SEMO WILL BENEFIT FROM TAX MEASURE

THE FUNDING DILEMMA IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Southeast Missouri State University could receive from $7.3 million to $11.5 million in additional revenue from a Missouri tax-hike-for-education measure, university officials estimate.

The Missouri Senate has approved a plan that would raise $456 million in added revenue for elementary and secondary, and higher education. The House Monday narrowly approved a bill that would raise $575 million, divided equally between higher education and Missouri's elementary and secondary schools.

Both bills employ a variety of taxes and would require voter approval to be implemented.

Ultimately, a compromise measure is likely to emerge from the Missouri General Assembly. It could be placed before voters in November.

Officials at Southeast have analyzed the Senate bill. The House bill was developed more recently and university officials said they have yet to assess that measure.

The Senate bill would allocate about $248 million in new money for higher education.

Art Wallhausen, assistant to the president at Southeast, said the new money would be divided among a number of areas such as building and equipment maintenance and equipment purchases, scholarships and "mission enhancement."

The biggest share of the money about $95 million statewide would be used for mission enhancement at Missouri's public colleges and universities. The money would be used to implement and improve programs.

Wallhausen estimated Southeast could receive $5.6 million for mission enhancement. He said Southeast also could receive:

$1.6 to $2.6 million for building and equipment maintenance and equipment purchases.

More than $1 million in Missouri Student Grant money, which would be allocated to students on the basis of need.

As much as $443,000 in grants to recruit economically and educationally disadvantaged students in the region.

$738,500 to improve undergraduate education.

$50,000 in research grants.

$221,657 for scholarships and a similar amount specifically for math and science scholarships.

As much as $333,500 for endowed "chairs." Such positions would allow for the hiring of distinguished professors, adding to the quality of instruction.

Wallhausen said Southeast would apparently receive more money under the House measure. But the money would generally be spent along the same lines as those outlined in the Senate measure, he said.

"It does appear that the percentage breakdowns are similar in the two bills," said Wallhausen.

Mission enhancement, he said, would still be the major category funded.

Missouri's public colleges and universities would have to compete for mission-enhancement funds, with the money allocated through a strengthened state Coordinating Board for Higher Education.

"The dollars will follow quality," said Southeast President Kala Stroup. "All the universities will be in competition with each other."

Southeast officials said they would like to use the money to move ahead with efforts to obtain national accreditation of the business school and other academic programs. In addition, they said they want to move ahead with development of a master's program in nursing and expanded foreign-language instruction.

The money could also be used to purchase needed computer equipment, officials said.

Stroup said the new money would allow the university to proceed with some programs that have been in the planning stages for years.

Stroup said: "We have got tremendous pressure out there to do master's-of-science in nursing. We had to start seven years ago getting the faculty ready. We are right now locked into not being able to do any more. What we need are dollars to go on."

Accreditation of programs is increasingly important, said Stroup. More and more businesses are looking to hire graduates of accredited programs, she said.

"It's almost a necessity now" to have accredited programs, she said.

Stroup said Southeast also needs state funding to bring faculty salaries to a comparable national average. Neither the House tax bill nor the Senate bill includes funding specifically for salaries, but funding for programs would necessarily include money for salaries.

The average salary for full professors at Southeast is about $42,000 compared to over $45,300 nationally, university officials said.

The overall average salary for faculty (professors, associate professors, assistant professors and instructors combined) at Southeast is less than $35,000 a year compared to $36,600 nationally.

In the 1990 fiscal year, the average faculty salary at Southeast was $34,638. The average faculty salaries at other comprehensive schools were: $32,435 at Northwest; $35,426 at Central; and $35,897 at Southwest.

Even with a major tax hike, Southeast Missouri State could not afford to implement every program or make every improvement listed in university planning documents. Southeast officials said the university would have to have an operating budget of $75 million rather than the current $48 million to handle all the programs and improvements on such lists.

The university, they said, cut programs and trimmed its operating budget throughout the 1980s in response to limited state funding.

Without increased funding, Southeast will have to make even more major cuts in operations in the coming years, university officials said.

Shelba Branscum, a faculty member who serves on the university's Budget Committee, said: "I don't think there is any doubt that the university (in terms of state money) has been under funded for a number of years. If more money doesn't come in, it's going to get nasty" in terms of cutbacks at Southeast.