Just wanting what’s best for Northwest

Off the Editor’s Spike by Darryl Wilkinson

Although only the first steps of a long process have been taken, many people think the change to make Northwest Missouri State a part of the University of Missouri system is a “done deal.” And nobody, outside the administrators involved, seems to know whether this is good or bad.

As in most things American, when trying to figure something out, follow the money.

Northwest President Dean Hubbard knows Missouri’s financial situation is going to force change — right or wrong, popular or unpopular. He is convinced Northwest’s future is best if it becomes part of something bigger, and MU alums everywhere proclaim nothing in this state’s higher education system is going to be bigger than the University of Missouri (sorry, SMS). Maybe that’s MU’s motivation for welcoming Northwest into its fold.

Dr. Hubbard knows the proposed merger will likely mean higher salaries for teachers and professors at Northwest.

The drawback, of course, is higher tuition costs. But on this count, the real loser is not necessarily the parents of students living in Northwest Missouri. If a family budget says no to the “new” Northwest, then there’s always Mo. West! Those making appropriation decisions at Jefferson City in tight financial times know this sparsely populated region hardly needs two regional state education institutions so much alike so close together.

And, so does Dr. Hubbard.

Higher tuition at Northwest is about the only certainty in the merger being considered. It will be interesting to see if those Northwest students from Iowa and Nebraska (a big percentage in Northwest’s current enrollment total) opt to drive the few extra miles of highway to St. Joseph. There has always been some criticism of Missouri taxpayers helping to educate so many Iowans and Nebraskans even with the out-of-state tuition surcharge. A merger means the jokes about “SW Iowa State at Maryville” may soon end.

The political side of the proposed merger is logical and fingers beyond the obvious.

Northwest aspires to the financial stability that MU almost guarantees. The change paves way for Missouri Western to gain “university” status, a name change it covets.

That change could mean more high school graduates entering college via Missouri’s A+ Program will be directed to North Central Missouri College at Trenton (Mo. West concedes little to NCMC if funding for the A+ Program takes a financial “hit,” too).

So, the Northwest merger proposal offers a “win-win-win” for three institutions in competition for appropriations and enrollment.

There are also broader arguments for change. Taxpayers point to costly duplication of services when purveying Missouri’s pyramid of higher education institutions. Educators pushing for quality in education always seem to say “there’s got to be a better way.” But legislators are slow to act, knowing change is usually unpopular particularly in the short term which they measure by the next election campaign.

Boards at Northwest and the MU system have until Aug. 28, 2004, to agree. The proposal is going to be brought along swiftly by those making the presentation; the longer the discussion strings out, the less likely the merger will occur.

It’s unlikely that Northwest will be deemed the MU ag school, emerging with a reputation and focus like Rolla has in the MU system for engineering. That would be logical, even desirable. Northwest has its own reputation in this area, a prestige that would only be enhanced by the merger. But few expect the Vet School at Columbia, for example, would ever relocate to Maryville.

What’s more likely is for new “distance learning” applications, thanks to new communication technologies, while Northwest helps MU achieve its land grant mission.

That means research. Northwest has already embraced technologies, once promoting itself as the state’s first electronic campus. And, let’s face it, land for research farms around Maryville is cheaper and easier to acquire than the Columbia area.

What you read here is not a complete summation on all the details involved nor any informed “insider’s” opinion. These are simply the musings of an observant Northwest grad, an ol’ Bearcat who’s failed even to get any three of his first four grown children to choose Northwest.

I enjoyed attending Northwest, am proud of its traditions and continue to be impressed by its improvement and growth, particularly in Northwest’s offerings for mass communications. So, for some reason, I feel that I should be opposed to such a dramatic change for my alma mater. But I can’t really point to good reasons to oppose the merger. It’s not, after all, a matter of heartstrings but of rational logic.

If we are serious about demanding quality in education, if taxpayers really want the most bang for the buck, then changes must occur. This includes our public education system, too. State funding cuts already have high school administrators everywhere in Missouri scrambling. If a merger makes sense on this level in this region, shouldn’t a serious look at our public school district systems follow?

As for Northwest, and like Dr. Hubbard who is a man to respect, I want whatever is best for Northwest. The Northwest Board of Regents and Curators have already approved the merger. The next step is in the state legislature.

Personally, our eighth grader (and soon to be freshman) son has already chosen MU at Columbia, to follow in the footsteps of his siblings, at least at this point. Funny, but maybe his and my dreams may come true by the time his high school graduation decision comes around. With this merger, you see, he could become a Bearcat …and still attend “MU.”