It’s been two months since we publicly launched Power the Roar – and I’m pleased to announce that Mizzou alumni and supporters have contributed an incredible $770 million toward our $2 billion goal. I’m grateful for the outpouring of support from Tigers across the country who share Mizzou’s commitment to excellence.

To continue our incredible momentum, this week I joined fellow Mizzou leaders – including Journalism Dean David Kurpius, Arts & Science Dean Cooper Drury and Engineering Dean Marisa Chrysochoou – for three Power the Roar events in California. I enjoyed connecting with so many proud Tigers who used their Mizzou education to launch remarkable careers in business, journalism, the arts and technology.

In San Francisco and the Bay Area, we shared Mizzou’s groundbreaking work in emerging fields like artificial intelligence – where our students and faculty use AI to advance cybersecurity, agriculture and health care, among many other areas. In Los Angeles, we heard from accomplished alumni including Jonathan Murray, Alexis Johnson and Pulitzer Prize winner Mary McNamara, who shared how the Missouri Method prepared them to become leaders across the media industry.

I was also pleased to meet individually with dedicated alumni including Joon Bai, Dan Godar, Gretchen Myers, Madvi Raya, Price Sloan and Archie Thornton to discuss our bold vision for how Power the Roar will impact communities, empower students, win championships and prepare leaders for our state and society.

There are nearly 10,000 Mizzou alumni in Los Angeles, San Francisco and the Bay Area. I’m thankful for their strong support and enthusiasm for Power the Roar. Mizzou is back, and I enjoyed sharing the success and ambition of our Tiger community.

— Mun