President Choi’s Blog
USS Missouri crew members visit Mizzou
Jan. 30, 2025
We were recently joined on campus by crew members from the USS Missouri fast-attack submarine: Commander Gieorag “G” Andrews, Senior Chief Robert Weaver and Petty Officer Colten L. Schmidt.
As part of their visit, both AD Veatch and I hosted the crew at Mizzou Arena to watch our Men’s Basketball team defeat Ole Miss. During the game, they also received a special on-court recognition, alongside Bruce Loewenberg, a dedicated Mizzou supporter who has served on the Commissioning Committee for the USS Missouri.
The delegation also met with Naval ROTC faculty and midshipmen in the College of Engineering to discuss their work and the importance of the USS Missouri to our nation’s security. After several days on campus, the crew members traveled to Jefferson City to meet with Gov. Mike Kehoe and attend the State of the State address.
Mizzou is proud to support all who keep our country safe, including veterans, active-duty military and ROTC cadets and midshipmen. I want to thank the entire crew of the USS Missouri for their service and example of leadership.
— Mun
CAFNR graduate recognized at State of the State
Jan. 29, 2025
I was honored to attend Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe’s first State of the State address and to hear him especially acknowledge a recent Mizzou alumna.
Gov. Kehoe recognized Addie Thessen, a 2024 CAFNR graduate with a degree in plant sciences with an emphasis in crop management. Addie is from Taos, Missouri and from an early age pursued her interest in agriculture, including through FFA and Missouri 4-H (an MU Extension program). Using her Mizzou degree, Addie now works on her family farm and in precision agriculture – advancing innovations that benefit local producers. Gov. Kehoe included her among the next generation of Missouri’s agricultural leaders.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant university, it’s our mission to prepare Tigers like Addie to make a difference. We share Gov. Kehoe’s support for agriculture – as well as workforce development and securing a strong future for Missouri. We’re proud to work alongside Gov. Kehoe and all our state’s elected officials to impact each Missouri community.
— Mun
Tiger spirit in Newport Beach
Jan. 24, 2025
As the new year begins, we continue our series of exciting alumni events that celebrate Mizzou’s incredible impact and ambition. This week, nearly 90 Tigers turned out for a seaside gathering in Newport Beach, California. We were joined by many notable guests, including members of the Shelden family, whose parents endowed the groundbreaking Shelden Clinical Simulation Center.
An inspiring keynote was provided by MU College of Engineering Dean Marisa Chrysochoou. Dean Chrysochoou shared Mizzou’s strong support for neurodiverse communities and the ways we leverage AI to make a difference for people in Missouri and around the world. Representatives from the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment, the University of Missouri Research Reactor and the Shelden Clinical Simulation Center were available to provide interactive demonstrations of our work in these important fields.
As guests in the Los Angeles area, we were also sensitive to the numerous residents – including Tiger students and alumni – impacted by the ongoing fires. We were honored that so many still chose to attend and show their support for Mizzou. University leadership was proud to make contributions to causes benefiting those affected.
I enjoyed seeing fellow Tigers and hearing what makes them passionate about Mizzou.
— Mun
Thanking our dedicated Campus Facilities staff
Jan. 17, 2025
On Thursday, I joined Associate Vice Chancellor of Campus Facilities Michael Graves in hosting a thank-you lunch for the crews who kept campus safe during the recent winter weather. In addition to clearing streets and sidewalks, Campus Facilities teams also helped prepare Memorial Stadium for a rare snow game on Nov. 30 against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Associate Vice Chancellor Graves, Chief of Staff John Middleton and I all expressed gratitude for the dedication of Campus Facilities team members. Their resilience supports Mizzou faculty, staff and students during the winter months and throughout the year.
Mizzou has more than 650 Campus Facilities staff who ensure we deliver our mission of teaching, research and meaningful engagement. I enjoyed meeting so many team members and showing our appreciation. They are an integral part of the Mizzou community.
— Mun
Looking to the future at Gov. Mike Kehoe’s inauguration
Jan. 14, 2025
I was honored to join leaders and fellow citizens on the south steps of the Capitol in Jefferson City for the inauguration of Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and the swearing in of many newly elected state officials. During the ceremony, Gov. Kehoe shared his incredible personal background – truly a great American success story.
We are proud to partner with lawmakers to advance our land-grant mission of teaching, research and meaningful engagement in each of Missouri’s 114 counties. Elected leaders know the incredible 25-to-1 return on investment Mizzou provides, and we are eager to find new ways to give back, foster economic development and make a difference. That’s why we are creating bold innovations that tackle our state’s most pressing challenges, including by extending lives through cancer-fighting medical isotopes produced at MURR, growing Missouri’s ag economy through research and engagement and educating a new generation of leaders to achieve excellence and meet our state’s workforce needs.
We are grateful to the 57th Gov. Mike Parson for his service, leadership and incredible support of the University of Missouri. We look forward to working with Gov. Kehoe and all elected leaders to advance new opportunities for growth across Missouri.
— Mun
Congratulations to our new Mizzou graduates!
