Gov. Blunt’s Landmark Higher Education Initiative Distributes $8.8 Million to Benefit Missouri Students

Missouri Governor's Office - Press Release             JEFFERSON CITY—Gov. Matt Blunt's plan for Missouri colleges and universities today provided more than $8.8 million to benefit students around the state, promote technology and innovation, and help secure Missouri's role as a higher education leader.  The $8,878,264 payment distribution is the fifteenth of the $335 million total that Gov. Blunt secured for Missouri students and classrooms through his Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative.              "Our Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative is providing more than $335 million to our colleges and universities without a tax increase.  This $335 million investment in state-of-the-art learning centers for our students is in addition to the 19.3 percent increase in higher education funding my administration has achieved over the last four years," Gov. Blunt said. "Our students are our future, and this investment in higher education will continue to ensure that they have the resources they need to compete and succeed in our global economy."              The following universities and colleges received funding today: University of Central Missouri Morrow & Garrison Buildings, $121,820 Harris Stowe-State University Child and Parent Education Center, $1,175,636 Lincoln University Jason Hall, $569,187 Linn State Technical College Heavy Equipment Technology Building, $123,041 Missouri Southern State University Health Sciences Building, $182,187 Missouri State University Phase 1 FREUP, $880,716 Missouri State University Incubator, $400,846 Missouri Western State University Agenstein Science and Math Halls, $739,971 Northwest Missouri State University Biologics Center, $1,434,227 Truman State University Pershing Building, $13,299 University of Missouri Greenley Learning & Discovery Park, $4,945 University of Missouri Delta Research Center, $33,736 University of Missouri Southwest Education and Outreach Center, $652 University of Missouri Graves-Chapple Facility $2,369 University of Missouri Horticulture & Agroforestery Research Center, $44,390 University of Missouri Thompson Farms, $1,372 University of Missouri Wurdack Farm, $1,772 University of Missouri South Farms $535 University of Missouri-Kansas City Dental Equipment, $621,354 Missouri University of Science and Technology (UMR) Engineering Building, $931,893 University of Missouri-St. Louis Benton and Stadler Halls, $263,772 University of Missouri-Kansas City Pharmacy and Nursing Building, $1,330,544             Gov. Blunt's Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative is providing $335 million to Missouri students, colleges and universities, through the sale of loans to out-of-state students who very rarely attended a Missouri school.  One example of the type of loan sold to benefit Missouri students is a loan held by a Californian and used to attend the University of Arizona.             Gov. Blunt's landmark Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative is a partnership between the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority and the state.  The partnership, authorized through legislation and supported by lawmakers, reinvests a state asset to generate $335 million to strengthen Missouri's colleges and universities for students.  The Department of Higher Education and the Office of Administration are working with universities and colleges to process the funding.             The payment amounts reimburse four-year colleges and universities for actual expenditures and are determined by information provided by the institutions each month.  Community college payment amounts are set at $2 million each and distributed by request.  In addition, $6 million total for maintenance and repair was allocated to community colleges.  Community colleges must provide a local match in order to receive the maintenance and repair funds.  Under the governor's plan, the $335 million will be distributed over the next five years to maximize the benefit to students and ensure as many projects may be completed as quickly as possible.             The historic initiative takes an enormous stride forward for higher education in our state and provides much-needed funding for state-of-the-art learning and research centers.  The new learning centers will prepare students to compete in today's global economy where higher quality learning in areas such as math and science are crucial elements for students' future success.              For a complete list of projects funded by the Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative and for more information, visit http://www.ded.mo.gov/lcdi.             Gov. Blunt has been a champion for higher education in Missouri.  When he took office, he put an end to cuts to higher education.  Before Gov. Blunt took office higher education had been cut by more than 10 percent or $98 million. Gov. Blunt made higher education a priority, increasing funding for colleges, universities and students by $166.5 million, or 19.3 percent, bringing the total to more than $1 billion.              "Missourians can take pride in the fact that we ended the education cuts and withholdings of the past and delivered the largest higher education budget and the first ever to exceed $1 billion," Gov. Blunt said.             Gov. Blunt's support for higher education quadruples funding available for Access Missouri scholarships and provides $105.8 million in new funding for colleges and universities in addition to the $335 million provided by the Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative. -- http://MissouriNetizen.com http://www.bransonedge.com http://www.bransonmissouri.missourinetizen.com