By AP/St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis – Missouri's commissioner of higher education says some of the state's smaller colleges and universities may have to make drastic changes if the state's economy does not improve.
Commissioner Robert Stein sent a letter to campus chancellors and presidents containing that warning. To stanch the bleeding, he said some of the smaller institutions may have to become branches of larger institutions, become private schools, or close altogether to bridge funding gaps that will emerge when federal stimulus dollars run out next year. Higher education took a five percent cut in the fiscal year 2011 budget, and universities were spared from larger cuts by agreeing to freeze tuition.
Stein says at the least, smaller schools will have to cut back or eliminate athletic programs and increase class sizes. Some may choose to share athletics and other services.