Dec. 13, 2024
During commencement weekend, we’re proud to celebrate more than 1,750 graduates representing 10 Mizzou schools and colleges. These accomplished Tigers worked hard and were resilient in pursuit of their degrees. They’ve earned it, and I can’t wait to see what they accomplish next.
No matter their goals, our new alumni are in good company. More than 95% of graduates have a positive career outcome within six months. Mizzou graduates also join an extensive alumni network of proven leaders in Missouri, the U.S. and around the world.
Congratulations to the December Class of 2024! I look forward to recognizing your incredible achievements alongside your family, friends and the Mizzou community.
— Mun
Mizzou Athletics is making history
Dec. 10, 2024
The momentum at Mizzou Athletics is undeniable! Across programs, our talented student-athletes are competing at the NCAA’s highest levels and bringing so much pride to Tiger fans in Missouri and beyond.
There are many recent highlights:
• Men’s Basketball defeated the (former) No. 1 team in the country: the Kansas Jayhawks.
• The same day, we learned that No. 19 ranked Mizzou Football is heading to the TransPerfect Music City Bowl in Nashville. They’ll take on the Iowa Hawkeyes on December 30.
• Mizzou Volleyball continued their historic post-season tournament run with a win against the SMU Mustangs. This will be the team’s first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2017. They’ll face the Kentucky Wildcats this Thursday.
• Last Saturday, Women’s Basketball won their fourth-straight game.
• Quarterback Brady Cook was named SEC Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year. It’s the second consecutive year he’s received this honor.
Congratulations to all Mizzou student-athletes and coaches! I’m also grateful for the strong leadership of AD Veatch and the incredible support of our fans.
These wins show the dedication of Tigers to compete for championships and the drive of our entire campus to achieve excellence.
— Mun
Mizzou’s hands-on impact in Houston
Dec. 6, 2024
We continued our tour of Mizzou Nation with a stop in Texas at the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Mizzou has strong ties with the Lone Star State, and we’re grateful to share our ongoing impact with alumni and friends.
At experiential stations around the gallery, guests interacted with demonstrations from the MU Research Reactor and the Russell D. and Mary B. Shelden Simulation Center’s Innovation Lab – including lifelike medical training tools sculpted at Mizzou by Damon Coyle. As part of the program, we received a special welcome from distinguished MU alumna, Linda Lorelle, an Emmy award winning journalist who spent nearly 17 years anchoring the evening news at Houston’s NBC affiliate.
We were also joined once again by Law School Dean Paul Litton, Director of the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy Jay Sexton and Ella Rose Ferguson, a junior studying political science and constitutional democracy. They hosted an important discussion about the role elections play in a constitutional democracy and our responsibility to educate the next generation of leaders.
I appreciate our many Houston alumni who attended. We are thankful for their dedication, and we share their excitement for Mizzou’s future.
— Mun
Groundbreaking celebrates a century of tradition at Memorial Stadium
Dec. 3, 2024
Before Saturday’s snowy Battle Line Rivalry win against the Arkansas Razorbacks, we were proud to break ground on the ambitious Memorial Stadium Centennial Project. It was an honor to launch a new era of Mizzou Football alongside members of the University of Missouri Board of Curators, top project supporters and leaders from across campus and Mizzou Athletics.
This project is the largest in Memorial Stadium’s history and is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2026 season. Improvements will provide an unrivaled game day experience for fans while building on our incredible momentum in the SEC and our will to win championships that make all Missourians proud.
Saturday was also Senior Day, which offered a great opportunity to thank 27 student-athletes for their contributions to Memorial Stadium’s legacy. It was great celebrating their many accomplishments while also looking ahead to the next 100 years of Mizzou Football excellence. The talented seniors helped secure an undefeated, 7-0 home field record for the 2024 season.
We’re thrilled to begin this transformative investment in the future of our university, our student-athletes and all Tiger fans. For those who missed the groundbreaking, we’re also celebrating a special on-court project recognition this Sunday during the Men’s Basketball game against Kansas. M-I-Z!
— Mun
State-of-the-art imaging in Mizzou’s Electron Microscopy Core
Nov. 25, 2024
I was pleased to attend the grand reopening of the Electron Microscopy Core in the Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health building. This suite of world-class electron microscopes allows Mizzou researchers to magnify and analyze materials at the highest possible resolution. Thanks to our partners at Thermo Fisher Scientific, the core now has even more powerful equipment that further expands our capabilities for discovery.
Our faculty are using these instruments to create important breakthroughs. Zachary Berndsen, assistant professor in biochemistry, utilized the Titan Krios cryo-EM microscope to learn more about a specific protein that is central to lipid and cholesterol metabolism. His research helps us better understand the causes of heart disease and discover possible treatments.
Mizzou continually invests in both material and biological sciences research, providing a strong foundation for the interdisciplinary collaborations needed to solve the world’s grand challenges. Min Su, the director of the Electron Microscopy Core, and his team are always ready to consult with faculty on how they can use the core’s powerful instruments to advance their work and make a difference.
The Electron Microscopy Core is one of the best in the nation and an incredible resource for our community. We look forward to seeing how Mizzou researchers use these powerful tools to create new innovations with impact.
— Mun