance funding targets.”