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University presidents call for increased funding

Mississippi’s Institutions of Higher Learning released a joint letter to newspaper outlets statewide last week from the presidents and chancellor of the eight public universities in the state, urging the state legislature to consider the significance of securing government funding for Mississippi higher education in the coming years.

“We urge legislators to take this moment in history to invest strategically in Mississippi’s universities, which will allow our state to reap the benefits of that investment for years to come,” stated the letter.

Those represented in the public statement were: President William N. LaForge, Delta State University; President Alfred Rankins Jr., Alcorn State University; President Carolyn W. Meyers, Jackson State University; President Mark E. Keenum, Mississippi State University; President Jim Borsig, Mississippi University for Women; President William B. Bynum Jr., Mississippi Valley State University; Chancellor Daniel W. Jones, University of Mississippi; and President Rodney D. Bennett, University of Southern Mississippi.

LaForge, who stands strong behind the letter’s message, indicated that a commitment to educational funding would help the state tackle many of its most pressing issues. One of these challenges is providing competitive salaries and salary increases to university faculty and staff.

Through a unified approach, the eight leaders are seeking a five percent budget increase across the board, which would amount to a $36 million upturn. This boost would make a large dent in the salary deficiency.

“The letter was a concerted effort to communicate to the legislators our strong support so we can provide pay raises for our employees,” said LaForge. “That not only is a priority we’ve been working on for months at Delta State, but it’s a priority across the system.”

LaForge said there are several reasons Mississippi’s educational institutions are in dire need of salary increases.

“We haven’t had a salary increase at Delta State for five years, and Mississippi Valley State University hasn’t had one in seven years. It’s time,” he said. “We’re way behind our peer institutions.”

The salary lag is being compared with other colleges and universities in the southeastern region. In order for Mississippi schools to stay competitive, LaForge said raises are a necessity to recruit and keep faculty and staff in the state.

“Unless we’re able to bring the faculty/staff salaries up, we’re going to continue to hurt when it comes to recruitment and retention of faculty and staff,” he said. “The five percent increase would help us get to within 50 percent of our peer institutions. We still won’t be where we need to be, but it’s a good first step. We need our legislators to provide this much needed support for our employees.”

According to the letter, Mississippi Public Universities are doing their part — enrolling 94,000 students in an academic year and awarding more than 16,000 degrees, which represents a 10.9 percent increase over the past five years.

Leaders from across Mississippi’s higher education institutions remain steadfast that a bright future for the state lie’s heavily in the legislature’s investment in education.

Learn more about Mississippi Public Universities at http://www.mississippi.edu.