Dr. Cheryl B. Schrader, chancellor of Missouri University of Science and Technology, issued the following statement today in response to Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens’ proposed budget for the state of Missouri:

Missouri S&T delivers a tremendous value to our students and to the state. Our graduates are in high demand and as a result, they command some of the best starting salaries in the nation. Our university is consistently cited as one of the nation’s best values when it comes to the return on investment we provide to our students, the employers who hire them and our other constituents. Many of the companies that hire our talented graduates are among the largest and most advanced businesses in our state, and their success is critical to our state’s success. Our economic impact to the state is also great; we return roughly $5 to the state economy for every dollar of state funds invested in our university.

We understand and appreciate the constraints our governor and state lawmakers must work with in order to balance a budget in the face of declines in funding for essential services. These cuts pose a definite challenge to our institution. Nevertheless, we will continue to focus on delivering the best possible value to our students and our state.

We look forward to working with Gov. Greitens, our state legislators, Missouri’s business community and our colleagues in the University of Missouri System to make our case for Missouri S&T and for our public higher education system in Missouri.