Drastic Cuts at Mineral Area College

(Park Hills, MO) Mineral Area College officials are making drastic budget cuts eliminating several departments entirely. A press release from the college's President, Dr. Joe Gilgour, reads the Board of Trustees approved a Reduction in Force to be effective July 1, 2021. The reduction is planned in order to ensure a balanced budget for the next fiscal year and beyond. The institution’s financial circumstances caused by downward enrollment trends, reduced state funding, and current economic conditions impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, led to the decision. Gilgour says, “These were difficult decisions to make to ensure fiscal responsibility and sustainability for years to come. Though this decision represents a dark time in Mineral Area College history, we will work hard to move forward and continue to serve the residents of this region.”  Nine full-time faculty positions will be reduced, as well as one full time non-teaching faculty position, and three full-time classified staff positions. Four vacant full-time positions will remain open. In addition to these reductions, the college will employ strategies to cut costs in departmental, operational, and part-time staff budgets. The departments to be eliminated include the Music, Theater, Agricultural, Radiologic Technology, and Modern and Foreign Languages Departments. You can get the complete listing and more at mineralarea.edu/events/important-updates-regarding-reductions-at-mineral-area-college/