MU Chancellor talks university’s future, admits morale is low and says past was “difficult”

MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright didn’t mince words while discussing the university’s current state amid tough budget times and a drop in enrollment.

“I recognize, although I was not here to experience it, how difficult the recent past has been on many of you,” Cartwright told MU faculty Wednesday during a presentation on campus.

Cartwright began by speaking about where the university stands today before talking about improvements that need to be made. He said the downward trend started after state appropriations peaked in 2001. To make up for that, the university increased the number of students, Cartwright said.

“As you increase the amount of effort that is required by people, it’s no surprise that we would start seeing slippage in some of the productivity,” he said.

That, combined with the 2015 protests-which Cartwright called a “catastrophic event”-led to the university’s current state.

“I certainly mention these things not to depress anyone-although it is depressing. But really to say that, with all that happened, I firmly believe that this institution will remain strong-and will remain strong for at least another 180 years.”

Despite tough budget times and drop in enrollment, Cartwright said there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic. He cited increasing graduation and retention rates, a commitment to improving campus climate and a boost in online programs as recent progress the university has made.

Still, he wasn’t afraid to admit that spirits could be better.

“I also recognize that there has been a slow and persistent depredation of morale at Mizzou. And that started a long time ago. We need to figure out a way to get around that. We must value our people.”

Cartwright said university leaders will make decisions to increase student success and job satisfaction. He said he doesn’t want to chase rankings; instead, those will follow if university leaders are committed to excellence.

“Part of becoming a truly exceptional institution is believing in who you are.”

Cartwright said the MU community needs to be thinking about where the institution needs to go long term. He said they will make more decisions about where the university is heading once the state finalizes its budget and the university gets enrollment numbers for the fall semester in May.