Mo West Board of Governors removes state of financial emergency

By a unanimous vote, the Board of Governors at Missouri Western State University has removed the state of financial emergency they declared two years ago.

Missouri Western initiated cost-saving measures in the fall of 2019, including the elimination of some non-faculty employee positions, the reduction of operating budgets and the elimination of some non-academic support services. The Board of Governors concluded that additional measures were necessary and declared a state of financial emergency on March 5, 2020, putting Missouri Western into academic and programmatic retrenchment.

The board approved the administration’s recommended restructuring on April 29, 2020. Since that time, there have not been additional reductions in force (RIF) of staff or retrenchment of faculty, and there is no reason at this time to believe that additional RIF or retrenchment will be needed in the future.

In a release announcing the move Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy, president of Missouri Western said “The significant efforts undertaken to vastly improve the University’s financial position provide clear indication that MWSU no longer meets the criteria necessary to be in a state of financial emergency. The progress that the University has made, and will continue to make, has been possible only through the diligent hard work of Missouri Western’s staff, faculty, and administrators as well as the leadership provided by the University’s Board of Governors. To survive and thrive in such difficult times and under such challenging situations has required substantial perseverance among the entire campus community, which has responded with resiliency, strength, and dedication.”