MSU President's Newspaper Column
December 14, 2024
2025-27 budget request includes important priority projects
Vice President for Business Affairs Amber Hill and I were honored recently to present Mayville State’s 2025-27 budget request for North Dakota Governor-Elect Kelly Armstrong and Lieutenant Governor-Elect Michelle Strinden. Mayville State’s total 2025-27 general fund appropriation request amount is $59,723,618.
Our total operational and optional budget request is $23,487,174. This amount includes $21,085,059 for campus operations and $2,402,115 in optional budget requests including an employee market adjustment and restoration of the 3% reduction mandated by the Office of Management and Budget.
Mayville State University’s priority appropriation requests for 2025-27 include $34,924,814 to complete the Old Main renovation project, $1,750,000 for performance and market adjustments, $1,311,630 for a vital campus security project, and $652,115 to replace the 3% budget reduction required by the Office of Management and Budget. In addition, an amount to be determined will be requested to cover North Dakota Public Employee Retirement System defined benefit plan closure and transition costs.
The Old Main renovation project request represents the balance of the Old Main renovation allocation made during the 2023 legislative session. At the conclusion of the last session, $17,330,087 of the total project amount of $52,254,901 was approved, and the balance of $34,924,814 was to be made available in the 2025 session, or provided through a line of credit at the Bank of North Dakota if needed prior to July 1, 2025.
The Old Main renovation project, which is well underway, completes life safety, accessibility, and other needs of Mayville State’s original campus building, a 55,000 square foot facility that houses primarily instructional, as well as administrative spaces. This project will eliminate 60% of the deferred maintenance at Mayville State, and the project includes foundation repair and the elimination of electrical HVAC, plumbing, and wiring issues.
The campus security project mentioned above was derived from the three highest priorities for Mayville State’s facilities master plan: surveillance, card access, and adequate exterior lighting. The need has been identified through campus risk and security assessment and student surveys.
The project would complete the installation of card access to campus facilities. The visual surveillance of campus will be enhanced with the installation of cameras in additional locations. Another component of the project is installing and replacing pedestrian lighting for additional visibility at night.
In our presentation, Ms. Hill and I were able to provide brief highlights about Mayville State, including our focus on educating/developing the whole student. What does this mean? We strive to provide opportunities for not only intellectual development, but also personal growth, volunteerism, community interaction, character development, social, emotional, and personal development, and leadership development. These are the value-added elements of receiving a Mayville State education.
We shared information about our fall headcount of 1,134 in the fall of 2024. This represents an 8.2% increase over the fall of 2023. Of the total enrollment increase, there was an 8% increase in undergraduates, 10% increase in graduate students, and 31% increase in the number of freshmen. Sixty-eight percent of all students enrolled in the current fall semester are from North Dakota.
Mayville State is impacting the workforce. Nearly 800 Mayville State graduates are teachers or administrators in North Dakota, and 82% of recent teacher education graduates currently hold teaching licenses in North Dakota.
We are leveraging the power of partnerships and collaborations to create efficiencies and assist other institutions in the North Dakota University System, and Mayville State is demonstrating strong financial stewardship. Mayville State’s CFI Index skyrocketed from 0.4 in 2020 to 5.7 in 2023.
The future is bright at Mayville State University. We look forward to the upcoming legislative session when we’re able to inform our state’s legislative leaders about the great things that are happening at our university and partner with them as we work to make an important impact in the success of our beloved state.