higher education

The lawsuit contends Missouri failed to match federal money that was sent to certain historically Black colleges and universities. An attorneys bringing the suit, said the state has not properly funded the school on par with the University of Missouri.

Fort Hays State University President Tisa Mason told Ellis County leaders on Tuesday that new partnerships and donations could keep the natural history museum open into next year. The university said it could not afford to "subsidize it alone."

Fort Hays State University President Tisa Mason said the Sternberg Museum of Natural History will close Dec. 18. Mason said the school faces a $2.4 million cut in state funding and needs to eliminate any programs that do not directly benefit students.

University of Missouri-Kansas City workers are pushing for a $19 wage floor for service and maintenance jobs, but Missouri law says public sector workers have no right to strike. The university says its pay structure is “based on the cost of labor rather than the cost of living.”

The law, passed with bipartisan support in 2004, offered the same tuition rate that locals pay to immigrants brought to the U.S. as children who completed a high school education in Kansas and agreed to seek citizenship while pursing a degree.

With most foreign students paying full tuition, campuses will lose out as the numbers of international students decrease. Meanwhile, students worry as new restrictions about how long they can stay in the U.S. are set to go into effect.

This month, Moberly Area Community College's new pilot training begins at the Columbia Regional Airport. Leaders hope it will fill a pilot shortage as the aviation industry grows in mid-Missouri.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach promptly joined the Trump administration in a lawsuit seeking to prohibit Kansas universities, colleges and state officials from enforcing a 2004 law that gives in-state tuition rates to certain Kansas students without lawful immigration status.

The Board of Curators unanimously approved a 4% tuition increase for undergraduates on all University of Missouri campuses on Thursday. At the University of Missouri-Kansas City, tuition will go up by about $247 per semester.

A 3% tuition hike for graduate students is also recommended, ranging from $16 to $29 per credit hour based on campus and program.

The changes come as the Trump administration continues its efforts to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education through a series of interagency agreements that transfer several of its responsibilities to other departments.

The four-time Olympian will be an assistant coach for the men's and women's swim teams at Missouri State University in Springfield.