Vargas handling state budget cuts commendably

Just days after Gov. Eric Greitens announced cuts to higher-education funding totaling $82 million, including nearly $56 million in core state aid for four-year universities, Southeast Missouri State University president Carlos Vargas-Aburto spoke with reporter Mark Bliss.

Southeast will lose $3.43 million in core funding and more than $100,000 in funding for its cybersecurity program. Kathy Mangels, vice president of finance and administration at Southeast, told the Southeast Arrow that the cut in base funding makes up just 7 percent of total funding from the state.

Vargas said that there are no plans for layoffs or to break the tuition cap. He's to be commended for targeting savings without seeking a waiver to increase tuition above the caps or by eliminating faculty and staff jobs.

He used the words "challenge" and "balancing act" to describe the process of reviewing the budget and managing to keep college affordable for students while also delivering a quality education. According to Vargas, Southeast's state aid equals the state appropriation the university received in 1999. At the time there were just below 9,000 students. There are now 12,000 students.

He said there had been no decision on specific areas to trim spending -- a budget review committee consisting of faculty, staff, students and administrators will take a look at that. Enhancement of the cybersecurity program, which is the only official cybersecurity program in the state, will be halted, but will not be eliminated. There was additional funding sought for equipment and to help develop a master's program in cybersecurity; a bachelor's degree is already available.

"I am hoping that things don't get much worse than they are at this point," he said of the potential of additional state funding cuts.

We know this will be a challenge for Vargas and the university, but believe he has handled this setback well.