The UM system Board of Curators is seeking more than $1 billion from the state in two separate appropriations for the 2012 fiscal year.
At a July 23 teleconference, the board approved the appropriations request for the fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2011, and ends June 30, 2012. The state capital appropriations request consists of $588 million for capital improvements, including $293.3 million for priority projects. The request for operations totals $552.16 million, including $124.2 million in new funds.
UM system spokeswoman Jennifer Hollingshead said new funds being requested for operations are not necessarily new requests but in some cases have gone unfunded in the past. She said they reflect needs of the university such as salary increases, employee benefits and maintenance costs.
Core operating expenses are the immediate needs of the university and the university hopes the state will be able to respond to requests for their funds, Hollingshead said.
“The core state appropriation we are asking for is $427.9 million,” Hollingshead said. “Operations funds go to support the core teaching and service missions of the university, as well as the administrative operations for research and economic development.”
MU’s most pressing capital improvement need is the renovation of the College of Engineering’s Lafferre Hall, a Tier I project. The university divides its requests into three tiers, each of which have a different priority level. Marty Walker, building coordinator and director of administrative services for the department of engineering, said the building has needed refurbishment for years. MU has put off minor repairs because the section of the building constructed in 1936 is set to be demolished and rebuilt. Walker is hoping the state responds to the $64.8 million specifically requested for reconstruction.
“We owe it to the students that attend the College of Engineering, and we owe it to the taxpayers of Missouri,” Walker said. “Our goal is to create the best educated engineering students we can, and part of that is having appropriate facilities that enables them to have a good base for learning.”
In addition to the engineering building, MU is requesting $80 million from the state for the construction of the School of Music’s performing arts center. A Tier II project, the performing arts center will feature a 1,000 seat concert hall and a 350-seat recital hall, among other classrooms, lobbies and a library, according to the Campus Master Plan. MU will fund $20 million of its construction.
Campus Facilities spokeswoman Karlan Seville said funding for the facility has been difficult to come by.
“MU’s request for funding for the School of Music’s performing arts center has been on the capital requests list for the past few years, and will continue to be a priority until there is funding secured for it,” Seville said in an e-mail.
Hollingshead said the system hopes the state will fund the $44.1 million requested for the Arvarh E. Strickland Hall, as it is a Tier III project. The ensuing renovations will alleviate cramped hallways and classrooms and will provide extra space for informal interaction between faculty and students.
Despite the state’s current budget crisis, Hollingshead said it’s important for the state to be aware of the university’s needs.
“The university’s appropriations request represents the needs of the university, but we also understand at the same time the state of the economy and the implications that is having on state revenues,” Hollingshead said. “We’re just bringing forth what is representative to the needs of the university.”
The request will be sent in August.