Central Methodist University
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 430654854
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Fayette, MO, USA
- Phone
- 660-248-3391
- Rating
- 88
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Undergraduate College (4-year)
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $62,064,522
- Expenses
- $61,713,162
- Assets
- $169,855,977
- Liabilities
- $9,803,649
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
52 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ROGER DRAKE (PRESIDENT/TRUSTEE)
- RITA GULSTAD (VICE PRESIDENT/PROVOST)
Highest reported compensation
- ROGER DRAKE (PRESIDENT/TRUSTEE): $386,256 total reported compensation
- RITA GULSTAD (VICE PRESIDENT/PROVOST): $325,385 total reported compensation
- WILLIAM SHEEHAN (VP FOR ADVANCEMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS): $260,000 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Central Methodist University fosters a diverse and caring community, empowering students to become lifelong learners, committed to academic excellence, prepared to engage in a complex world. _Vice President of Operations Support, Community Health Systems (Retired) _ John Orscheln. Central Methodist University is the largest employer in Howard County, with each employee carefully selected. The Office of Human Resources strives to attract the most dedicated and driven, determined to hire only those of the utmost quality. Our goal is to retain a dedicated workforce who can carry out the University’s mission of preparing students to make a difference in the world. We do everything we can to ensure a work environment where employees feel they belong and are valued. As a CMU employee, you will receive guidance through processes including recruitment, training, compensation, benefits...
What it reported doing in 2024
Scholarship programs and student financial assistance - scholarships are awarded to over 90% of full-time students
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 85% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 65% for direct work, and 35% for grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 83
- Transparency & Controls: 91
- Accountability: 99
- Sustainability: 51
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 88.8%; rating input score 89
- Program expense ratio: 89.1%; rating input score 89
- Fundraising efficiency: $7.12 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 97.6%; rating input score 98; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 0.6%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.75; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.2%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 3.2% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 88.8% of revenue deployed · 89.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 40 of 41 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $55M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $386K · 52 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $3.1M reported
- Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
- Schedules: 11 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 12 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 32/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 34/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 23/100.