NW Missouri Times

Northwest Missouri State University's Board of Regents has approved the university's budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, which totals approximately $115.9 million. The budget comprises the Education and General (E&G) and Auxiliary Services budgets. Stacy Carrick, Northwest’s vice president of finance and administration, presented the proposed budgets to the regents, noting a 2.9 percent decrease in total revenues and expenses for E&G and a 4 percent decrease for Auxiliary Services compared to last year.

The FY26 budget anticipates enrollment decreases but includes increased state appropriations and other revenue sources. Carrick emphasized that despite challenges such as changing student demographics and constrained funding, the university remains focused on investments in enrollment, collegiate experience, personnel, and operational effectiveness.

“When enrollments are declining, and we are seeing that this next year for FY26, we’ve had to be agile and flexible on operating expenses, which means we’ve had to find ways to do things with less funds,” Carrick stated.

In addition to approving the budget, the regents sanctioned facility names honoring two individuals who have significantly contributed to Northwest. The new tennis facility will be named the Mark Rosewell Tennis Center. Rosewell began coaching at Northwest in 1984 and led his teams to over 1,200 victories. “Coach Rosewell’s long-standing dedication... make him a deserving candidate for this honor,” said Dr. Andy Peterson, Director of Athletics.

Furthermore, the University’s Maintenance Building will be renamed as the John C. Redden Jr. Maintenance Building in recognition of Redden's 45 years of service at Northwest. “Mr. Redden’s long-standing dedication... makes him a deserving candidate for this honor,” Carrick noted.

The Board also approved appointments for 235 full-time faculty members for the upcoming academic year. President Dr. Lance Tatum provided updates on infrastructure modernization projects and legislative issues during his report.

John Moore announced his resignation from the Board after serving since 2018 and chairing it from 2020 to 2023. Reflecting on his time at Northwest he said: “This is a place that I just feel very passionate about... my respect and admiration for them has only grown.”