欧美视频

By Jeff Murphy, June 16, 2016

WARRENSBURG, MO 鈥� Senate Bill 997, legislation that Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said is good for students, education institutions, and the state鈥檚 economy, was signed June 16 during a press conference conducted by the governor at the University of Central Missouri.

While signing the legislation during a brief ceremony in the Ward Edwards Building atrium, Gov. Nixon also recognized UCM for its efforts to create innovative programs that will help students graduate faster and with less debt. The signing took place with the governor joined by UCM President Chuck Ambrose, Board of Governors President Marvin 鈥淏unky鈥� Wright, Provost and Chief Learning Officer Deborah Curtis, and the bill鈥檚 sponsor, state Sen. David Pearce, R-District 21.

The omnibus higher education bill, SB911, will help more undergraduates complete their degrees through provisions that enable students to take dual credit courses while they are in high school, make it easier to transfer college credits between public higher education institutions, and require the development of additional policies and pilot programs to encourage degree completion.

鈥淥ver the last several years, Missouri has become a national leader to enable students to complete their higher education degrees, and this bill helps us continue to lead,鈥� the governor said. 鈥淭hese provisions are good for our students, they鈥檙e good for our colleges and universities, and they are good for our economy 鈥� because education is the best economic development tool there is.鈥�

In introducing the governor, Ambrose talked about how SB 997 helps to address issues in higher education that were outlined by education and government leaders who participated in the higher education summit commenced by the governor in six years ago. The event took place only weeks after Ambrose began work at UCM.

鈥淚t was August 2010 at a meeting in Jefferson City when Gov. Nixon set an agenda for higher education in the state of Missouri鈥�The 欧美视频 has been a direct beneficiary of the primary points that were delivered to public education on that August day. Since that time, we鈥檝e grown by 27 percent in our student body, produced 23 percent more graduates, held cost below inflation three of those six years since the summit having no tuition increase at all for our students,鈥� Ambrose said.

He added, 鈥淭here鈥檚 been a confluence of impact of these factors which has allowed our aggregate student loan debt to go down $10 million over the last two years. That鈥檚 what happens when policy and education meet leadership, and that鈥檚 what the governor of this state provided for Missouri. Since August 2010, he鈥檚 worked diligently on each of these issues moving forward.鈥�

During the press conference, the governor noted that under Senate Bill 997, Missouri鈥檚 Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE) will work with the state鈥檚 public colleges and universities to develop a 42-credit-hour block of foundational courses that can be transferred to any other public higher education institution in the state. This will allow students to get college credit for classes they have already taken.

SB 997 also creates a scholarship fund to help low-income students take dual credit courses while they are still in high school, thereby giving them a head start on their higher education while helping to reduce their college costs.

Additionally, the bill requires the CBHE and public colleges and universities to jointly develop more policies and pilot programs that assist students in degree completion, such as encouraging full-time enrollment and helping students map out a pathway to attaining their degrees. These policies will include 鈥�15 to Finish,鈥� which focuses on keeping students on track for a degree by giving them a strong start on taking the needed number of credit hours per semester in order to graduate in four years.

The governor praised UCM for taking a leadership role in the area of degree completion. The university established a 鈥�15-to-Finish Scholarship鈥� program in 2013 at the same time it developed its Learning to a Greater Degree contract for student completion. Designed to help students graduate in four years and reduce the cost of their education, 鈥�15-to-Finish Scholarships鈥� are awarded to students who began their studies at UCM the summer of 2013 or later. Students who meet eligibility criteria are awarded this scholarship during their final semester at the university. The scholarship consists of a $1,000 award for students who began their education at UCM as freshmen and a $500 award for students who became UCM students as new transfers.

鈥淲e are grateful to Gov. Nixon for signing Senate Bill 997, and legislators who helped make it possible,鈥� Ambrose said, 鈥渒nowing the 鈥�15 to Finish Act鈥� will promote on-time degree completion, and ultimately help all students in Missouri to reduce their college debt burden.鈥�

UCM鈥檚 Learning to a Greater Degree initiative with the 鈥�15-to-Finish Scholarship鈥� has had a positive impact on the campus. Here are just a few examples of the types of progress being made:

When the Learning to a Greater Degree program began in fall 2013, UCM鈥檚 fall to fall retention was 69.25 percent. As of fall 2014, it has increased to more than 70 percent.
The largest successful impact UCM has experienced related to 鈥�15-to-Finish鈥� is the increase in completion of 15 credit hours. Since the program was initiated, the university has experienced almost a 14 percent increase in the number of students completing 15 or more credits each semester from 56.63 percent in fall 2012 to 70.57 percent in fall 2015.
Since the program鈥檚 inception in 2013-2014, UCM has awarded more than $85,500 to 148 students who have completed the 鈥�15-to-Finish鈥� requirements.
Moving into the 2016-2017 academic year, UCM has an additional 740 students (522 students who are first time freshmen and 218 transfer students) who will be eligible for 鈥�15-to-Finish Scholarships.鈥� This gives UCM the potential to award $630,000 in scholarships, if all students graduate in either fall 2016 or spring 2017.
Gov. Nixon also recognized UCM for its leadership in collaboration with businesses and public education institutions. As an example, he cited The Missouri Innovation Campus (MIC), which opened in 2012 and was recognized by President Barack Obama during a visit to UCM in 2013 as an innovative way to control college costs. The governor supported the partnership effort that includes the university, Lee鈥檚 Summit R-7 School District and its Summit Technology Academy, Metropolitan Community Colleges and numerous business partners. He also supported legislation to make similar programs possible in other parts of the state.