The future of construction projects at two regional universities looks hazy if Attorney General Jay Nixon is elected state governor.

But the Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative already is clouded with turmoil under Gov. Matt Blunt’s administration, Mr. Nixon contended during a News-Press Editorial Board meeting Wednesday.

A vocal opponent of last year’s student loan asset sale used to fund the $335 million statewide initiative, the Democrat said he’d need more information on the status of the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority before he could make any promises about what would happen to the projects.

Missouri Western State and Northwest Missouri State universities stand to reap $50.4 million for math and science centers.

“We’re not going to stop (projects) in the middle of construction somewhere because of a mistake in policy,” he said.

Northwest’s Center for Excellence in Plant Biologics is scheduled to receive a total of $24.4 million to complete the center’s construction. Western will receive $30 million for the renovation of Agenstein Hall.

However, the authority this week postponed its second scheduled payment to higher education institutions across the state because of poor market conditions. The state has committed through legislative action to pay off the projects by 2013.

“I’m going to have to get an analysis of what position they’re in,” he said.

Mr. Nixon said, as governor, he’d work to return consideration of capital project proposals to the Coordinating Board of Higher Education. “(The) entire process has been circumvented,” he said.

He’d also appoint new members to MOHELA’s board of governors who share his higher education affordability goals.

Mr. Nixon’s Republican challenger, U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, R-Columbia, supports the initiative.

Mr. Nixon played up his 16 years of experience as attorney general Wednesday while dubbing himself as an agent of change.

“The state’s at a crossroads,” he said referring to high college tuition, job losses and health insurance premiums.

Mr. Nixon’s platform calls for a program that would offer students in households that make less than $80,000 a year a four-year education on the state’s tab if they keep up certain performance and community service expectations.

He touted his plan to up access to health care, which included the crux of his platform — to restore cuts to the state’s Medicaid program, now known as MO HealthNet.

Alyson E. Raletz can be reached at alysonraletz@npgco.com.