This is the first article from The Hilltop Monitor addressing recent academic, athletic and personnel changes to William Jewell College. More stories may be published as the Cardinal community receives more information.

On Feb. 3, 2025, the president and Board of Trustees of William Jewell College announced changes to the academic and athletic profile of the College. Jewell’s declaration of financial exigency enabled an internal financial exigency management committee and the Board of Trustees to address the College’s financial situation by sharply reducing its faculty, staff and academic programs.

The College’s Board of Trustees approved the proposed changes on Jan. 22. Some of these changes include the following.

Creation of academic divisions

All majors and academic programs have been reorganized into five new Academic Divisions:

1. Business and Communication 
2. Behavioral and Natural Sciences
3. Analytical Science
4. Community Engagement and Applied Arts
5. Culture, Society and Justice

Regarding the new Academic Divisions, emails to students from faculty members have informed them that faculty members “remain dedicated to providing [them] exceptional opportunities” to help students achieve their goals, and that faculty will continue to “assist [students] in [their] academic and professional success.” 

Further details about what this academic shake-up means for students are unclear at this time. 

Phasing out of programs

Additionally, the College has chosen to phase out certain majors and other programs.

On the academic side, the College has chosen to phase out Nonprofit Leadership, Healthcare Leadership, Integrated Healthcare, Theatre, and Musical Theatre. This means that the College will not be allowing new students into these majors, and has ceased recruitment for Theatre programs.

The discontinuations will not take effect until next fall, so students graduating in May 2025 are unaffected by these changes. For students graduating after May 2025, the College has told students that “teach-out planning is underway to ensure currently enrolled students can complete their major as planned.” 

Higher Learning Commission (HLC) guidelines permit teach-out plans. However, provisional plans submitted to the HLC must provide a “fair and equitable” plan to students and “[provide] students with reasonable opportunities to complete their education without additional charges” (emphasis added). In other words, students currently enrolled at Jewell must be able to graduate with their current degree program at the same cost as before.

The reduction in majors and programs offered is being accompanied by other reductions across the College. The Honors Institute in Critical Thinking, the Cardinal Sound athletic band, and French language courses are all being discontinued. (Note that Jewell does not currently offer French as a major, only Applied French as a minor; the Honors Institute is not a major either). The effects of these removals are currently unclear.

Across all these changes, the College notes that “[s]tudents in impacted programs have been engaged by faculty and leadership to learn more and plan.”

College administrators also clarified that all athletic programs are continuing through the spring as planned. With that said, it is unknown which athletic programs will persist into the next academic year. The College is currently convening “an athletics task force” that “is working to complete the new vision for Cardinal Athletics before the end of the academic year.” Cardinal Athletics have not yet provided details of this change.

Faculty and staff layoffs

Despite savings from these removals, the financial exigency committee chose to lay off many faculty and staff. Hilltop calculations using Department of Education data suggest that 20-30% of the College faculty have been laid off. The College’s declaration of financial exigency in Dec. 2024 enabled it to remove any or all faculty, including faculty members with tenure, as part of the restructuring process. Without the declaration of financial exigency, tenured faculty could not otherwise be dismissed in this manner.

Ultimately, 45 faculty and staff lost employment with the College. These included 13 retirements and resignations, and the involuntary removal of 14 faculty and 18 staff members. College administrators claim that they are “grateful to faculty for engaging in meaningful ways in this process to ensure Jewell’s relevance,” and assure the Cardinal community that Jewell is still a “leading higher education institution.” 

Two Cabinet members will also leave the College. Vice President for Access and Engagement Dr. Rodney Smith will voluntarily be leaving the College and Jewell’s page emphasizing its commitment to diversity is currently down. The current vice president for academic affairs, Dr. Daniel Jasper, has accepted a position as provost of Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi.

As of the time of publication, it is still unclear what people and what positions have been terminated by the College. However, it seems that many beloved members of the Jewell Community are either no longer working at the College or will not be returning next fall; this includes employees who have worked at Jewell for years and, in some cases, even decades.

