Yesterday, I enjoyed attending the grand opening of the DeLine Community Research Site. Located just outside of Columbia, this site will be an invaluable resource for our CAFNR students and faculty who are tackling issues such as sustainable development and resource conservation. Scholars and students from the rest of our campus and K-12 students will also benefit from the vast possibilities for experiential learning and research.

This opportunity is only possible because of our innovative partnership with Greg and Kelly DeLine of DeLine Holdings. They imagined a place right here in Boone County where people work together on local issues with global significance. By uniting the entrepreneurial qualities of DeLine Holdings with the innovation of our Mizzou community, I know we can achieve great things.

Public-private partnerships like this help us build our research capacity and give our students even more opportunities to learn by doing. This new research site is the latest example of how we live out our land-grant mission of research, education and engagement for the people of Missouri.

— Mun