Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced an increase in the

maximum amount of money available through Access Missouri to lower and middle

income students. The increase is meant to help students who have

high academic potential but encounter financial difficulties. This overall augmentation

stems from Gov. Nixon’s concern about the economy in Missouri,

especially about budget balancing and the resultant challenges.

There are several possible impediments to helping students with

Access Missouri. As mentioned above, Gov. Nixon has to keep an eye on

his government’s overall budget while not letting disadvantaged students fall by the

wayside. Contributing too much to the students at UMKC and elsewhere in the state

might result in an awful mess.

The amount of each Access Missouri grant is based on a strict standard of academic and

extracurricular accomplishments. The critical question revolves around both

academic standards and the relative need of the recipient – how

much the student can afford with or without the grant money.

Another questions that arises is, especially with an increase in the overall

financial sum, are there political earmarks and supposed favors that end up

surfacing with the money?
Everyone hopes that Gov. Nixon is doing the best that he can

in terms of bringing the same quality of education that all students experience

at UMKC with people who have difficult needs.

If more money is made available, will academic standards be watered down to accommodate the new students

waiting in the resultant pipeline? Again, one hopes that the Government
of Missouri is smarter than the average bear, generally speaking, in that

the academic standards that need to be met for the accrued monies are still

more than adequately maintained. Having said such, that sentiment is often

easier said than done, so vigilance in terms of education standards would be

a bountiful plus.

Is there an impending political controversy about this extra allowance?

Are the students involved in this grant-making process aware

of the political fireworks that occur in this political and educational arena?

The political results have significant ramifications for

the student-in-waiting in terms of their exciting future at UMKC.