Impacts on the bottom line

As a non-profit receiving public funding, William Jewell College is required to publish IRS form 990, which guarantees some degree of financial transparency. Its most recent filing indicates that the College lost $12 million in the fiscal year ending June 2023. In the same year, an internal audit identified a “deficiency in internal financial or governance controls that could inhibit the College’s ability to ensure compliance with federal regulations” or to “track and report financial data reliably.”

That said, a Feb. 3 letter to the Cardinal community notes that after implementing these changes, “Jewell has identified 95 percent of the college-wide goal of $7 million in reductions ahead of 2025-26.”

The remaining $5 million will be recouped through “improved net tuition revenue, and additional expense management initiatives over the course of the next academic year.” While the College has announced that it will raise tuition 4.5% in 2025-26, the particulars of further savings have not been specified. These numbers suggest that after implementing this set of changes, the College will have ensured its financial stability.

Through the process, College administrators report that they “are committed to ensuring the Jewell community has the information it needs throughout this journey.” 

This story is developing.

On Dec. 5, 2024, the administration of William Jewell College sent a letter to Jewell students informing the Cardinal community that the College would be declaring financial exigency. 

Accompanying this declaration, Jewell’s administration launched a new webpage, “Reimagine Jewell.” The webpage informed students, alumni and donors of the challenges the College has faced and the College’s plan to address these difficulties.

The full letter to students can be read here. It noted, in relevant part, that:

“The College has implemented a variety of strategic cost-cutting measures to achieve efficiencies. These included asset sales, savings on what we purchase, operational cost cuts, deferral of non-essential maintenance expense, and most recently, a reduction in administrative staff. Additional immediate cost-saving measures must be implemented to balance our budget and ensure Jewell’s future success.

Following extensive analysis and thoughtful deliberation, the William Jewell College Board of Trustees has voted to declare financial exigency, an intentional step toward creating financial stability and securing the path forward for the College. In doing so, the Board is deploying an important tool that enables reallocation of resources, restructuring of academic programs, scholarships and significant reductions in force. [Jewell] will transition out of the financial exigency period in less than one year after efficiencies are being achieved according to plan.” [emphasis added]

In a press release, Bill Gautreaux, chair of Jewell’s Board of Trustees, said that as is, “the cost of program delivery is not sustainable. It is essential that we confront that inefficiency and build a solid foundation for future growth.” Interim President Susan Chambers described current conditions as a “challenging time,” but added that she was “collectively dedicated to the preservation of Jewell for the long term.”

What is financial exigency?

William Jewell College defines financial exigency in accordance with guidelines published by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). According to the College’s Faculty Handbook, a state of financial exigency may be declared by the Board of Trustees when “an imminent financial crisis threatens the survival of the institution as a whole and that [financial crisis] cannot be alleviated by less drastic means” (§4.8, p. 48).

Jewell also has the ability to declare financial hardship, which differs from financial exigency in that “financial stability,” not the institution’s survival, is under threat. Jewell may declare financial hardship when it may not meet accreditation or federal standards, experiences a multi-year budget shortfall, or restructures a program due to “declining enrollments or excessive financial drain” (§4.9, pp. 48-9).

By declaring financial exigency, then, the Board clarified the urgency of the crisis Jewell is facing. This crisis threatens Jewell’s survival, not merely its financial stability.

How is the College administration addressing this?

Declaring financial exigency enables Jewell to take substantial steps to cut expenses.

Academically, the College may choose to restructure or remove certain academic programs. “Reimagine Jewell” noted that “many changes [to Jewell’s academic programs] will be welcomed, but some will impact programs, services and traditions that, while valuable, do not have sufficient aggregate demand to continue in their current state.” 

Financial exigency also enables the College to eliminate the positions of faculty members with tenure; exigency is one of the few conditions under which Jewell may do so (Faculty Handbook, §5.10.1). Moreover, Jewell is not obligated to continue academic programs that it has been offering, and a reduction in faculty caused by budget cuts may render certain programs inoperable.

