This is the third post in a series on the four University of Missouri values — Respect, Responsibility, Discovery, Excellence — and how they guide our mission as the state’s flagship, land-grant university.

If you pass by the site of NextGen Precision Health, you’ll notice progress is happening fast. I was at the groundbreaking ceremony in June 2019, and I’m so proud that in just four months NextGen will be open and expanding our ability to serve Missourians.

We’ve made great strides not only on the facility, but also in welcoming researchers who will use NextGen’s resources to save lives. Dr. Richard Barohn and Dr. Tom Spencer, among others, have done an amazing job recruiting faculty who will grow NextGen into a hub of innovation in the Midwest.

NextGen puts our university at the forefront of discovery. It will be a place where interdisciplinarity fuels amazing research breakthroughs. Those breakthroughs — whether in population health, telemedicine or cancer treatments — have the potential to change the world.

This is a transformative moment for Mizzou, the other UM System universities, our industry partners and the entire state. NextGen leverages our collective power to make discoveries with an immediate impact. And there’s no greater impact than improving the lives of Missourians.

— Mun