The University of Missouri Flagship Council members serve as advocates for the historic flagship campus of the University of Missouri and shall, in all endeavors, help support, build and strengthen the University to maintain and enhance its traditional role as Missouri's premier public research and teaching university.

Our goals are:

• To promote the benefits of the University of Missouri to the community, state citizens, and to local, state and federal elected officials and other state and national leaders.

• To effectively influence legislative and regulatory issues and University policy that the University of Missouri supports or desires to support or oppose.

• To lend advice and counsel to the University of Missouri administration on local, state, national and international public policy issues of the day.

2013 Legislative Session Priorities

The University of Missouri (MU) has been the state’s flagship and partner since 1839 in educating its workforce, preparing its leaders, bettering the lives of citizens through research and health care, and powering the economy. As Missouri’s major public land-grant, research university with over 34,000 students, MU is accessible, affordable and accountable to Missouri citizens, while attracting significant outside investment in the state via federal research grants and collaboration with business and industry.  Mizzou best serves the state with a general operating budget that enables it to be nationally competitive on behalf of Missouri.

Operating Budget

• Maintain funding for the University of Missouri System’s core appropriation of $400.3 million for the FY2014 operating budget. 
• Additional funds are needed to support programs, services and benefits for students, faculty and staff.

Capital Improvements

• Priority 1:  College of Engineering/Lafferre Hall-reconstruction, additions & renovations ($54.7 million).
• Additional: School of Music/Fine Arts Building; General Classroom Building-Arvarh E. Strickland Building renovation & addition.

Bond Initiative

• Strongly support a new bond initiative for capital projects for Missouri's higher education institutions.

Economic Development - Targeted Investments in Health and Sciences
Support funding University of Missouri programs that produce educated graduates to meet the workforce needs and ensure Missouri citizens have access to quality health care.

• Science, Technology, Engineering and Math - Education and Research - $55.2 million in additional funds to increase the number of students enrolling in, and completing, education in STEM fields and to increase STEM research capacity.
• Caring for Missourians - $10.3 million recurring*

      Increase the number of graduates in health-related fields.
*In 2009, the state awarded one-time funds to higher education institutions to support Caring for Missourians. Recurring funding of Phase Two of the initiative will enable institutions to sustain and increase annual production of health care professionals in these fields.

Collaboration
Support a statutory change to give Missouri counties the ability to form single or multi-county districts for delivery of local MU extension education programs.

Flagship Council Recommendations
1.  A thorough review of the tax credit program to make sure the investments made produce the returns anticipated. 
2.  A focused effort to identify new revenue streams for the state.