Chapter 1: SMSU: A Mission-Focused Evolving Institution

A 2005 Snapshot: System, Setting & Service Area, Programs, Students, Faculty, Staff, and Facilities*

(The information in this section is adapted from the 2004 SMSU Fact Book.)

System Overview

Missouri State University is a multi-campus system operating under a single Board of Governors. Missouri State—Springfield, the campus undergoing this Self-Study, is a selective-admissions, graduate-level teaching and research institution. System administration and coordination is the responsibility of the Missouri State System Coordinating Council, which reports to the Board of Governors through the system president. The Council, composed of representatives from each campus within the system, is responsible for developing business and support systems necessary to ensure that the campuses operate cooperatively, efficiently, economically, and without duplication. (See Figure 1.1 on the following page.)

Setting and Service Area

The main campus of the University system is located in Springfield, the third-largest population center in Missouri with a metropolitan statistical-area population of 384,654 in 2000. Supported by an industrial/manufacturing base and an expanding service industry in tourism, the community serves as a regional center for health and medical services for southwest Missouri, northwest Arkansas, southeast Kansas, and northeast Oklahoma. The University's primary service region of southwest Missouri has certain distinctive characteristics that influence various activities and programs of the institution. The southwest region, the fastest-growing area in the state with a population of approximately 900,000, has a unique cultural heritage, a significant agricultural economic base, and a rapidly expanding tourism and recreational industry. Educationally, the region is served by a diverse mix of both public and private colleges and universities. As the largest multipurpose university in southwest Missouri, Missouri State provides educational leadership in the region as well as educational services to the entire state.

Fig 1.1: Organizational Chart

Organizational Chart of Univeristy System D

Programs
  • The University offers baccalaureate degrees in 83 disciplines and master’s degrees in 40 disciplines. Additionally, an educational specialist degree is offered in Educational Administration.
  • The first doctoral program offered solely by the University is the Doctor of Audiology. In addition, the University offers a cooperative doctorate in Educational Leadership with the University of Missouri – Columbia.
  • The University provides pre-professional programs for students planning to enter fields such as dentistry, engineering, law, medicine, theology, and pharmacy.
  • In fiscal year 2004, 3,265 degrees were conferred.
  • The University offers certificates to recognize students who complete a core of prescribed courses designed to significantly increase competency in a stated discipline area.
Students
  • The 2004 fall headcount enrollment on the Springfield campus increased for the sixth consecutive year to 19,114. (See Table 1.1 for headcount  1995-2004.)

Table 1.1: Fall Headcount Enrollment–Springfield Campus

  1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Undergraduate 14,566 14,309 14,272 14,067 14,515 14,699 15,147 15,448 15,771 16,269
Total Graduate 1,873 2,055 2,196 2,727 2,873 3,004 3,105 3,270 3,159 2,845
Total, All Students 16,439 16,364 16,468 16,794 17,388 17,703 18,252 18,718 18,930 19,114

Source:  Office of Institutional Research. Enrollment data produced by this office conform to federal reporting standards and exclude students who are enrolled for zero credit hours (such as students who are auditing all of their classes or students enrolled for graduation or for participation in study away programs). 

  • The fall 2004 enrollment included 1,124 minority students and 467 non-resident aliens.
  • In 2004, all of Missouri’s 114 counties were represented in the student body of the Springfield campus with 30 counties contributing 100 or more students.
  • In addition to Missouri, nearly all 50 states and 81 countries were represented in the fall, 2004 enrollment.
  • Of the $108.3 million in financial aid awarded to students at the Springfield campus in fiscal year 2004, 43 percent was need-based.
  • The College of Business Administration had the most majors, 4,316, followed by the College of Natural and Applied Sciences with 2,634.
Faculty and Staff Highlights

In 2004, 73 percent of the full-time faculty held doctorate degrees.

  • The Springfield campus had 726 full-time instructional faculty in fall 2004, of whom 40 percent were female and 64 percent were tenured.
  • The average salary of all nine-month instructional staff for 2004-05 was $51,724.
  • The University had 2,007 full-time employees and another 796 employees working part-time in 2004-05. Thirty-six percent of the full-time staff were classified as instruction/research.
  • In 2004, 73 percent of the full-time faculty held doctorate degrees. Almost 51 percent of the executive and professional staff (specialist/support) held degrees beyond the bachelor’s degree. (See Table 1.2 and Figure 1.2 on page 8.)
Facilities Highlights: Springfield Campus
  • The Springfield campus contains 38 educational and general buildings and 18 auxiliary enterprise facilities.
  • The University has almost 2.6 million square feet of assignable building space.
  • During fall 2004, 4,073 students lived in University housing, including over 2,100 first-year students.
  • The Meyer Library is the only United Nations depository library in Missouri and has nearly one million state, federal, and UN documents in its collection.

Table 1.2:  Full–Time Instructional Faculty by Rank and Tenure Status-Springfield Campus

  2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005
  N %
Tenured		 N %
Tenured		 N %
Tenured		 N %
Tenured		 N %
Tenured
Professor 262 100 268 100 269 100 270 100 265 100
Associate Professor 170 99 166 98 173 97 168 98 169 95
Assistant Professor 174 25 164 26 159 20 161 19 154 19
Instructor 17 35 15 40 19 26 25 24 22 27
Lecturer 88 ¾ 92 ¾ 95 ¾ 91 ¾ 103 ¾
Other 12 ¾ 14 ¾ 16 25 10 10 13 23
All Ranks Combined                    
  Men 460 77 453 76 460 74 450 72 439 74
  Women 263 47 266 50 271 51 275 52 287 49
  Total 723 66 719 67 731 65 725 65 726 64

Figure 1.2: Degrees of Faculty and Professional Staff, 2004-2005

Pie Chart of Degrees of Faculty and Professional Staff D

 


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