KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The University of Missouri’s chancellor says state funding cuts played a role in his decision to move the school from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference.
Chancellor Brady Deaton said Monday that his concerns about instability and uncertainty of the Big 12 were enhanced because state funding for higher education has been cut several times in recent years.
Deaton made his comments while speaking to the annual Missouri-Kansas Associated Press Publishers and Editors Meeting in Kansas City, Mo.
He says the switch to the SEC was not all about money. But Deaton says the SEC offered a more stable and financially lucrative future, especially as the university tries to get its athletics department to be self-sufficient financially.
Missouri expects to join the SEC on July 1, 2012.
