House budget leaders target MU’s Professor Click

On Tuesday the chairman of the Missouri House Budget Committee, Rep. Tom Flanigan, (R) Carthage, provided explanation about the newest cuts and why they target the University of Missouri Columbia in particular.

The latest version of House Bill 2003 reduces support to the UM system by roughly $8 million. Instead of a lump sum, the money would be split up and sent to each campus separately. MU’s funding would be cut by $402,059. Flanigan claims that is equivalent to three salaries: Professor Click’s, a division chair in the communication department and the dean of arts and science.

The remaining reductions would come from the University of Missouri system, because Flanigan reports, “it remains to be seen if effective leadership is in place to move the system forward.” If approved, it would be about half of the system’s current funds for the year.

Flanigan goes on to say, “the committee substitute does not make the reductions only about Dr. Melissa Click and her actions. For several months legislators have had stories relayed to us from current and past students, staff, and faculty of a vast bureaucracy that rivals the Pentagon in terms of red tape and delays.” He cited leaders’ deep concerns about “the inability to terminate employees,” and wanted “administrators, not students, feel the pain of these budget actions.”