MISSOURI CHIEF: CHANGES OVERDUE

Higher education has suffered for the past 50 years because no one has taken responsibility for its actions, George Russell, the president of the University of Missouri system, said Monday.

"To know what we've been doing in the last four years, you have to understand what has happened in higher education in the last 40 to 50 years," Russell said at a Cape Girardeau Rotary Club meeting.

"We developed bad habits and blamed someone else because there was not enough money," he said. "We believed we were doing the Lord's work and were entitled to anything we wanted."

Now the university tries to listen to different perspectives and do what is best for all while taking responsibility for individual actions, he said.

"We believed society was responsible for solving the problems we should solve as individuals," Russell said.

The outlook changed with the defeat of Proposition B four years ago, he said. Proposition B called for a $385 million tax increase to fund education reforms and improvements for elementary, secondary and higher education in Missouri.

Its defeat served as a dose of reality to higher education, Russell said, and the university has been trying to build public confidence ever since.

To gain ground, the university began making voluntary adjustments through a five-year financial plan.

Some of the goals of the plan include paying competitive faculty salaries, repairing and maintaining buildings, replacing old equipment and increasing student financial aid.

Although people were unhappy and uncomfortable with the changes at first, they have been a success, and the faculty has recognized that in retrospect, Russell said.

Change brings improvements, and improvements are necessary because higher education deteriorated in Missouri over the past half century, he said.

Russell, a native of Bertrand, addressed questions about job placement, retention rates and the University of Missouri football team.

The university system spent $1.3 billion this year, about 19 percent of which came from student fees.

Higher education is expensive, Russell said, and the more money spent demands more accountability and control.

While fees have increased, about 20 percent of fee increases go back into financial aid. Fees and financial aid represent the fastest growing part of the budget, Russell said. "We are not robbing Peter to pay Paul. Everybody benefits."

Almost 50 percent of the 50,000 students who attend the University of Missouri graduate.

The University of Missouri operates four campuses in Columbia, Kansas City, Rolla and St. Louis.