Missouri lawmaker says smaller colleges may close

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A lawmaker whose district includes the flagship campus of the University of Missouri has suggested smaller state colleges may be expendable in the state's estimated $1 billion budget crunch.

State funding to Missouri Southern State College in Joplin and Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph may need to be eliminated, Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, said Thursday at a higher-education forum.

"They were borderline in terms of what we could afford to keep open last year," he said.

"I don't know if we can do it" this year.

This year's appropriations to Missouri Southern totaled $19.2 million. Missouri Western was appropriated $19.7 million.

Appropriations to the four-campus University of Missouri system were more than $410 million, not including appropriations to its various medical research programs.

Last week, Holden cut $67 million from the current budget -- the first step toward covering a projected $300 million shortfall by the June 30 end of the fiscal year.

So far, Holden has not made any cuts to state colleges and universities this year. But he withheld $178 million last fiscal year from higher education.

Those funding cuts prompted Manuel Pacheco, then president of the University of Missouri system, to threaten closing one of its four campuses if funding did not increase, a threat that has been repudiated by new university President Elson Floyd.

Holden is to propose next year's budget on Wednesday.