Building and Preserving Our Physical Infrastructure

The quality of our facilities—the condition of our labs and classrooms—are a direct personification of who we are as an institution.

Regardless of the quality of teaching that goes on inside, our facilities can either demonstrate to the outside world that we are a first-class institution or that we are struggling to keep pace.

Quality facilities are an integral part of providing a quality education. Whether it is our laboratories where scientific breakthroughs are occurring or our classrooms where today’s students are being shaped to become tomorrow’s leaders, the quality of the University of Missouri’s physical facilities must match the talents of students and professors within its walls.

Unfortunately, many of the buildings on the University of Missouri’s four campuses and hospitals and clinics are in need of preventative repair, renovation or upgrades to meet the needs of today’s students and patients. The backlog of facility needs will continue to increase and the quality of education could be in peril unless the university acts now.

Request

The university has identified $624.4 million in rehabilitation and new construction needs and is asking the state to fund $497.6 million. The highest priority needs total $345.6 million and include $34.5 million for critical repairs. The university also is requesting a total of $2.1 million for new engineering equipment, plus an additional $6.4 million to address a backlog of unfunded new and replacement engineering equipment from 2003-2009.

The university will fund its share—$126.7 million—of the capital rehabilitation and new construction projects from a combination of private gifts and capital reserves.

Missouri ranks 47th among the 50 states in higher education capital expenditures per capita between 2005-2007, according to a National Association of State Budget Officers study.

Missouri spent only 18 cents per person for higher education during this period, while the national average was $99.65 per person.

Fast Facts

• Since fiscal year 1999, 22.2 percent of UM funding for capital improvements has come from the state; 29.2 percent from debt; and 48.6 percent from other sources such as gifts, department funds and federal sources.
• The University of Missouri has identified more than $624 million in rehabilitation and new construction projects across the four campuses and hospital and clinics.
  • More than $34 million has been identified as critical facility needs that are the result of
    unfunded deferred maintenance since 2002. If left unaddressed, the normal deterioration of physical assets will continue to backlog and threaten mission-critical functions.
• More than $2 million in engineering equipment on all the campuses has been identified, as well as more than $6 million in a backlog of engineering equipment that has not been purchased since 2003.

Profile

“When I take prospective engineering students on a tour of our facilities, I can almost see the disappointment on their faces. In many cases, they are looking at equipment and facilities that are 30 or 40 years old—which makes it pretty outdated by today’s standards.

“The real concern, though, if you ask me is how this affects students after graduation. As an employer, wouldn’t you want to hire someone who was trained using the latest equipment instead of having to spend your time getting them accustomed to new technology? In a field that is in as much demand as engineering, it puts our students at a real disadvantage—a sad commentary given our students’ otherwise great credentials.”

— Pete Cosgrove, senior chemical engineering student and engineering ambassador
at the University of Missouri-Columbia