Athletically, programs will continue through at least the end of spring. Jewell stated that athletic programs will “continue as planned for spring as well while we complete the work developing a more viable athletic aid strategy, and a sustainable and strategic fundraising plan.” Jewell plans to provide more details about the future of athletic programs in early 2025.

Administratively, Jewell seeks to increase revenue via summer programs or other uses of its facilities, while decreasing expenses in energy consumption and technology infrastructure.

Other impacts on College functions

Despite this declaration of financial exigency, the College claims to prioritize “as little disruption to the student experience as possible” and that the College is “committed to supporting [students] during this time.” 

Finally, Jewell’s search for a new president has been paused during this time, and Interim President Susan Chambers will continue to serve until a new president and other long-term leadership are found.

Photo by Sarah Elizabeth via Uplash.

With December fast approaching, the autumn sports season is drawing to a close. First and foremost, congratulations to all our athletes for a great season. You should  be proud that  you made it through. Being a student athlete is very challenging, whatever the results, it’s important to recognize your dedication and efforts. This article is a recap of the fall team sports season for our William Jewell Cardinals.

Football: What a season it was for the football team, which got off to a strong start with 3 straight conference wins. It’s worth mentioning that the Cardinals had their best season in 10 years, with an overall record of 5-6. Indeed, these very encouraging results bode well for the coming years, which will hopefully enable the Cardinals to have a winning record and reach the postseason phase. In addition, the Cardinals have also made a name for themselves this season with 4 GLVC player of the week awards won, as well as a career high of 1000 rushing yards in one season for our running back, Keaundre McCullough.

Volleyball: The women’s volleyball team had a difficult season with disappointing results. With an overall record of 7-22 and 1-12 in conference, the season failed to live up to expectations, despite a conference victory over Missouri S&T on Oct. 11. Although this season was marked by lack of success and doubt, Samantha Thompson and Bella Laporta showed exceptional leadership by leading the team with very strong performances. Thompson reached the impressive milestone of 2000 career assists, a huge achievement. As for  Laporta, she was very effective offensively, with 409 kills this season. Well done to them both!

Women’s soccer: Head coach Emily Key and her staff can be proud of the women’s soccer team that has had its best season since 2018. This season could mark the start of a new era for this talented team, which won 4 games this season. Although they did not win, these 4 victories are a clear improvement on previous seasons. In fact, this team is full of potential, driven by attacking talents such as Lux Sands, with 6 goals and two assists, and Riley Frasure-Smith, with 3 goals and 4 assists. Although they didn’t make it to the conference tournament, they can be proud of their season.

Men’s soccer: The men’s soccer team is one of the great success stories of the fall season. In a season marked by very promising results, the team came close to qualifying for the GLVC conference tournament.  It was head Coach Eddie Horn’s best season since he arrived at Jewell 5 years ago, as well as the program’s best season since 2012, with an overall record of 5-8-4. What’s more, this success is partly due to Zach Nichols, a very talented forward whose 6 goals and 1 assist led the team. Let’s hope this momentum carries the team to an even better season next year.

In summation, this fall season has been full of surprises with ups and downs for every team. But it’s important to recognize the efforts, despite the final results. Congratulations to all the student athletes who work hard every day to be as good as they can be – and good luck to all the sports preparing to compete in the spring. Go Cardinals!

On Nov. 8, Missourians will take to the ballot boxes to cast their votes in the general election. A number of state and federal officials are up for election or re-election. Another piece published in this issue of the Hilltop Monitor addresses the critical race for President between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. While national elections are important, local and state elections are also crucial — local elections may even have more impact on a community than national elections. This article, however, focuses on six ballot initiatives in the State of Missouri. 

Register to Vote!

In order to vote on any of these ballot initiatives or in any federal or state election, you must be eligible and registered to vote. To register to vote in Missouri, you must be a United States citizen, a resident of Missouri, and 17 ½ years old (although you must be 18 by Election Day).

According to the Secretary of State, a person cannot vote in Missouri elections if they are imprisoned, on probation or parole after a felony conviction, have been convicted of a voting-related felony or misdemeanor, or declared incapacitated.

The registration deadline in Missouri is the fourth Wednesday before Election Day – for the upcoming Nov. 5 election, that deadline is Oct. 9.

