Address talks challenges, positives for SMSU
Jones to serve on Minnesota State realignment committee
Trending
MARSHALL -- A proposed realignment of the Minnesota State system is a big topic of conversation among colleges and universities, said Southwest Minnesota State University President David Jones.
"We do have some challenges. There's some uncertainty," Jones said. At Friday's State of the University Address, he said SMSU has had its own budgetary concerns that university leadership is trying to address.
"The last couple years, the amount of financial support from the state through the legislative process has declined," Jones said. "Our ability to raise tuition has not kept up with the rate of inflation, and so our university ended last year thinking we'd be starting this year with about a $1.5 million deficit. That continues to ring true."
Jones said SMSU is working to get to a point where the university starts its next fiscal year "in a more positive place."
At the same time, Minnesota State is looking at realigning its system of 33 colleges and universities, Jones said. Minnesota State currently has 54 campus locations statewide.
"Ultimately, what they're deciding is that's just not sustainable," Jones said. Some possible consolidation in Minnesota State makes sense, especially for campuses that are physically close to each other, he said.
"You can have savings and efficiencies for students by having singular leadership, and having the ability to take classes across different locations with the same schedule," he said.
Jones said geography might be SMSU's "secret weapon" in the realignment discussions.
"When you look at this entire part of the state, we’re the only state university serving a 19-county area," Jones said.
The plan is for Minnesota State to present a realignment plan to its board in January.
"We are still learning the details of who's going to be in the room to help build those plans," Jones said. Two committees are working on the task, one to examine facilities and academic programs, and one to examine how Minnesota State allocates funding to different campuses. Jones said he has been appointed to serve on the allocation model committee.
"I will keep you updated as we make progress on that," Jones told the audience at Friday's address. In the meantime, he said, SMSU should also continue to be proactive in its own financial planning.
"I fully believe we have the ability to solve our current financial situation. We made strides last year. I think we'll make strides again this year," Jones said. Taking steps like attracting summer camps or statewide conferences at the SMSU campus could be one way to bring in additional revenue, he said.
In spite of the financial challenges facing SMSU and the Minnesota State system, "We have a lot of things that continue to be very positive for us," Jones said.
This fall, SMSU has a total enrollment of 8,235 students. That breaks down to 2,557 undergraduate students, 472 graduate students, and 5,203 high school students enrolled in university classes through programs like College Now and PSEO.
Jones said enrollment was slightly down from last year.
"But because last year, if you look over the last couple years, it was so high, we're still within where our three-year average has been," Jones said.
According to Jones' presentation, SMSU is the third largest university in the Minnesota State system by headcount.
"We have 1,600 students who are actively taking classes here on campus. Our goal is to continue to grow that," Jones said.
"We saw our Foundation continue to grow" over the past year, Jones said. The SMSU Foundation's endowment value went up to over $33 million, and the Foundation awarded $1.6 million in scholarships. "We couldn't be more thankful for the Foundation board and their investment work to help continue to provide that support."