MOHELA Board Approves Governor’s Proposal

The much delayed vote of the board of the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority on Governor Matt Blunt’s capital improvements plan for colleges and universities takes place at MOHELA headquarters in Chesterfield. And, the Lewis & Clark Discovery Initiative has been approved on a 4-2 vote. MOHELA Chair Karen Luebbert was one of the two votes against the proposal. She told the Board that while there is a great need for building projects on campuses throughout the state, the money should not come from the sale of MOHELA assets. Approval of the proposal to sell off $350-Million of MOHELA assets is conditional. It is subject to legislative approval once the General Assembly convenes in January. Board members chose the conditional vote amid warnings from Attorney General Jay Nixon that members might face lawsuits. Blunt calls the warnings a form of harassment and intimidation.