Missouri Western State University has met and exceeded all five targets set by the Missouri Department of Higher Education in its performance funding model.

“Our students, faculty and staff share a commitment to excellence that is reflected in these results,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western’s president. “During our centennial year in 2015, we will be talking a lot about the role Missouri Western has played in ‘transforming lives,’ and I’m pleased that these objective measures demonstrate that transformative power. We met these benchmarks because we have faculty and staff dedicated to serving their students, the university and the region, and because we have students who are dedicated to getting the most out of the opportunities a Missouri Western education offers.”

Missouri Western’s performance measures are:

  • Freshman to sophomore retention rate
  • Six-year cohort graduation rates
  • Assessments of general education
  • Percent of total education and general expenditures expended on the core mission
  • The number of students each year who have participated in research, projects or creative activities that have resulted in a peer-reviewed publication, presentation, performance, exhibit or external award.

Missouri Western’s results for all five measures were above the benchmark rates and four of the five measures improved from the previous year.

The performance is especially impressive considering that Missouri Western receives the lowest state appropriation per full-time equivalent student among all public universities in Missouri, Dr. Vartabedian said.

“Meeting these performance measures is challenging under the best of circumstances,” he said. “To do it with our limited resources compared to other universities speaks volumes about the dedication of everyone here. I couldn’t be more proud.”

Fiscal year 2016 will be the third year that colleges and universities receive new funding according to their performance on five measures. Four of the measures are common to all four-year institutions and one is selected by each institution to reflect its mission.

Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.