|
Here are three things I want you to know as we begin the academic year:
1) Enrollment - While the final report won’t be issued until census day at the end of the fourth week of classes (September 12), the current enrollment picture is somewhat mixed. As of yesterday:
- New first-time / full-time headcount and transfer students are up (both face-to-face and web combined), with notable increases in Cape Girardeau, Scott, New Madrid, and Dunklin Counties.
- International headcount (undergraduate and graduate combined) is down, reflecting the difficulty international students have had in obtaining visas.
- We await the enrollment of a large number of dual credit students who will join classes in the coming weeks as area high schools begin.
I want to thank all the faculty and staff who played a role in recruiting and retaining our students and remind you that the next four weeks are critical as we seek to minimize the loss of students who begin the semester but don’t persist. Let’s pull together and make sure as many students as possible finish the fall semester.
2) Compensation Study and Minimum Wage – Two topics wrapped into one of today’s “3 Things.” First, I have asked Holly Bauwens, Human Resources, and Diana Harley, Finance and Administration, to proceed with a third-party compensation study for all SEMO staff (faculty salaries are currently compared to CUPA market data). The last study was completed six years ago and that data about how our compensation compares with the market is now outdated. Please remember, this new study will provide SEMO one point of data. The findings of this study will not result in automatic adjustments of staff salaries to market.
Second, Mo. House Bill 567 was recently signed into law, which requires public institutions like SEMO to comply with the state’s new minimum wage. That means an immediate increase for student and temporary employees at SEMO to $13.75/hour and then to $15/hour on January 1, 2026. Department chairs and directors should work with their dean or vice president to determine how best to utilize existing budgeted funds to meet this change.
We acknowledge this does create compression for employees currently at $15/hour. The compensation study mentioned above will assist us in creating a path forward to address, to the extent budgets allow, this new compression on staff compensation.
3) Strategic Plan – I have shared previously that we would begin the strategic planning process this fall to develop a new plan to take effect July 1, 2026. That process is well underway. We issued a Request for Information (RFI) in July that resulted in five firms submitting information for consideration. The Executive Staff will evaluate those RFIs and make a recommendation to me about how to proceed in the development of our new strategic plan. We will begin work on the plan this fall. I’ll keep you updated as this process evolves.
I hope your fall semester is off to a great start. Thank you for EVERYTHING you do to make sure our students have a smooth transition into coursework, extracurricular activities, residence life, and every other aspect of their SEMO experience.
Until next time, GO REDHAWKS!
| 
