The Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development is revamping its mission with a heavier focus on getting Missourians into the classroom and workplace, a task made even more crucial by the COVID-19 pandemic.
At Wednesday's Coordinating Board for Higher Education meeting, MDHEWD officials discussed developments to the department's vision, mission, principles and values with members of the board.
Higher Education Commissioner Zora Mulligan said the department has been having preliminary conversations about strategic planning with various stakeholders at its Job Center Town Hall series.
"Those have been really, really energizing conversations," Mulligan said. "COVID-19 has certainly sharpened a lot of the workforce needs that we hear and its made it even more challenging to get people, particularly adults, into education and training programs."
Mulligan said the responses received from those town halls have been positive as the department tries to create a comprehensive framework for addressing workforce goals.
Rachelle Sharpe, director of HCM Strategists, said the department has drafted a new mission statement to better describe its core purpose.
"Our people, programs and partnerships put Missourians on a path to learn, work and prosper," the new mission statement reads.
The board suggested the statement could be shortened even more to simply say, "Put Missourians on a path to learn, work and prosper."
The department's guiding principles were also updated to be people-centered, equity-focused and impact-driven.
To better reach the department's goals, Sharpe said there are three target areas: educational attainment, labor force participation and internal activity.
"These are big targets and bold goals, but if we are more aggressive and aim higher, we are more likely to move the needle on our objectives and reach those goals in an equity-focused manner as our principles suggest," Sharpe said.
The department's strategic planning process is not complete, but Mulligan said the next steps are to further develop internal processes for measuring success and present the final product in December.
The board also approved budget recommendations for the department, operating budgets for Missouri's public colleges and universities, and legislative proposals for the next session.
The department is asking for the same amount of funding for most department operations as last year, with the exception of additional funding for the Office of Performance and Strategy which is losing federal funding, funding for an additional attorney and funding to administer additional Student Financial Aid.
For public higher education institution's operating budgets, the department recommended an increase to core operating appropriations based on a percent increase linked to inflation.
That means an additional $8,292,808 is recommended for community colleges, $42,863,026 for public universities and $433,640 for the State Technical College of Missouri.
The board also approved legislative priorities related to the department's Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant, including removing its sunset provision so it doesn't expire next year, removing the provision requiring recipients to live and work in Missouri for three years, and expanding the grant program to include institutions offering apprenticeships.
These recommendations will be submitted to the Office of Administration by Oct. 1 to be reviewed by the Governor's Office. The governor will then make a recommendation to the General Assembly during his State of the State address early next year.