UCM President Best Delivers Ninth State of the University Address

UCM President Roger Best delivers his ninth State of the University address on Oct. 1 in Hendricks Hall.

 

University of Central Missouri (UCM) President Roger Best delivered his ninth State of the University address on Oct. 1, highlighting institutional progress while also acknowledging challenges.

Building on ongoing efforts to adapt for the future, this year’s address showcased how UCM and its employees are expanding partnerships, thinking creatively and introducing innovative curriculum.

During the last year, the Board of Governors approved numerous new academic degree and certificate programs, including an LPN program at UCM Lee’s Summit. The university expanded its international partnerships and welcomed a new executive director of Corporate Relations to further develop corporate education programming. 

UCM Athletics became the first Division II institution in the country to secure a jersey patch sponsorship, pending approval at the NCAA Convention in January. As faculty and staff continue to support current students, a new marketing campaign empowers prospective students with a reminder that “You can afford to be ambitious.”

 

“Effective marketing and recruitment are critical. But make no mistake, the campus visit experience and the hospitality our prospective students and families feel during that visit remain essential,” Best said. “We all are responsible for that.”

UCM also began a partnership with the International Training Center (ITC) of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, an effort led by Career and Technical Education faculty. Faculty will train the ITC trainers in a hybrid format that will serve as a model for additional corporate partnerships.

Best said there have been challenges in every era of higher education, including now. Universities are facing economic shifts, lower enrollment and evolving workforce needs.

 

“Just as in any era, it continues to be necessary that we review and evaluate our portfolio of academic offerings, adjusting the mix as necessary to account for shifting demand, appropriate modalities and available resources,” Best said. “We also have to rethink our long-standing notions of how we define workload, given the shifting approaches to instruction such as that utilized in our ITC partnership.”

Best said it is also necessary to rethink institutional structure, such as the Finance and Operations division reorganization underway. He reassured the campus community that the university remains in a stable financial position, but noted that it is imperative to make prudent, proactive decisions to ensure the university's continued stability and vitality.

The university saw an enrollment decline in Fall 2026, caused primarily by a decline in the graduate student population, as undergraduate enrollment was relatively flat compared to last year. However, UCM saw momentum in first-time freshman enrollment and in international undergraduate enrollment.

During last year’s address, Best introduced an infrastructure improvement plan that included about a dozen capital projects utilizing donor funding, university funds and debt funding from a planned bond issue. Planning was underway for most of the projects, but due to concerns about steadily increasing interest rates over the last several months, Best recommended in September that the Board of Governors not proceed with bond issuance.

Without debt funding, the Yeater Hall and Welcome Center projects have been paused; only projects that were already fully approved by the board and/or fully funded by donors and grants are moving forward at this time.

 

“It is very disappointing to me personally that we will not be able to move forward at this time with many of the projects we’ve been discussing at length and that are highly beneficial to the university,” Best said. “It is more important, in my opinion, to ensure the financial well-being of the university, and that includes avoiding high-interest debt. Despite this setback on the full scope of projects, we still have made significant progress on a number of other projects.” 

Best offered a reminder of the completed and pending projects that are transforming the Warrensburg campus. Completed projects include the demolition of Hudson Hall and the University Conference Center, new greenhouses and renovated historic barn at the Mitchell Street Farm, TR Gaines Technology Building renovations, and an extensive modernization of the Humphreys Building. UCM and Sodexo also opened new retail dining – Qdoba, Erbert and Gerbert’s, and Dunkin’ – and renovated Traditions Restaurant.

Projects in progress include a new Marching Mules practice and storage building, a new Diamond Sports Indoor Development Facility, and expansion of the Hendricks Hall stage. The primary runway at Skyhaven Airport will also be expanded during a three-year project, thanks to a large appropriation from Congress.

Beyond capital project development, UCM launched a new strategic plan that will guide the university's work over the next five years. The imperatives include Learner Access and Achievement, Applied Learning, People and Culture, Partnerships and Impact, Operational Innovation and Excellence, and Institutional Identity. 

As the university and its employees continue to look forward, work will be framed around the new strategic imperatives. Best offered a look at some of the actions needed to continue institutional progress:

• Develop metrics for the new strategic imperatives and support the development of unit-level action plans.

• Continue implementation of student retention efforts.

• Support employee culture of service, promote professional development, and celebrate successes through storytelling.

• Create additional agreements with current and new international partners and corporate partners.

• Maintain progress toward optimal curriculum design and course scheduling.

• Revamp the current budget model. 

• Continue academic program health assessments.

Best reflected on his eight years as UCM’s president and how the university has grown and evolved as time marched on. Ending where he began, Best said there are a number of indicators suggesting higher education is about to enter another era of challenge. 

 

“We, UCM, have been through a lot of change and challenges together,” Best said. “No one in 2018 could have predicted ultimately what we experienced as an institution and in higher education over the last eight years. But we have survived and we have thrived.

 

“The current and impending challenges require us to come together, work together and fight together to stand on our principles and values while never losing focus on why we do what we do.”