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Message from the Office of the Chancellor

March 27, 2020 - New measures to sustain UMSL’s financial health

Dear UMSL Community,

As we prepare for classes to resume on Monday, I want to again thank you for your collective efforts to provide remote learning, quality instruction and support services for our university through this enduring challenge. Your efforts to sustain and strengthen our Triton community – and the state of Missouri as a whole and beyond – are both inspiring and paramount as we move forward.

As we work through the many practical challenges of operating the university during this ever-changing situation, we must all take proactive measures to ensure the continued success of our students and our university. During this time, it is critical that we maintain proper fiscal stewardship. To that end, I am asking our faculty and staff to take prudent actions now to mitigate the unknown financial impact on the UMSL community.

In alignment with all four universities of the University of Missouri System, UMSL will implement an immediate hiring freeze and limit any large purchases. For the short-term, meaning at minimum the next 60 days, we must all use the following priorities to guide our financial decisions:

  • Ensuring our students receive a high-quality education
  • Supporting retention and recruitment of our students
  • Continuing research and scholarship, especially related to the public health crisis and precision health
  • Supporting the university’s response to the public health crisis and other engagement activities
  • Supporting activities that grow revenues for the university

Our priorities of teaching, research, service and economic development remain. However, we must prioritize the fiscal responsibility of our university and do what we can to support our university financially through this crisis. We are not alone in this reality and many institutions are curtailing new spending as a prudent action during this unprecedented time. More details can be found here.

Thank you for your understanding and for your diligence in taking these measures.

Sincerely,

Kristin Sobolik
Interim Chancellor and Provost