You can register to vote or check your registration status with the Missouri government here.

Local Ballot Initiatives

First, though: what is a ballot initiative?

Ballot initiatives are measures placed on a state or local ballot. These initiatives can propose anything, from bonds for water towers to legalizing marijuana (which was legalized in Missouri by initiative in 2022). In Missouri, such initiatives can be generated in two ways.

Any citizen can create an initiative petition to enact legislation or update the Missouri Constitution. To appear on the ballot, a petitioner must send the text of their initiative and necessary signatures to the Secretary of State (currently Jay Ashcroft) within six months of an election.

If a proposal seeks to amend the Constitution, it requires 8% of eligible voters in two-thirds of Missouri’s eight Congressional districts to sign a petition. If it seeks to amend state law, it only needs 5% of eligible voters to sign off on the petition.

While the Missouri state legislature can also propose constitutional amendments by joint resolution, it cannot enact these amendments unilaterally. Regardless of how a measure comes to the Missouri people, a simple majority is required to pass any measure. 

Nov. Ballot Measures in Missouri

 To avoid bias or subjectivity, this article uses  the official Fair Ballot Language provided by the secretary of state’s office whenever possible. This Fair Ballot Language will appear on official ballots on Election Day.

Amendment 2

What’s it about? Legalizing sports betting in Missouri

How did it get here? Amendment 2 was proposed by initiative petition.

What does it say?

“Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:

• allow the Missouri Gaming Commission to regulate licensed sports wagering including online sports betting, gambling boats, professional sports betting districts and mobile licenses to sports betting operators;
• restrict sports betting to individuals physically located in the state and over the age of 21;
• allow license fees prescribed by the Commission and a 10% wagering tax on revenues received to be appropriated for education after expenses incurred by the Commission and required funding of the Compulsive Gambling Prevention Fund; and
• allow for the general assembly to enact laws consistent with this amendment?

State governmental entities estimate onetime costs of $660,000, ongoing annual costs of at least $5.2 million, and initial license fee revenue of $11.75 million. Because the proposal allows for deductions against sports gaming revenues, they estimate unknown tax revenue ranging from $0 to $28.9 million annually. Local governments estimate unknown revenue.”

The context: In 2018, the Supreme Court overturned a federal law barring states from legalizing sports betting. Since then, 38 states and the District of Columbia have voted to legalize betting on professional sports. Under Amendment 2, sports betting would not include fantasy sports, “wagering on the performance or nonperformance of any [collegiate] athlete [from Missouri],” or wagering on youth events.

Amendment 3

What’s it about? Reproductive rights

How did it get here? Amendment 3 was proposed by initiative petition.

What does it say?

“Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:

• establish a right to make decisions about reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives, with any governmental interference of that right presumed invalid;
• remove Missouri’s ban on abortion;
• allow regulation of reproductive health care to improve or maintain the health of the patient;
• require the government not to discriminate, in government programs, funding, and other activities, against persons providing or obtaining reproductive health care; and
• allow abortion to be restricted or banned after Fetal Viability except to protect the life or health of the woman?

State governmental entities estimate no costs or savings, but unknown impact. Local governmental entities estimate costs of at least $51,000 annually in reduced tax revenues. Opponents estimate a potentially significant loss to state revenue.”

The context: In 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, two cases that established federal protections for abortion to a certain point in pregnancy. In effect, the Supreme Court returned this decision to each state. Under a 2019 statute not in force until this decision, Missouri immediately banned all abortion in the state, including in cases of sexual violence.

Proposals to legalize abortion have succeeded in seven states: Kansas, Kentucky, California, Michigan, Vermont, Montana, and Ohio). According to New York Magazine, measures to enshrine or expand abortion rights are also on the ballot in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, and South Dakota.

Amendment 5

What’s it about? Constructing a riverboat casino at Lake of the Ozarks

How did it get here? Amendment 5 was proposed by initiative petition.

What does it say?

Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:

• allow the Missouri Gaming Commission to issue one additional gambling boat license to operate on the portion of the Osage River from the Missouri River to the Bagnell Dam;
• require the prescribed location shall include artificial spaces that contain water and are within 500 feet of the 100-year base flood elevation as established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and
• require all state revenues derived from the issuance of the gambling boat license shall be appropriated to early-childhood literacy programs in public institutions of elementary education?

State governmental entities estimate one-time costs of $763,000, ongoing costs of $2.2 million annually, initial fee revenue of $271,000, ongoing admission and other fee revenue of $2.1 million annually, and annual gaming tax revenue of $14.3 million. Local governments estimate unknown revenue.

The context: Currently, the Missouri Constitution only allows riverboat gambling on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. This amendment would enable a gaming license to be issued for a gambling boat on the Osage River, near the Lake of the Ozarks. KCUR has reported that Bally’s, the operator of a Kansas City casino, plans to build a casino at the Lake.

Amendment 6

What’s it about? Sheriff’s pensions: part of “administration of justice” or no?

How did it get here? Missouri’s general assembly proposed this measure to voters.

What does it say?

“Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to provide that the administration of justice shall include the levying of costs and fees to support salaries and benefits for certain current and former law enforcement personnel?

State and local governmental entities estimate an unknown fiscal impact.”

What’s the context? In 2021, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that a $3 court fee going to sheriff’s retirement funds was not consistent with the Missouri Constitution. The Court argued that since the sheriffs’ retirement fund is not related to the administration of justice, Missouri courts could not collect that fee.

Passage of this amendment would enable the courts to continue collecting this fee by including the pensions of retired law enforcement personnel under “administration of justice.”

Amendment 7

What’s it about? Restricting ranked-choice voting and clarifying that only U.S. citizens can vote in state elections

How did it get here? Missouri’s general assembly proposed this measure to voters.

What does it say?

“Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:

• Make the Constitution consistent with state law by only allowing citizens of the United States to vote;
• Prohibit the ranking of candidates by limiting voters to a single vote per candidate or issue; and
• Require the plurality winner of a political party primary to be the single candidate at a general election?

State and local governmental entities estimate no costs or savings.”

What’s the context? This amendment does two things.

First, it would prohibit non-citizens from voting, which Missouri law already does. Proponents of the measure claim that Missouri’s constitution, which states that “all citizens [may vote],” does not prevent localities from enabling non-citizens to vote.

Second, it prohibits Missourians from later adopting ranked-choice voting measures, which have been passed in a number of states. Ranked-choice voting permits voters to rank candidates in order of preference, an alternative to “strict plurality” voting, also known as “first past the post” voting. Opponents of the measure claim that these two provisions were included together to ban ranked-choice voting under the guise of prohibiting something already forbidden under state law.

Proposition A

What’s it about? Raising the minimum wage in Missouri

How did it get here? This proposition was proposed by initiative petition.

What does it say?

“Do you want to amend Missouri law to:

• increase minimum wage January 1, 2025 to $13.75 per hour, increasing $1.25 per hour each year until 2026, when the minimum wage would be $15.00 per hour;
• adjust minimum wage based on changes in the Consumer Price Index each January beginning in 2027;
• require all employers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every thirty hours worked;
• allow the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to provide oversight and enforcement; and
• exempt governmental entities, political subdivisions, school districts and education institutions?

State governmental entities estimate one-time costs ranging from $0 to $53,000, and ongoing costs ranging from $0 to at least $256,000 per year by 2027. State and local government tax revenue could change by an unknown annual amount depending on business decisions.”

What’s the context? Missouri’s minimum wage is currently $12.30/hr. In 2018, Missouri voters approved Proposition B, a measure that increased the minimum wage gradually, to $12/hr in 2023. Afterward, the minimum wage would increase or decrease according to the Consumer Price Index. Businesses would also be required to provide a week of paid sick leave.

If Your Time is Short:

Missouri provides its citizens with ways to approve or reject proposed constitutional amendments and laws. Six measures are on the ballot for Nov. 8, during the general election. To make your voice heard on these issues, you must register to vote in Missouri. You can do this online through the Secretary of State or by going to the election office in your local county.