Published on June 7, 2018

June 7, 2018

To the campus community,

I want to thank you for your continued commitment to our university’s financial future. During the past several months, we have worked to identify ways we can productively close our budget gap. With your input, we have finalized the FY19 budget, charting a course for the university and building a foundation for the future.

As an institution, we are focused on student success, strengthening our research productivity through collaborative excellence and engaging with Missourians to help find solutions to the world’s grand challenges. Through this deliberate budget strategy, we are taking steps to ensure that happens.

While we have received strong support from the state legislature and a significant projected increase in freshman class enrollment for the upcoming year, the university faces a $49 million budget gap for the upcoming fiscal year. This is predominantly due to a resulting decrease in the overall university enrollment and the increased cost of operating a university. We had to make some very tough decisions.

Cuts to colleges, schools or divisions – which were not across the board – were made after reviewing numerous budget scenarios put forth earlier this year. This process has resulted in the elimination of more than 185 positions, about 30 of which are layoffs, for a total savings of about $11 million. You can see detailed information about these cuts here.

These determinations were certainly difficult ones. We will continue to work together to conduct consistent budget review processes and make strategic investments in our programs and resources. In this way, Mizzou will emerge a stronger, more vital institution for years to come.

Sincerely,

Alexander N. Cartwright, PhD
Chancellor