The Griffon News

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Western could receive an additional three percent in appropriations next year from state funding. Western’s funding will increase 5.5 percent as part of a three year program; the additional 3 percent would be a result of a recommendation by the Coordinating Board of Higher Education (CBHE). The 8.5 percent increase would bring state appropriations for [...]

If you sneezed at the event featuring Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden, a dozen well-trained eyes sharply focused on you. Biden was well protected when he delivered his campaign speech to a crowd of approximately 1,200 people on Oct. 9, in the M.O. Looney Complex. Security was in full force as local law [...]

For the fourth consecutive year Western’s enrollment is record-breaking. With 5,470 undergraduate students and 65 graduate students, for a total of 5,535, enrollment increased 3.3 percent this year. Undergraduate enrollment increased 5.5 percent from 5,319 last year while graduate enrollment increased 59 percent, from last year’s 41.
Historically, higher education enrollment goes up when the economy [...]

The Textbook Transparency Act was signed by the governor and became effective in August 2008. Students feeling the crunch of expensive textbooks designed the bill that is now law.
The new law has three parts, all intended to benefit students.
The first part requires publishers to supply instructors with pricing information for new books and to offer [...]

Missouri Western faculty may soon see a change in the way salaries are increased.
The current system awards increases across the board with cost-of-living adjustments. 
The Faculty Senate Salary Committee has introduced two proposals that could change faculty salary increases.
One proposal that will be studied next year is for a performance-based increase. This proposal intends to give [...]

The state gives Missouri Western $641 per student less than the state average, costing the university over $2 million a year.
The proposed 5.2 percent budget increase for Western’s next fiscal year will only slightly offset the equity deficiency. The offset, however small, is because Western’s increase is higher than the average state increase of 4.2 [...]

Walking through Potter Hall has become a dangerous sport. There are lockers as obstacles and practicing musicians as hurdles in the stairwells.
While construction of the new incubator is underway and a spring groundbreaking is scheduled for the math and science building, fine arts students and faculty want some upgrades, too.
Potter is on the priority list [...]