Governor Jay Nixon (D-MO) tours the state to make a promise regarding higher education. Nixon is vowing that his State of the State Address, next week, will contain a pledge ensuring public four-year colleges and universities will receive the same appropriation in the 2010 fiscal year that they received in 2009.

Governor Jay Nixon at University of Missouri-Columbia In exchange for the guarantee of no cuts, these institutions must abide by a pledge not to raise tuition or academic fees during the 2009-2010 school year.

Asked where the money will come from during tight economic times, Nixon stated that to turn around the state’s economy, Missouri must have a well-trained workforce that is prepared for the jobs of the future, with each student having access to an affordable four-year degree. Nixon says he will unveil details of where cuts in other areas might be made when he delivers his State of the State Address next Tuesday.

Download/Listen: Governor Jay Nixon’s news conference at MU (23:00 MP3)